Japan said Tuesday it had successfully extracted methane hydrate, known as “fire ice”, from its seabed, possibly unlocking many years’ worth of gas for the resource-starved country.
In what they are claiming as a world first, a consortium is drilling for the hydrate, a fossil fuel
that looks like ice but consists of very densely-packed methane surrounded by water molecules, one kilometre (3,300 feet) below sea level.
The solid white substance burns with a pale flame, leaving only water.