GRI'S BASIC RESEARCH ON GAS ORIGIN, MIGRATION.

It has been assumed that natural gas, like petroleum, has a biological origin. With support from the Gas Research Institute (GRI), Professor Thomas Gold is investigating the proposition that methane has been continually outgassing from the earth over geological time. Geologists of the U. S. S. R. have offered a similar theory. A variety of arguments are cited in support of this view, none conclusive. In connection with this idea, the U. S. S. R. has been carrying out deep drilling on the Kola Peninsula, and Sweden has been investigating an ancient asteroid impact crater. GRI supports research in determining the validity of alternative theories of the origin of natural gas.