Contact: Denise Brehm
brehm@mit.edu
617-253-8069
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Underground Methane Gas Invades Sediment (2 of 2)

Caption: This video shows underground methane gas invading fine-grain sediment (shown in yellow) by creating a fracture. Blue circles represent pore spaces where the gas has invaded. The maroon lines indicate compressive forces between sediment grains. The video shows that the network of compressive forces changes drastically with the evolution of the fracture. The green lines indicate tension between grains, caused by capillary forces that hold the grains together. The network of tension forces also changes with time, as the gas invades the sediment.

Credit: Ruben Juanes, MIT

Usage Restrictions: With appropriate credit

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