School Of Mines Gets $250,000 For Research

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) - Colorado School of Mines has received $225,000 to research what could one day be a potential energy source.

The money is for research on how to get energy from advanced methane hydrates, which are ice-lattice structures with natural gas locked inside. They can be found in places including the Arctic permafrost and in ocean sediments along most continental shelves worldwide.

Researchers have been able to safely extract a steady flow of natural gas from methane hydrates in Alaska. Work is still needed to see if it can be done commercially and to assess resource volumes, especially in deepwater settings.

The Energy Department said Friday that School of Mines will be conducting laboratory experiments to determine how methane hydrates can be detected using seismic methods.

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