A deep reservoir for hydrogen drives intense degassing in the Bulqizë ophiolite.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38330123.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.adk9099.
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Abstract
Deep crustal production of hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) is a potential source of primary energy if recoverable accumulations in geological formations are sufficiently large. We report direct measurements of an elevated outgassing rate of 84% (by volume) of H<sub>2</sub> from the deep underground Bulqizë chromite mine in Albania. A minimum of 200 tons of H<sub>2</sub> is vented annually from the mine's galleries, making it one of the largest recorded H<sub>2</sub> flow rates to date. We cannot attribute the flux solely to the release of paleo-fluids trapped within the rocks or to present-day active and pervasive serpentinization of ultramafic rocks; rather, our results demonstrate the presence of a faulted reservoir deeply rooted in the Jurassic ophiolite massif. This discovery suggests that certain ophiolites may host economically useful accumulations of H<sub>2</sub> gas.