ENERGY SECURITYWhat’s Geologic Hydrogen? What to Know About the Clean Energy Source Buried under Michigan.
Research shows the state may be a hotspot for the resource, prompting a scramble to understand its potential.
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and Interlochen Public Radio in northern Michigan.
Michigan might be at the forefront of a new clean fuel source — and it’s buried right under the state.
Last month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said her administration wants to make the state a hub for geologic hydrogen, a potentially untapped reserve of clean fuel below the Earth’s surface that could power the transition away from fossil fuels.
The U.S. already produces millions of tons of hydrogen a year to power carbon-intense transportation sectors like heavy trucking and shipping, but it’s expensive and requires a lot of energy. Harnessing natural hydrogen could bring prices down and cut more emissions from those industries.
Here’s what to know about this potential new source of clean energy:
How Does Hydrogen Form within the Earth?
There are several ways that large amounts of hydrogen may have formed within the Earth’s crust, according to Matt Schrenk, a geomicrobiology professor at Michigan State University. Scientists know that deposits of natural hydrogen are created when water reacts with iron-rich rocks. Another way hydrogen forms is when certain rocks decay over the course of millions to billions of years, but research hasn’t shown it can result in large stores. One theory suggests that hydrogen has been continuously seeping from the Earth’s core since the planet formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Because all of this occurs deep inside the Earth, naturally occurring hydrogen isn’t easy to get to without drilling.
Why Is Michigan a Good Place to Look for It?
A 2025 study from the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, mapped out areas around the country with a lot of potential for buried hydrogen, with Michigan identified as a bright spot. That’s because the state sits on top of what’s called the Midcontinent Rift. It’s where the North American continent started splitting apart more than 1 billion years ago, then stopped.
“This represents, potentially, a pathway for which deep hydrogen can come up closer to the surface and be collected and extracted,” Schrenk said.
