What is swamp gas?
Swamp gas, also known as marsh gas or landfill gas, is a biogas that’s produced when organic material like dead vegetation rots in an oxygen-starved environment such as a swamp, marsh or peat bog. Swamp gas sometimes has a “rotten egg” smell because of the presence of small amounts of hydrogen sulfide produced from the decaying matter. But the most common component of swamp gas is methane, a colourless, odourless and flammable gas. Experts have been cautious when it comes to blaming the Grand Riviera Princess Hotel explosion on a build-up of swamp gas. “What does seem suspicious is how quickly that conclusion was reached and the fact that it’s not a very common thing,” University of Kentucky geologist Lee Florea told The Associated Press.
