The Hunt For Methane Hydrates  

Rigzone reports that a US vessel has been sent forth in search of methane hydrates. There's more than one way to extinguish all life on the planet.

Aboard the Uncle John -- When this semi-submersible drilling vessel enters the Gulf of Mexico later this month it will embark researchers on a 35-day voyage of discovery that is part of an effort to map a virtually inexhaustible supply of energy - the methane hydrate that may represent up to 200,000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

The expedition will take the next major step in understanding a potentially huge energy resource trapped in methane hydrate, called the "ice that burns" because it releases a flammable gas when it melts. The resource is found far beneath the surface in waters along the U.S. coast and the permafrost of Alaska. Today's recoverable non-hydrate methane resource pales in comparison at an estimated 1,400 Tcf.