Chinese scientists first discovered bare “flammable ice” in the South China Sea

The scientific research team detected gas hydrates exposed to the seabed at two sites in the deep seabed about 1,100 meters in the South China Sea. This is also the first time that scientists have discovered “combustible ice” exposed on the seabed in the South China Sea. China’s new generation of ocean-going comprehensive scientific research ship “Science” in the implementation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences marine pilot project, the first discovery of natural gas hydrate exposed in the seabed in the South China Sea, which is “combustible ice.” This achievement was published online on the 22nd Beijing time in the international authoritative academic journal “Geochemistry, Geophysics, Earth System Science”.

Through the deep-sea laser Raman spectroscopy probe carried by the “Discovery” unmanned submersible, the scientific research team detected gas hydrates exposed on the seabed at two sites in the deep seabed about 1,100 meters in the South China Sea. This is also the first time that scientists have discovered “combustible ice” exposed to the seabed in the South China Sea. According to reports, one of the sites is distributed in the cold spring energy extreme biome, and the dynamically synthesized and decomposed natural gas hydrate can provide methane and other energy sources for deep sea extreme life; another gas hydrate site is located in an active The inner wall of the cold spring spout. The scientific research team conducted on-site detection of exposed natural gas hydrates on the seabed more than 1,000 meters through self-developed Raman spectroscopy probes.

The data show that the rapidly generated natural gas hydrate is not a single cage structure, and there are a large amount of free gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide inside. This is the first time in the world to confirm this scientific conclusion using in situ Raman spectroscopy data. According to reports, natural gas hydrates are generally distributed in deep-sea sediments or continental permafrost, while gas hydrates exposed on the surface of the seabed require a large amount of deep-sea cold spring fluid as a gas source, so it is extremely difficult to exist. An excellent natural test site for its formation, decomposition, accumulation, and interaction with the marine environment.