Work

Global occurrences, exploration techniques, and geochemical controls on natural hydrogen systems

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Hydrogen (H 2 ) is a versatile, zero-emission energy carrier pivotal for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like heavy industry, long-haul transport, and power storage, enabling sector coupling and complementing renewables amid the global energy transition. With no direct CO 2 emissions from use, H 2 could meet 10–20% of final energy demand by 2050 in net-zero scenarios, but current production is predominantly fossil-based and emissions-intensive. Natural (geologic) hydrogen has emerged as a promising clean energy resource formed by subsurface processes such as serpentinization of ultramafic rocks, radiolysis of water, and mantle or crustal degassing, which can generate and sustain hydrogen fluxes over geological timescales. This review synthesizes the state of knowledge on natural hydrogen systems, covering global occurrence in cratons, ophiolites, sedimentary basins, hydrothermal and volcanic environments, and summarizing documented accumulations and seeps on all continents and in oceanic domains. Exploration and detection methods are critically assessed, from surface soil-gas surveys, remote sensing, and atmospheric measurements to subsurface tools including geophysics, drilling, logging, and isotopic–geochemical analysis, with special attention to integrated workflows and emerging AI-assisted prospectivity mapping. The geochemical section focuses on hydrogen solubility in water and brines as a function of temperature, pressure, and salinity, and on the main abiotic reactions (notably serpentinization and iron oxidation) responsible for H 2 generation in mafic–ultramafic systems, supported by reactive-transport simulations at reservoir scale. Collectively, the reviewed evidence and modelling studies suggest that natural hydrogen may represent a potentially important low-carbon resource. However, its technically recoverable volumes, commercial viability, and long-term production potential remain uncertain and will depend on better quantification of subsurface accumulations, improved understanding of generation, migration, trapping, recharge, and consumption processes, and the development of exploration and production strategies that address environmental and societal risks.

Source: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.157959

Authors: Sirous Hosseinzadeh, Saeed Salimzadeh, David A. Wood, Murat Karakus, Manouchehr Haghighi

Institutions: The University of Adelaide, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Language: English

Topic: Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,730