Natural hydrogen

Earth makes its own gas deep underground.

This gas is called hydrogen. It can help us make power. It can even make electricity for a whole village.

One place in Mali has a well that burns. This happens because the gas leaks out. It is a very special find.

Scientists think there is a lot of it. It might last for hundreds of years. People are looking for it in many lands.

It is found in the ocean and in rocks. This gas is a big help for our world.

Earth makes its own hydrogen gas deep underground. Some people call this white hydrogen. It is different from hydrogen made in a lab.

Most of this gas comes from serpentinization. This is a way that water and rock change each other. This happens when seawater touches certain rocks on the ocean floor. This process makes about 80% of the world's natural hydrogen. Other gas comes from radiolysis. This is when water breaks apart into parts.

In Mali, a village uses a special well. The gas in this well is very pure. It is more than 95% hydrogen. This well makes enough electricity for the whole village.

Scientists think there are 5 trillion tons of this gas. It is found on many continents. New deposits were found in France and Tanzania. People also found gas in Albania. Some say we could use this gas for thousands of years. We must find ways to get it out of the ground. Right now, it is hard to get it out cheaply.

Caption: A map of the Mid-continental Rift System.

Natural hydrogen is a special kind of gas found deep inside our planet. People often call it white hydrogen, gold hydrogen, or even geologic hydrogen. It is different from the hydrogen humans make in labs or factories. This gas is a very important discovery for our future energy needs. Some models suggest there is enough of it to last for thousands of years. However, much of it is hard to get out of the ground in a cheap way.

There are many ways this gas forms deep in the Earth. One major way is called serpentinization, which is a reaction between water and certain rocks. This happens when seawater touches rocks rich in iron and magnesium on the ocean floor. This one way of making gas creates about 80% of the world's natural hydrogen. Other gas comes from radiolysis, which is when water breaks apart into smaller parts. Hydrogen can also come from the decay of organic matter or from living things.

People have noticed this gas for a long time. In the 1930s, oil drillers in Adelaide, Australia, found huge amounts of pure hydrogen. Back then, they thought it was just a useless byproduct of drilling for oil. In 1987, a worker in Bourakebougou, Mali, tried to light a cigarette near a water well. The well unexpectedly caught fire because of the hydrogen seeping out. This became the world's first and only successful hydrogen well for a village.

Scientists have found hydrogen in many different places around the globe. There are an estimated 5 trillion tons of natural hydrogen in the world. Resources have been found in France, the United States, and Russia. In 2024, new deposits were discovered in Rukwa, Tanzania, and also in Bulqizë, Albania. In France, a company called Française De l'Énergie wants to start extracting it by 2027 or 2028. Most useful hydrogen has a concentration of more than 60%.

This gas connects to how we power our lives and protect our planet. In the Mid-continental Rift System of North America, scientists study how to use it. They think they could pump water down to hot, iron-rich rocks to make hydrogen. They could even use this to trap carbon dioxide underground at the same time. This special way of making energy is sometimes called orange hydrogen. It could help us create a much cleaner way to power the world.

Natural hydrogen is a form of molecular hydrogen found within the Earth. It is often called white hydrogen, gold hydrogen, or geologic hydrogen. This distinguishes it from hydrogen produced by human industry or in laboratories. Scientists view it as a massive potential source of clean energy. Some models suggest it could meet human energy demands for thousands of years. However, extracting this gas economically remains a significant challenge. Much of the hydrogen is currently too widely dispersed to collect easily.

This gas forms through several distinct natural processes. The most common method is a process called serpentinization. This occurs when water interacts with ultramafic rocks. These rocks are rich in iron and magnesium. This reaction is especially common on the ocean floor where seawater meets the crust. Serpentinization is estimated to produce roughly 80% of the world's natural hydrogen. Other sources include the decomposition of organic matter and biological activity. There is also hydrogen from the degassing of the Earth's mantle and crust.

Another important mechanism is known as radiolysis. This is a form of natural electrolysis where water breaks apart. Current scientific models suggest radiolysis is the source of most other natural hydrogen. Hydrogen can also come from the decomposition of hydroxyl ions in minerals. In some cases, it forms through the weathering of freshly exposed rock surfaces. The solubility of this gas changes based on its environment. It is soluble in fresh water at moderate depths. However, solubility decreases at the extreme pressures found within the mantle.

Humans have encountered natural hydrogen for many decades. In the 1930s, drillers in Adelaide, Australia, found high-purity hydrogen. They viewed it as a useless byproduct of oil drilling. No efforts were made to capture the gas at that time. A different discovery happened in 1987 in Bourakébougou, Mali. A worker attempted to light a cigarette near a water well. The well unexpectedly caught fire due to seeping hydrogen. This led to the world's first economically successful hydrogen well. As of 2024, the village continues to use this resource.

Global interest in this resource is growing rapidly. In the 2020s, investments increased in the United States, France, and Australia. For a deposit to be worth working, it needs a high concentration. Typically, concentrations above 60% are considered viable. The well in Mali is even more concentrated, exceeding 95% purity. In France, the company Française De l'Énergie aims to extract hydrogen by 2027 or 2028. Recent discoveries have also been made in Tanzania and Albania in 2024.

Estimates of the total resource are quite vast. Some reports suggest there are 5 trillion tons of natural hydrogen worldwide. In 2023, researchers announced a discovery estimated between 46 million and 260 million metric tons. Even a fractional recovery of the global supply could last for hundreds of years. Scientists are looking at many different geological environments for these deposits. These include the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Midcontinent Rift System.

New methods are being studied to create "orange" hydrogen. This concept involves the Midcontinent Rift System in North America. Scientists suggest pumping water down to hot, iron-rich rocks. This would trigger the production of hydrogen for extraction. This process could also involve dissolving carbon dioxide into the fluids. This would allow for simultaneous carbon sequestration through the carbonation of rocks. This creates a carbon-negative pathway for energy production. It links the study of hydrogen to the broader goal of managing atmospheric carbon.