Abstract
The chemical compositions of natural gases and isotopic compositions of hydrocarbon gases were analyzed to characterize the properties of the gases which were found in the exploratory wells from offshore Korea, as well as those dissolved in the ground water onshore in the Pohang area. Natural gases from the offshore area mainly consisted of hydrocarbon gases $(97.98{\~}100{\%})$. The gases were composed of methane $(90{\~}96{\%})$ and minor amounts of heavier components up to $C_{6+}$ Hydrocarbon gases extracted from the groundwater in the Pohang area consisted of methane $(27{\~}376420 ppm)$ and ethane $(19{\~}127 ppm)$. The total amount of hydrocarbon gases was related to the lithology and geological factors surrounding the reservoir. The quantity of the hydrocarbon gases tended to Increase in the Tertiary reservoirs and in the reservoirs where the Tertiary formations were thickly distributed. According to the methane contents, composition of hydrocarbon gases, and stable isotope data, gases from offshore wells are identified as thermogenic in origin, generated during catagenesis stage of the oil window. On the otherhand, based on the methane content $(>99.9\%)$ and isotopic composition $(\delta^{13} C^;\; -73.1{\sim}\;-43.22{\%}_{\circ})$, it is interpretated that the gases from the Pohang area are predominantly composed of biogenic origins, which were generated by the methanogenic bacterial processes under low temperatures and anoxic conditions.
