Stability and Distribution of Methane Clathrate Hydrates on the Surface of Mars

Methane has been first identified in the atmosphere of Mars by the Planetary Fourier spectrometer onboard Mars Express (Formisano et al., 2004). It was then confirmed by ground-based observations (Mumma et al., 2009) and later in situ by the Mars Science Laboratory’s SAM instrument (Webster et al., 2018). Methane is a potentially significant resource for future exploration of Mars, provided we can identify its sources, locations, and abundances. According to our current knowledge of the surface and subsurface environment of Mars, one of the main sources should be clathrates hydrates, a structure composed of water molecules “cages” entrapping other gas molecules, including methane.

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