# What's up With Methane Clathrate Nucleation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772 "2010-05-08T23:21:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/1 "2010-05-08T23:21:32Z")
[Deep-sea ice crystals stymie Gulf oil leak fix](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100508/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill) > [@](#): > > The icy buildup on the containment box made it too buoyant and clogged it up, Suttles said. Workers who had carefully lowered the massive box over the leak nearly a mile below the surface had to lift it and move it some 600 feet to the side. > > Company and Coast Guard officials had cautioned that icelike hydrates, a slushy mixture of gas and water, would be one of the biggest challenges to the containment box plan, and their warnings proved accurate. The crystals clogged the opening in the top of the peaked box like sand in a funnel, only upside-down. Modern technical journalism: Stupid headline, crappy explanation. So water at the seafloor is supersaturated with methane? How’s that work out over the long term? Does the bottom ooze lack good nucleation sites, while concrete is a phenomenal nucleator? Why isn’t the well head/BOP covered with crystals, it’s been down there for _months_. Is the damned thing heated? There’s a critical piece of information missing from the AP story. What is it? [Clathrate hydrate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrate_hydrate) ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/2 "2010-05-09T01:00:15Z")
Apparently hydrates are found in geologic formations under the sea floor: [The Oil Drum: Europe | Hydrates updated](http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3819). I was just reading something about the concrete, I’ll see if I can find it again. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/3 "2010-05-09T01:15:16Z")
Here’s a discussion including [cementing](http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6427) of a well. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/4 "2010-05-09T01:23:56Z")
This one [includes a photo of the BOP](http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6442#more). Currently the latest comments are discussing hydrates. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/5 "2010-05-09T03:58:05Z")
[New thread discussing the current problems with the dome and ice.](http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6446#comments_top) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/6 "2010-05-09T18:32:02Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > [New thread discussing the current problems with the dome and ice.](http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6446#comments_top) Ahh, they were lowering the dome over the plume and were getting clathrate snow from _that_. That makes sense more than the story I linked to in the OP, and other bits of news saying the dome was 200 feet up and _ready_ to move into place. Thanks for the excellent links, **NinetyWt**. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-methane-clathrate-nucleation/538772/7 "2010-05-09T20:06:47Z")
Youre quite welcome. I discovered that site years ago, I think through a link on Fark. It’s a good source of that kind of info.