By Abeer Nouman

SALT - Smoke and intense heat that were found emerging from the ground in an area in Umm Jouzeh, near Rmemin, on Tuesday was likely caused by a chemical reaction that ignited an underground deposit of methane gas, an expert said Wednesday.

President of the Jordanian Geologists Association Bahjat Odwan told The Jordan Times yesterday that the actual area emitting heat was around 20 square metres, adding that the heat is emanating from a small hole.

After the area was cooled and the land was overturned, municipality workers dug a 1.5-metre-deep trench in the area, he added. Initial findings showed that the site was saturated with accumulated bio-organic materials and methane gas.

Due to chemical reactions, the gas, which is highly flammable, ignited in that area, producing heat whose temperature was measured at 180°C, Odwan said.

After the area’s soil was overturned and the area was opened using heavy machinery, the gas trapped in the soil went out. Civil Defence Department fire trucks cooled the area with water, and the site became safe, the Jordanian Geologists Association said in a statement yesterday.

Concerned official agencies on Wednesday collected underground soil samples to determine the precise cause of the event.

These agencies are currently examining the samples to determine the nature and concentration of the bio-organic materials and whether there were any substances from an adjacent stream, where treated wastewater from the Zai Water Treatment Plant runs, Odwan said, noting that the results of the studies should be revealed at the beginning of next week.

Local residents have long been calling for the stream to be blocked to prevent the polluted water from reaching their lands, he added.

The phenomenon of heat, flames and smoke reported two days ago could happen again at any time in the future, Odwan said, noting that this will depend on the concentration of bio-organic materials in the area, 10 kilometres north of Salt.

The colour of the soil in the area is very dark, which is an indication of its being rich in bio-organic materials, Odwan said.

After the area was cooled, people could stand around one metre away from that vent, he said, noting that there were no volcanic recordings in the area, and the condition is “reassuring”.

At the site itself, there were no signs of any life yesterday. Trees and shrubs, which had grown in the area at some time in the past, were dead.

But just 12 metres to the right, olive trees could be seen growing and their conditions were normal.

The site yesterday continued to attract many people, who stood along the street opposite the area, which is believed to be around 1.5 to 2 dunums.

Some were still baffled by the small amount of smoke that continued to emanate from the earth, with no one daring to go near its source.