# Natural hydrogen

Hydrogen gas made underground by reactions in rock; newly found and still being studied. Lightning is also a natural electrical source, but not one that can be harvested.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/

Natural sources · Earth, gravity and atoms · No. 20

- Natural sources
- Origin: Natural chemical
- Renewable: Possibly (under study)
 Natural sources · Earth, gravity and atoms · Foundation · Energy

Hydrogen found by accident in Mali in 1987 now flows almost pure from a well and powers a village.

Chart: Illustration: Natural hydrogen

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Hydrogen forms underground when water reacts with iron-rich rock or is split by natural radiation, then gathers in traps or seeps to the surface.

##### Three things to know

1. Of 24 exploration wells drilled in Mali in 2017-18, 18 found hydrogen.
2. Mali's field has given about 1,300 m3 a day for seven years with no reported pressure drop.
3. Leaked hydrogen warms the climate indirectly, with a 100-year warming potential about 11.6 times that of CO2.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Water and rock**Water meets iron-rich rock underground
2. 2 **Reaction**Rock chemistry or radiation splits water
3. 3 **Traps or seeps**Gas collects in reservoirs or leaks upward
4. 4 **Wells**Drilled at depths of about 100-1,200 m
5. 5 **Uses**Village power now, low-carbon hydrogen later

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/correlation/index.md)
- [How energy resides](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/resides/index.md)
- [Abundance](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/abundance/index.md)
- [Fluctuation in time](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/time/index.md)
- [Across the Earth](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/geography/index.md)
- [Impact on nature](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/nature/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_natural_h2/links/index.md)