The Four Corners Methane Hot Spot (also called the San Juan Basin methane leak or New Mexico methane source or various related permutations) refers to a clustering of large methane sources near
San Juan Basin
The San Juan Basin is a geologic structural basin located near the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States. The basin covers 7,500 square miles and resides in northwestern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, and parts of Utah ...
, near
Four Corners,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, United States. It is perhaps the largest source of methane release in the United States and accounts for about a tenth of the annual gas industry amount.
The area has upwards of 40,000 oil and gas wells. The exact cause of the leak remained unidentified as of 2015, but appeared to be related to
coalbed methane extraction.
[
The San Juan Basin contains the Fruitland coal formation. Ashley Ager, a geologist with LT Environmental, Inc., a company with oil and gas industry contracts, has argued that the leak is naturally occurring due to this formation contacting the surface.]NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
researchers concluded in 2016 that oil and gas production and distribution activities were principally responsible for the methane releases.
See also
* Aliso Canyon gas leak
References
{{Reflist
External links
Four Corners Oil & Gas Conference websiteSan Juan Citizens
Methane
Air pollution in the United States
Open problems
Energy in New Mexico