BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - Methane hydrates in the Chilean continental margin

In the coming years the worldwide energetic resources based on hydrocarbons will diminish, and methane hydrates can become an alternative source, given its huge deposits. Chile does not have great amounts of energetic resources; however, during the cruise C-2901 on board the R/V CONRAD in 1998, seismic profiles that took place in the Chilean continental margin between 35° and 45°S show the presence of methane hydrates through BSR analysis. The following parameters for the hydrate layer can be assumed: Thickness = 100 m, Longitude E-W = 20 km, Latitude N-S = 1000 km, hydrate concentration in the sediments = 10%, and 160 m³ of gas per m³ of hydrate. With these figures, the volume of estimated gas is 3.2 x 10¹³ m³.