Chinese scientists have discovered microscopic reservoirs of naturally occurring hydrogen trapped in rocks on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, pointing to a potential new source of zero-carbon energy, the state-backed Global Times reported, citing the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The research, recently published in Science Bulletin, fills a gap in China’s domestic studies of natural hydrogen, the newspaper said. Natural hydrogen is produced by geological processes and releases only water when burned, making it an attractive clean-energy prospect.
According to the Global Times, researchers from the CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics identified micrometre-sized fluid inclusions in ophiolites — remnants of ancient oceanic crust — and detected hydrogen and methane using precision instruments. The gases were linked to water-rock reactions associated with serpentinization, one of the Earth’s main natural hydrogen-generation processes.
“The plateau may host underground ‘natural factories’ producing hydrogen,” Liu Tong, the paper’s first author, told the Global Times.
State broadcaster CCTV said the coexistence of hydrogen with alteration minerals indicates the process is active or occurred previously beneath the plateau.
By comparing global data, researchers also linked deep hydrogen sources with surface emissions, helping map how hydrogen forms, migrates and accumulates, Xinhua reported.
Scientists said the region’s vast ophiolite belts and active tectonics make it a prime target for future hydrogen exploration, supporting China’s push for cleaner energy and greater energy security.
