Author(s): Tianze Liu, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (First Author, Presenting Author) Chao Liang, Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR), Sichuan University-The Hong Kong Polytechnic University John Aiken, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Wenbo Wu, University of California Berkeley Peter Kelemen, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Robert Sohn, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The reactions between peridotite and water near Earth’s surface are among the most important natural processes that generate molecular hydrogen, which may have powered the earliest life on Earth and could be exploited as a carbon-free energy source. Our study suggests that these reactions produce concentrated, sustained underground gas streams, which generate detectable seismic signals. These signals can be used to detect and monitor the underground transport of naturally generated hydrogen.
