Coal/Petroleum, methane hydrate

This section contains exhibits of Japanese coal, petroleum, and oil shale, which contains high quantities of oil, as well as commentary on methane hydrate, also known as "flammable ice." Innovative technologies allowing the production of shale gas and shale oil from underground shale resulted in a revolutionary increase in energy resources for 2010s United States, and has changed the worldwide distribution of fuel resource prospects and reserves. Methane hydrate, as demonstrated by the replica, is a substance with a unique 3-dimentional structure formed by methane and water molecules, and is found within the soil of the deep-sea floor more than 500 m deep. There is high expectation for its being a next generation energy resource, and research and development for its method of extraction is well underway.