Journal of Earth System Science

, Volume 121, Issue 5, pp 1305–1315 | Cite as

Toxic gas emissions from the Kayseri peat deposit, central Anatolia, Turkey

  • MEHMET ŞENER
  • MUSTAFA KORKANÇ
  • M FURKAN ŞENER
  • SELMA YAŞAR KORKANÇ
  • F ZAFER ÖZGÜR
Article
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
  • 237 Downloads

Toxic gases evolving from the soil in urbanized peatland regions constitute a serious hazard since buildings may be subject to the direct ingress of volatiles into the structures. Peat formed in swamp and rarely exposed to subaerial conditions has been associated with the development of the folded foreland of the Quaternary Kayseri pull-apart basin. The peat deposit is extensively urbanized but so far no studies have evaluated the extent of the ground gas hazard. In this paper, the geology, petrography and chemical variation of the Kayseri peat deposit have been studied in order to predict the public health risk from the land gases’ behaviour, especially in soil gases. The main volatile species detected are methane (CH4), hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2), all of which are highly toxic. The primary means of gas entry is directly from the ground through the floors, walls, and especially subsurface telephone cable pipes. Indoor vents emit 1000–70,000 ppm CH4, 330–49,000 ppm CO2 and 3.8–6.5 ppm H2S in soil and subsurface pipes; concentrations high enough to present an acute respiratory hazard to persons close to the vents.

Keywords

Peat soil gases indoor gases Kayseri Turkey methane mineral matter public health 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Blumenthal M M 1938 Der Erdschias Dagh, 3916 m; Die Alpen 14 82–87.Google Scholar
  2. Bouska V 1981 Geochemistry of coal (Prague: Academia), 284p.Google Scholar
  3. Bremner J M and Blackmer A M 1982 Composition of soil atmospheres; In: Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. 2nd edn, Agron. Monogr. 9. ASA and SSSA (eds) Klute A and Page A L et al., Madison, WI, pp. 873–901.Google Scholar
  4. Dirik K 2001 Neotectonic evolution of the northwestward arched segment of the Central Anatolian Fault Zone, Central Anatolia-Turkey; Geodinamica Acta 14 147–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Göncüoğlu C 1986 Geochronological data from the southern part (Niğde Area) of the Central Anatolian Massif; Mineral Research Exploration Bull. 105–106 83–96.Google Scholar
  6. Gönenç O, Granit S and Atalay Z 2006 Kayseri Yöresi CO2 potansiyeli, MTA Raporu, Ankara.Google Scholar
  7. Güleç N 1991 Crust-mantle interaction in western Turkey: Implications from Sr and Nd isotope geochemistry of Tertiary and Quaternary volcanic; Geol. Mag. 23 417–435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Gündogdu M N, Yalçin H, Temel A and Clauer N 1996 Geological, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of zeolite deposits associated with borates in the Bigadiç, Emet and Kirka Neogene lacustrine basins, western Turkey; Mineralium Deposita 31 492–513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. İnci U 1991 Miocene alluvial fan-alkaline playa lignite-trona bearing deposits from an inverted basin in Anatolia: Sedimentology and tectonic controls on deposition; Sedim. Geol. 71 73–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Ketin İ 1963 1/500,000 Ölçekli Türkiye Jeoloji Haritası (Kayseri), Maden Tetkik ve Arama Enst. Yayını, Ankara, 82p.Google Scholar
  11. Klusman R W 2002 Interpretation and display of surface geochemical data; In: Surface exploration case histories (eds) Schumacher D and LeSchack L A, AAPG Studies in Geology 48 1–24.Google Scholar
  12. Knapp A K, Conrad S L and Blair J M 1998 Determinants of soil CO2 flux from a subhumid grassland: Effect of fire and fire histroy; Ecol. Appl. 8 760–770.Google Scholar
  13. Levinson Y B 1980 Nonlocal phonon heat transfer; Solid State Communications 36(1) 73–75..35ptCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Lindsay W L 1979 Chemical Equilibria in Soils (New York: John Wiley and Sons), 449p.Google Scholar
  15. Pasquare G 1968 Geologie of the senozoic volkanic area of Central Anatolia, Atti Della Acad. No. delince, Menorie Serie, Roma, 8–9 55–204.Google Scholar
  16. Şener M 2007 Depositional conditions of the coal-bearing Hırka Formation beneath Late Miocene explosive volcanic products in NW central Anatolia, Turkey; J. Earth Syst. Sci. 116(2) 125–135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Şener M and Gündoğdu M N 1996 Geochemical and petrographical investigation of Himmetoğlu oil shale Field, Göynuk – Turkey; Fuel. 75(11) 1313–1322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Şener M and Uluşahin A 2006 Fosil Katı Yakıt Aramalarında Toprak Gazlarının Kullanılabilirliği, MTA Raporu No. 12345.Google Scholar
  19. Şener M, Şengüler İ and Kök M V 1995 Geological considerations for the economic evaluation of oil shale deposits in Turkey; Fuel. 74(7) 999–1003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Şengüler İ, İnaner H, Kalaitzidis S, Siavalas G and Christanis K 2007 Ambarköy (Kayseri) Organik Çökel Oluşumları, Başlangıç Sonuçları, 60. Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı Bildiriler Kitabı, TMMOB JMO Yayını, pp. 502–505.Google Scholar
  21. Stach E, Mackowsky M T, Teichmtller M, Taylor G H, Chandra D and Teichmaller R 1982 Stach’s Textbook of Coal Petrology (Berlin: Borntraeger), 535p.Google Scholar
  22. Tchihatcheff P D 1853 Asie Mineure: Description Physique de cette contree; 5. Rue Des Petits-Augustins Paris, 610p.Google Scholar
  23. Tissot B P and Welte D H 1984 Petroleum Formation and Occurrence (Berlin: Springer-Verlag), 699p.Google Scholar
  24. Türkecan A, Akçay A E, Satır M, Dönmez M and Ercan T 2003 Melendiz Dağları (Niğde) volkanizması, 56. Türkiye Jeoloji Kurultayı, Bildiri Özleri Kitabı, pp. 16–17.Google Scholar
  25. Yalçınlar İ 1959 Sur le terrain du Primaire ancien au sud d’Akşehir (Turquie); C.R. Soc. Geol. France, Paris.Google Scholar
  26. Yılmaz Y 1989 An approach to the origin of young volcanic rocks of western Turkey; In: Tectonic Evolution of the Tethyan Region (ed.) Şengör A M C (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers), pp. 159–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Indian Academy of Sciences 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • MEHMET ŞENER
    • 1
  • MUSTAFA KORKANÇ
    • 1
  • M FURKAN ŞENER
    • 1
  • SELMA YAŞAR KORKANÇ
    • 2
  • F ZAFER ÖZGÜR
    • 1
  1. 1.Geological Engineering DepartmentNigde UniversityNigdeTurkey
  2. 2.Environmental Engineering DepartmentNigde UniversityNigdeTurkey

Personalised recommendations