Geochemistry and occurrence of inorganic gas accumulations in Chinese sedimentary basins

Inorganic gases are commonly seen in eastern China and occasionally in southern China from the shallow water columns above hot and cold springs. The gases contain 68% to nearly 100% CO2, with δ13CCO2 and δ13C1 values in the range of −1.18‰ to −6.00‰ and −19.48‰ to −24.94‰, respectively. All of the 34 large inorganic CO2 and one inorganic methane accumulations discovered in China are distributed in eastern parts of the country, from both onshore and continental shelf basins. No commercial inorganic gas accumulation has been found in central and western China. This is a review of the occurrence and geochemical characteristics of inorganic gas accumulations in Chinese sedimentary basins. A detailed study of gas samples collected from four representative inorganic CO2 pools and one possible inorganic methane pool indicates that inorganic alkane gases typically show δ13C1 values greater than −10‰ versus PDB (mostly ⩾−30‰), with a positive stable carbon isotope sequence of δ13C1 < δ13C2 < δ13C3 < δ13C4. In contrast, the δ13C1 values of biogenic alkane gases are lighter than −30‰, with a negative isotope sequence (i.e. δ13C1 > δ13C2 > δ13C3 > δ13C4). Inorganic gases also tend to show less negative δ13CCO2 values (⩾−10‰) than biogenic gases (<−10‰).