Image courtesy of Thomas Stoiber / Alamy
Joel Kontinen
Can we find a new clean energy source just outside our mountain's? The answer seems to be. It is possible. Yes, God has provided us with a new source of hydrogen and other instances of fuel.
“Mountain ranges could be a potential source of clear energy in the form of as-yet untapped hydrogen. While previous research has
suggested this “geologic” hydrogen could be found underground,
researchers have only recently turned to mountains as a possible store.
“Certain minerals react with water and can generate
hydrogen like a free green energy source,” says Frank Zwaan at the Helmholtz
Centre for Geosciences in Germany.
There are vast amounts of such minerals on Earth, but
they are mainly found deep below the surface in a layer known as the mantle, he
says, where they don’t come into contact with water. But during the formation
and uplift of mountain ranges, some mantle rock can be brought close to the
surface, where it can react with water in a process called serpentinisation.
To get an idea of the potential for hydrogen
formation, Zwaan and his colleagues modelled the uplift process, looking at how
much mantle material reaches areas where there are optimum temperatures and
enough circulating water for this to occur. Their results support the idea
that large quantities
of hydrogen could be generated under mountain ranges.
Serpentinisation also occurs at mid-ocean ridges
– some think it
drove the origin of life – but hydrogen formed there is
unlikely to be trapped, says Zwaan. That is because the temperature is lower
than 122°C (252°F), and any trapped hydrogen will be “eaten” by bacteria, but
under mountains it is possible to drill down to where the temperature is
higher.
“Nothing wants to live there, so it’s perfect for the
hydrogen to be preserved,” Zwaan told a meeting of the European Geosciences
Union in Vienna last week. “And there might even be another option, to drill
into what you can call the hydrogen kitchen – the area where the hydrogen
is generated.”
The model results are supported by early finding source:
s from studies of some mountain ranges. For instance, Gianreto Manatschal at the University
of Strasbourg, France, has confirmed there is hydrogen production under the
Grisons area of the Alps in Switzerland. But how much there is remains to be
seen, he told the meeting. “Our research is just at the very beginning,” he said.
There is also hydrogen seeping up from below the
northern Pyrenees, reported Alexandra
Robert at
the University of Toulouse, France. This research, too, is at an early stage.”
Source:
Michael Le Page 2025 Geologic hydrogen: A clean energy source may be lurking beneath mountain ranges | New Scientist 6 May
Posts
