Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Four Corners Methane Hot Spot

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The Four Corners Methane Hot Spot (also called the San Juan Basin methane leak or New Mexico methane source or various related permutations) refers to a clustering of large methane sources near San Juan Basin, near Four Corners, New Mexico, United States. It is perhaps the largest source of methane release in the United States and accounts for about a tenth of the annual gas industry amount. The area has upwards of 40,000 oil and gas wells. The exact cause of the leak is still unidentified but it may be due to coalbed methane extraction.

The San Juan Basin contains the Fruitland coal formation. Ashley Ager, a geologist with LT Environmental, Inc., a company with oil and gas industry contracts, has argued that the leak is naturally occurring due to this formation contacting the surface.

References

Four Corners Methane Hot Spot Wikipedia