World geological map showing the location of some well-documented occurrences of fluids enriched in H₂ and putative abiotic hydrocarbons in the Earth’s crust. The color code of the symbols is a first-order classification based on the geological context. Sources of H₂ in intracratonic basins are currently poorly constrained. Also shown are locations where large quantities of gaseous H₂, mostly produced by steam reforming of natural gas, have been stored in salts caverns such as Beaumont (Texas, USA) and Teesside (UK) and in aquifers such as at Beynes (France). Map courtesy of the US GeoloGical survey, (Truche and Bazarkina, 2019).

with the support of the ISTerre Laboratory

and the Fondation Université Grenoble Alpes

Updated on 18 May 2021