What Is the History of Natural Hydrogen? A Timeline of Discoveries and Exploration
As early as 1931, surveys revealed hydrogen concentrations reaching up to 80%1 in certain natural gases, an observation that remained marginal for a long time. Nearly a century later, this natural hydrogen, also called white hydrogen, has become a full-fledged field of energy research.
The First Traces of a Little-Known Gas
An Exceptional Hydrogen Content Detected in Australia
In 1931, the South Australian Department of Mines measured hydrogen content ranging between 50 and 80% in gas samples collected on Kangaroo Island, the Yorke Peninsula, and the Otway Basin. This observation stands as an early record of natural gases containing hydrogen as a major component rather than merely a trace.1
Natural Springs and Flames Associated with Hydrogen
During the second half of the 20th century, several studies documented the presence of hydrogen in spring waters and gas emissions, sometimes associated with natural flames. Occurrences observed notably in Oman, the Philippines, and New Zealand are linked to serpentinization, a process in which certain rocks react with water and can naturally produce hydrogen.2
Hydrogen Identified in Kansas Wells
In the 1980s, hydrogen was reported in several wells in Kansas, United States, near the Midcontinent Rift. A study published in 1987 reported its presence in ten wells and noted that two of them had been producing hydrogen-rich gas since 1982. These observations helped document the presence of natural hydrogen in a continental setting.14
Accidental Discovery of the Bourakébougou Deposit in Mali
In 1987, a water well drilled in the village of Bourakébougou, about 50 km north of Bamako, Mali, accidentally uncovered an accumulation of natural hydrogen. Subsequent analyses would show that the gas contains about 98% dihydrogen, along with roughly 1% methane and 1% nitrogen. This discovery would later become an emblematic case for the study of natural hydrogen in a continental setting.346
From Discovery to Energy Demonstration
Bourakébougou Powers a Village with Electricity Thanks to Hydrogen
In 2012, a non-commercial pilot project made it possible for the first time to generate electricity from natural hydrogen extracted from the Bourakébougou well. For more than seven years, the village thus benefited from electricity supplied free of charge, produced using an internal combustion engine powered by a natural gas containing up to 98% hydrogen.536
A Detailed Scientific Study of the Bourakébougou Site
In 2018, a team of researchers published a detailed scientific study of the Bourakébougou natural hydrogen accumulation. The article describes, among other things, the circumstances of its discovery, the composition of the gas, its geological context, and its use in generating electricity. This publication helped bring the Malian site to wider attention in the international literature on geological hydrogen.6
A Global Scientific Recognition
A Global Review of Knowledge on Natural Hydrogen Is Published
In 2020, a comprehensive scientific review compiled the available knowledge on the presence and formation mechanisms of natural hydrogen worldwide. It proposed an estimate of the total flux from geological sources, put at around 23 teragrams (Tg) of hydrogen per year, while highlighting the significant uncertainties associated with this estimate.7
The Emergence of a Structured Exploration Framework
Australia Structures Research and Exploration of Natural Hydrogen
In 2021, South Australia officially regulated the exploration of natural hydrogen and granted a first permit targeting Kangaroo Island and the southern Yorke Peninsula.1 Between 2021 and 2024, Geoscience Australia simultaneously carried out a national program including soil gas surveys, rock analyses, and seismic work.8
The Bourakébougou Reservoir Shows Signs of Gradual Recharge
In 2023, a study of the Bourakébougou site showed that twenty-four other exploratory boreholes also contain hydrogen. The main reservoir, shallow and composed of dolomitic carbonate rock, shows the highest concentrations. The observations suggest a dynamic system that is gradually recharging with H₂-rich gas.3
A New Era of Worldwide Exploration
The United States Maps Its Geological Hydrogen Potential
In 2025, the USGS published the first public prospectivity map for geological hydrogen. It identifies regions combining several geological conditions favorable to the generation and accumulation of hydrogen.10 The agency is also conducting a research project dedicated to the formation, migration, and energy potential of geological hydrogen in the United States and elsewhere in the world.11
Squatex Diversifies Its Activities Toward Natural Hydrogen
In June 2025, Ressources et Énergie Squatex announced the launch of an exploration strategy dedicated to natural hydrogen, also known as white hydrogen.
A Mid-Ocean Ridge Reveals Exceptional Hydrogen Concentrations
In 2026, a study presented findings from hydrothermal fluids collected in 2024 by a remotely operated underwater vehicle on the Knipovich Ridge, in the Norwegian Sea. The measured hydrogen concentrations reach about double the values previously reported in comparable sediment-hosted hydrothermal systems. These results show that this deep-ocean environment can generate fluids particularly rich in hydrogen.1213
References
- Alexander, Elinor. "Natural Hydrogen Exploration in South Australia." PESA Symposium QLD 2022, Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia, Sept. 2022. pesa.com.au.
- Sleep, Norman H., et al. "H2-Rich Fluids from Serpentinization: Geochemical and Biotic Implications." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 101, no. 35, 2004, pp. 12818–12823. pnas.org.
- Maiga, Omar, et al. "Characterization of the Spontaneously Recharging Natural Hydrogen Reservoirs of Bourakebougou in Mali." Scientific Reports, vol. 13, 2023, article 11876. nature.com.
- Sentinel Vision. "Bourakebougou Village in Mali, First Place to Use Natural Hydrogen Used as Energy Source." Sentinel Vision, 14 Aug. 2023. sentinelvision.eu.
- Hydroma Inc. "Activities – Natural Hydrogen." Hydroma, n.d. Accessed May 4, 2026. hydroma.ca.
- Prinzhofer, Alain, Cheick Sidy Tahara Cissé, and Aliou Boubacar Diallo. "Discovery of a Large Accumulation of Natural Hydrogen in Bourakebougou (Mali)." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 43, 2018. sciencedirect.com.
- Zgonnik, Viacheslav. "The Occurrence and Geoscience of Natural Hydrogen: A Comprehensive Review." Earth-Science Reviews, vol. 203, 2020, article 103140. doi.org.
- Geoscience Australia. "Natural Hydrogen." HyResearch: Australian Hydrogen R&D Portal, 28 Apr. 2022. research.csiro.au.
- Gelman, Sarah E., Jane S. Hearon, and Geoffrey S. Ellis. Prospectivity Mapping for Geologic Hydrogen. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1900, U.S. Geological Survey, 2025. pubs.usgs.gov.
- U.S. Geological Survey. "Geologic Hydrogen." U.S. Geological Survey, 16 Jan. 2025. usgs.gov.
- Kornei, Katherine. "A Mid-Ocean Ridge in the Norwegian Sea Pumps Out Hydrogen." Eos, vol. 107, 3 Feb. 2026. eos.org.
- Diehl, Alexander, et al. "High H₂ Production in Sediment-Hosted Hydrothermal Fluids at an Ultraslow Spreading Mid-Ocean Ridge." Communications Earth & Environment, vol. 7, 2026, article 12. doi.org.
- Coveney, Raymond M. Jr., et al. "Serpentinization and the Origin of Hydrogen Gas in Kansas." AAPG Bulletin, vol. 71, no. 1, 1987, pp. 39–48.
