Encyclopedia of Global Resources part 80 provides a wide variety of perspectives on both traditional and more recent views of Earth's resources. It serves as a bridge connecting the domains of resource exploitation, environmentalism, geology, and biology, and it explains their interrelationships in terms that students and other nonspecialists can understand. The articles in this set are extremely diverse, with articles covering soil, fisheries, forests, aluminum, the Industrial Revolution, the . Department of the Interior, the hydrologic cycle, glass, and placer mineral deposits. . | 738 Methane Global Resources Bowes D. R. ed. The Encyclopedia of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. New York Van Nostrand Reinhold 1989. Bucher Kurt and Martin Frey. Petrogenesis of Metamorphic Rocks. 7th completely rev. and updated ed. New York Springer 2002. Philpotts Anthony R. and JayJ. Ague. Principles ofIg-neous and Metamorphic Petrology. 2d ed. New York Cambridge University Press 2009. Raymond Loren A. Petrology The Study of Igneous Sedimentar y and Metamorphic Rocks. 2d ed. Boston McGraw-Hill 2002. Winter John D. An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. 2d ed. New York Prentice Hall 2010. Web Site . Geological Survey Metamorphic Rocks http LivingWith VolcanicPast Notes See also Asbestos Corundum and emery Garnet Gneiss Graphite Kyanite Marble Mica Plate tectonics Slate Talc. Methane Category Mineral and other nonliving resources Where Found Methane is found throughout the crust of the Earth. The United States Canada and Russia have the largest output of natural gas from methane deposits. Methane is also found in mud volcanoes. The decomposition of landfill materials has resulted in the production of significant amounts of methane and several landfill sites in the United States have been drilled into as a source. Primary Uses The main use of methane is as a fuel source. It also has several industrial uses. Technical Definition Methane is a naturally occurring gas composed of one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen. This stable chemical compound has the formula CH4 and is classified as a hydrocarbon. Description Distribution and Forms Methane a product of the decomposition of plant and animal remains can be found throughout the Earth s crust in varying amounts. Where it is found in greater concentrations methane is the primar y constituent in natural gas deposits which are the target of oil and gas exploration efforts worldwide. Methane is also found in coal deposits as an integral part of the .
