Groundbreaking map reveals US is sat on huge reserves of hydrogen gas

A groundbreaking interactive map shows where underneath the US hydrogen is likely to be most prevalent and, according to researchers, there's a lot more than previously thought.

The map, which can be checked out here, shows exactly where hydrogen gas, which can be used as fuel, could be strong enough for it to be extracted and used to power things like cars and even homes.

There was the expectation there could be a fair bit of hydrogen hidden underneath the US but researchers have been left astonished at just how much there seems to be.

Sarah Ryker, US Geological Survey (USGS) associate director for energy and minerals, said: "For decades, the conventional wisdom was that naturally occurring hydrogen did not accumulate in sufficient quantities to be used for energy purposes.

"This map is tantalising because it shows that several parts of the US could have a subsurface hydrogen resource after all."

A new map shows where underneath America hydrogen is most prevalent / US Geological Survey

The map is scaled from white to dark blue; the darker the colour, the higher prospect that hydrogen gas can be extracted there.

In a recent paper, USGS geologists Geoff Ellis and Sarah Gelman said: "We calculate the energy content of this estimated recoverable amount of hydrogen to be roughly twice the amount of energy in all the proven natural gas reserves on Earth."

Although the map shows at least 30 states have the conditions needed for hydrogen to accumulate below ground, it does not predict how or where this hydrogen is distributed in the subsurface, meaning it could be too deep to extract, too far offshore or in quantities too small to be viable financially.

The USGS will continue to update the map as more information is uncovered.

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