泥火山是重要的甲烷逸氣管道，但卻一直被視為可忽略的。我們利用排水集氣法測量臺灣陸上泥火山的氣體流量並採集氣體樣品，去除水汽後利用氣相層析儀分析其氣體成分。發現西南部泥火山氣體主要為甲烷（80%以上）、空氣（N2+O2+Ar，1~10%）與二氧化碳（1~5％）；以小滾水的甲烷濃度最高，可達到98%。嘉義中崙濁水潭噴發氣體含量與其他地區不同，主要成分為二氧化碳（78%）、甲烷（14%）與空氣（8%）。東部泥火山噴氣中空氣含量較高，二氧化碳則甚低；分別為甲烷80~95%，空氣5~20%，二氧化碳0.2%以下。相較於西部的泥火山，東部泥火山二氧化碳的含量低了約一個數量級。計算各泥火山的C1 (methane) / C2 (ethane) + C3 (propane)的比值，嘉義地區以及養女湖地區泥火山為熱形成來源（比值59-138），東部地區泥火山為混合來源偏熱形成來源（比值600-1049），西南部地區泥火山則為混合來源偏生物形成來源（比值542-2438）。與液體同位素資料相比，烏山頂地區泥火山顯示出不同的來源深度。另在烏山頂、小滾水、滾水坪、羅山等泥火山做密集連續採樣，結果顯示噴氣中甲烷氣體濃度隨時間變化。以烏山頂為例，變化可達20%；但其他地區泥火山甲烷濃度變化在2-4%。臺灣地區陸上泥火山噴口每年排放980-2000公噸甲烷氣體，若加上土壤逸氣總量可能達到10-20倍。參考文獻中的泥火山氣體通量做評估，則全球泥火山每年約排放8.45-16.9 Tg甲烷至大氣中，佔大氣年收入總量的2.5%，因此泥火山是不可忽略的大氣甲烷來源。

Mud volcanoes are important pathway for methane emission from deeply buried sediments but were considered to be negligible in global budget consideration. The emitting gases from various mud volcanoes on land in Taiwan were collected and analyzed. The major components in southwestern mud volcanoes are methane (>80%), air (N2+O2+Ar, 1~10%) and carbon dioxide (1~5%). The highest methane concentration of 98% CH4 was detected at Siaoguenshui. It is interesting to note that the Juoshuitan at Chunglune, Chiayi shows much lower methane content, carbon dioxide (78%), methane (14%) and air (8%). Mud volcano gases collected from eastern Taiwan display significantly higher air (5~20%) with extremely low carbon dioxide (<0.2%). Applying a maturation index [C1 (methane) / C2 (ethane)+C3 (propane)], mud volcanoes gases in Chiayi and Yangnvhu fields are of thermogenic origin (R=59 - 138). The gasses collected from southwestern and eastern Taiwan are mixtures of thermogenic and biogenic (R=542 - 2438). High spatial time-series experiments were conducted at four mud volcano fields, Wusandin, Siaoguenshui, Guenshuipin, and Loushan. There are large variations in methane flux (up to 20% at Wusandin). The estimated methane flux generated from mud volcanoes on land in Taiwan ranges from 980 and 2000 tons/year. The possible methane release globally from mud volcanoes can reach a total amount 8.45 to 16.9 Tg per year, which may impact significantly the budget distributions of natural methane.

中文部分
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李金祥，琉球嶼海底泥火山之成因與震測解釋之研究，國立海洋大學應用地球物理研究所碩士論文，1996

陳格忠、劉家瑄，臺灣西南海域天然氣水合物分佈及震測特徵，21世紀新能源-天然氣水合物研討會論文集，第58-63頁，2002

詹博舜，由穩定氫氧同位素探討臺灣西南活動構造帶泉水之來源，國立臺灣大學地質學研究所碩士論文，2001

謝佩珊，臺灣地區溫泉與泥火山氣體來源之初探，國立臺灣大學地質學研究所碩士論文，2000

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