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Methane is a colorless, odorless gas with the molecular formula CH4. It is the main chemical component of natural gas (accounting for 70–90 percent of such gas). Natural gas makes up to 20 percent of the US energy supply. Methane was discovered by the Italian scientist Alessandro Volta, who collected it from marsh sediments and demonstrated that it was flammable. He called it “combustible air.”

Methane is found throughout the crust of the Earth. The United States, Canada, and Russia have the largest output of natural gas from methane deposits. Methane is also found in mud volcanoes. The decomposition of landfill materials has resulted in the production of significant amounts of methane, and several landfill sites in the United States have been drilled into as a source.