by M. L. Kiser

Created on: July 16, 2010   Last Updated: July 17, 2010

The unnecessary, April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil gusher which is causing tremendous environmental damage and loss of life, has been of great concern to all of us for a number of reasons.  One of which is the increasing amount of methane gas that is building up beneath the waves of the Gulf.  It has the potential to wipe out large portions of various states, as well as, cause millions more deaths by explosions, possible earthquakes and tsunamis. 

It’s is a harrowing thought that the methane levels could reach the point where the entire landscape of the Gulf region, eliminating much of the land, marine and land mammals, including many more human lives in a very short span of time.  It is a situation that has no room for any mistakes or carelessness, yet BP, the company whose neglect and corner-cutting, has led to the worst oil disaster in America’s history.

Methane Hydrate Deposits are highly volatile, natural gas which is compressed into ice.  In the cold water temperatures they are stabilized, but are quickly destabilized when they build up inside of a well.  When subjected to decreased pressure or high temperatures, they can expand to more than 160 times their normal size.

Prior to the April 20 explosion, oil rig workers decreased the pressure of the drill column in the well and applied heat to set the cement seal around the well.  Then, the Deepwater Rig encountered its’ explosion, spewing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf’s waters which is still spewing today, nearly two whole months of gusher continues to run into the Gulf, killing millions of marine mammals, fish, shellfish, fowl, plants and harming the health of many cleanup crews.  It has the potential to kill millions, including humans living in the Gulf states, especially if this methane were to explode again. 

Methane hydrates have to be kept stabilized and they are common with offshore drilling activity, so BP has known all along, the potential damage that such an explosion could cause.  These hydrates form in pipes and clog the lines. They can stop the flow of oil so rig workers will use inhibitors like methanol to keep them from forming or crystallizing in drill rigs.

Huge deposits of these hydrates are believed to exist beneath the sea floor.  In the Mississippi Canyon, where the Deepwater Rig was drilling, there are possibly hydrates; it may have been there for thousands of years. 

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