Isotopic Identification Of Leakage Gas From Underground Storage Reservoirs- A Progress Report

The Illinois State Geological Survey reports that in areas where bacteriogenic methane occurs in the near-surface groundwater, isotopic analysis of methane reliably distinguishes this gas from gas that has leaked from underground storage reservoirs. Bacteriogenic methane generally has an isotopic-carbon composition of -64 to -90 per mil, whereas the pipeline and reservoir gases analyzed thus far have all had isotopic-carbon compositions in the range of -40 to -46 per mil.