Modeling on Gas Hydrate Formation Conditions in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Permafrost

Abstract Based on the field‐investigated gas geochemistry, the modeling of gas hydrate formation conditions is conducted in the Qinghai‐Tibet plateau permafrost (QTPP) in combination with predecessors' data such as the permafrost ground temperature (T0), the thermal gradient within the frozen layer (G1) and the thermal gradient below the frozen layer (G2). The modeled results show that the permafrost characteristics generally meet the requirements for gas hydrate formation conditions in the study area. Gas composition, temperaturerelated permafrost parameters (e.g. T0,G1,G2) are the most important factors affecting gas hydrate formation conditions in the study area, whose spatial variations may cause the heterogeneity of gas hydrate occurrences. The most probable gas composition to form gas hydrate is the hybrid of methane and weight hydrocarbon gases (ethane and propane). In the predicted gas hydrate locations, the minimal upper depth of gas hydrate occurrence is less than one hundred meters and the maximum lower depth can reach one thousand meters with the thickness up to several hundred meters. Compared with Canadian Mallik gas hydrate field, the QTPP is favorable for gas hydrate formation in aspects of G1, G2 and gas composition, except for relatively thin permafrost, still suggesting great gas hydrate potentials.