- Joined
- Jul 19, 2004
- Messages
- 29,625
- Location
- Out of Bounds
I could have sworn this fire phenomenon had been discussed before, but I can't find any trace of it.
Mount Chimaera is a legendary place in Lycia (modern Turkey) described since ancient times as having fire emerging from the ground.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Chimaera
These flames have long been attributed to methane seeping upward from deep underground. The latest twist is that this methane may be abiotic (i.e., not be the product of organic matter decomposition).
FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/65386-abiotic-methane-makes-mountains-breathe-fire.html
Mount Chimaera is a legendary place in Lycia (modern Turkey) described since ancient times as having fire emerging from the ground.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Chimaera
These flames have long been attributed to methane seeping upward from deep underground. The latest twist is that this methane may be abiotic (i.e., not be the product of organic matter decomposition).
Fire-Breathing Mountain Fueled by Mysterious Deep-Earth Methane Production
Nine out of 10 scientists agree, mountains should not breathe fire. Despite this, a mountain in southern Turkey has been spewing flames steadily for at least 2,000 years.
There be no dragons or magic to blame for the fire belching forth from the so-called Chimaera seep (also known as the Flames of Chimaera) — but, according to an article published in The New York Times, there may be a just-as-baffling geologic phenomenon fueling the flames.
According to a study in the March 2019 issue of the journal Applied Geochemistry, the Flames of Chimaera are fueled by an underground seep of methane (CH4) — but not the garden-variety sort that's produced when organic matter decays underground, mixes with hydrogen and makes Arctic lakes fart fire. [50 Interesting Facts About Earth]
Rather, the gas fueling Turkey's eternal flame is known as abiotic methane, meaning it is produced spontaneously through chemical reactions between rocks and water deep underground — no decaying plant or animal matter necessary. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/65386-abiotic-methane-makes-mountains-breathe-fire.html