Abstract
The effects of ion exclusion and isotopic fractionation associated with gas hydrate formation and decomposition in continental margin sediments are examined using simple mass balance calculations. In a closed system pore fluid salinity can be increased to brine levels and detectable changes in interstitial waterδ 18O can be caused by formation of significant amounts of interstitial gas hydrate. Time- and mass-dependent models indicate that given appropriate geometries, the diffusion of dissolved salts is sufficiently rapid and their supply is large enough to establish dissolved ion gradients that can be measured in sediments obtained from piston cores or boreholes.
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Ussler, W., Paull, C.K. Effects of ion exclusion and isotopic fractionation on pore water geochemistry during gas hydrate formation and decomposition. Geo-Marine Letters 15, 37–44 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01204496
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01204496