Assessing the permafrost temperature and thickness conditions favorable for the occurrence of gas hydrate in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Permafrost accounts for about 52% of the total area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and the permafrost area is about 140 × 104 km2. The mean annual ground temperature of permafrost ranges from −0.1 to −5 °C, and lower than −5 °C at extreme high-mountains. Permafrost thickness ranges from 10 to 139.4 m by borehole data, and more than 200 m by geothermal gradients. The permafrost geothermal gradient ranges from 1.1 °C/100 m to 8.0 °C/100 m with an...