Gas hydrates-are crystalline, ice-like compounds composed of water and natural gas, Until recently their importance to the petroleum and natural gas industries was attributable to the formation of solid gas hydrates in gas pipelines (Hanmerschmidt, 1931). Most studies of hydrates during the last half century have concentrated on experimental measurement and theoretical prediction of the pressure, temperature and composition conditions of hydrate formation (Katz et al, 1959: Dyk and Fornina, 1958; Parrish and Prausnitz, 1972). The discovery of natural gas and oil in colder climatic regions such as Alaska, Canada's Northwest Territory, and Russian Siberia, has renewed interest in gas hydrates because of the possibility that such hydrates contain vast quantities of natural gas.