Ask the Superexpert about Natural Gas

Have you ever wondered why natural gas flames are blue? Or who first discovered natural gas? Now you can get answers to these and all your natural gas-related questions. Just ask the Superexpert!

The Superexpert answers new questions regularly, so check back to see if YOUR question is up!

A natural gas flame burns hotter than a campfire. In general, cooler flames appear yellow, orange, or red, while hotter flames look blue or white. (Flecks of orange in your gas flames are OK, but if the flame is yellow, large, and flickering, the appliance may need a safety adjustment by a qualified repair person.)

The ancient Chinese were the first to discover underground deposits of natural gas. In 600 BC, Confucius wrote of wells 100 feet deep yielding water and natural gas along the Tibetan border. The Chinese piped the gas to where it was needed through long, hollow bamboo stalks.

Yes. In 1626, French explorers found Native Americans igniting gases that were seeping into and around Lake Erie.

Natural gas travels through pipelines at the slow and steady pace of 15 miles per hour.
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