The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has released a comprehensive map indicating the likelihood of natural hydrogen, also known as white or geologic hydrogen, occurring across the lower 48 states of the US.
This map is a groundbreaking tool developed by the USGS, an organization under the US Department of the Interior. Natural hydrogen is a potential future energy source, and understanding where it might be found is crucial for energy planning and resource management.
For natural hydrogen to form and be retained underground, three crucial system components are required. First, a source is needed to generate hydrogen. Secondly, a reservoir must be present to accumulate the hydrogen. Finally, an effective seal is essential to prevent the escape of hydrogen into the atmosphere. These components must work together for hydrogen to be present in a particular location.
The map uses a metric called the chance of sufficiency (COS) to evaluate how likely it is that these components are all present and functioning effectively in a specific area. The COS is measured on a scale from zero to one, with higher numbers indicating a greater likelihood that the conditions for natural hydrogen occurrence exist. Users can explore the map to see the COS for different locations, enhancing understanding of geologic hydrogen distribution.
High COS Locations Identified
Certain areas in the lower 48 states have been identified with noteworthy COS values. Notable regions include the Texas panhandle, north-central Kansas, parts of Illinois and Kentucky, and northwestern Michigan. These locations have the highest chance of sufficiency values, reaching up to 0.85. However, it is important to note that a high COS does not directly translate to a high percentage chance of finding hydrogen there.
A scientific paper accompanying the map emphasizes that COS should not be interpreted as a statistical probability of discovering subsurface hydrogen. Instead, it serves as a relative measure during this initial exploratory phase. It helps evaluate the prospectivity of hydrogen occurrences from one region to another, based on the presence and stacking of crucial components.
The study aims to integrate fundamental concepts of hydrogen generation, migration, and storage. Its goal is to offer a practical and publicly accessible method for evaluating the potential for geologic hydrogen across the continent.
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