1. Powder River Basin Coalbed Methane: Pathways and Rates of Microbial Gas Generation
Anna Martini, Geology Department, Amherst College, MA
DAPI stained image of methanogens
from a enrichment culture.
Microbial community diversity of wells from the Antrim Shale (Michigan; green) and Powder River Basin coalbeds (Wyoming; orange). Constructed using maximum parsimony and 16S rRNA data. Blue = reference sequences.
The microbial communities involved in the production of economic quantities of methane from both shale and coalbed deposits share many similarities-and a precise correlation with environmental indicators (such as water chemistry, or host-rock maturity) may lead to greater exploration success.