Why Gas Geochemistry

Geofluids exhibit variability in flow rate and chemical composition, and constantly cross traversing whole geosphere. The gas geochemistry methodologies established during the past fifty years have markedly improved our comprehension of gas accumulations, gas fluxes, and their geological origins. Gas geochemistry is a newly established domain within the larger study of geochemistry. In the last two decades, progress in the collection, analysis, and monitoring of gases has rendered gas geochemistry a significant scientific approach for comprehending processes within the geosciences.

Current researches in gas geochemistry consider:

• Gases in volcanic and hydrothermal environments
• Gases in seismically and tectonically active regions
• Gases in hydrocarbon reservoirs
• Gases in ore minerals and rocks
• Gases in geochronology
• Gases in biogeochemical cycles
• Gases in geological storage
• Gases from coal mining and industry
• Greenhouse gases
• Gases in waste materials
• Gases in extraterrestrial environments

Three principal gas domains exist on Earth: methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen-dominated geospheres. The emergence and progression of mass spectrometry, alongside significant technological improvements in analytical equipment, revolutionised the analysis of gases and their many isotopes, especially hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and noble gases. Investigations into the chemical and isotopic properties of many gas species have provided significant understanding of their origin, source, migration, and accumulation in certain settings. Consequently, gas geochemistry has emerged as a significant instrument widely employed in diverse domains of geosciences, including the resolution of environmental and climate challenges, the examination of geohazards, the exploration of rock formation and evolution, and the comprehension of biogeochemical processes linked to microbial activity. Hydrocarbons and hydrothermal gases have garnered greater scientific focus than other gas species, chiefly due to their substantial economic significance. Moreover, progress in comprehending unconventional gases, including shale and tight gas, with the examination of extreme circumstances in the deep seas (notably gas hydrates), represents emerging domains that employ these gas-related approaches. Over the last 50 years, scientists in gas geochemistry have disseminated their research findings and experiments at renowned worldwide scientific conferences. These conferences have been organized by prestigious organisations, including the International Conference on Gas Geochemistry (ICGG). Gas geochemistry has gained considerable interest in recent years due to its applicability in geological and environmental research. Current trends suggest that gas geochemistry holds significant promise within the fields of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The growth in noble and rare gas geochemistry is predominantly propelled by technological breakthroughs rather than only depending on geological comprehension. The global initiative to comprehensively comprehend the dynamic geological processes in respect to gas and fluid dynamics illustrates the widely acknowledged correlation between these phenomena.