Evolution of coal-bed methane in Southeast Qinshui Basin, China: Insights from stable and noble gas isotopes

The late Carboniferous-early Permian coal seams of the Qinshui Basin in Shanxi Province are the most prolific producer of coalbed methane (CBM) in China. Methane formed in the late Triassic during deep burial and reheating in late Jurassic-early Cretaceous driven by magmatic underplating. Basin inversion brought the coal seams to 400–700 m from the surface in the mid-late Cenozoic. Here we present results of a study aimed at understanding the...