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USGS mapped where natural hydrogen may gather.

USGS natural hydrogen map — conterminous United States

On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Geological Survey published the first publicly available map showing where natural hydrogen is likely to pool underground in the conterminous United States. Built from a peer‑reviewed method, it weighs three ingredients—sources of hydrogen, porous rocks to hold it, and tight seals above. The rollout highlights several inland regions and notes possible expression along parts of the eastern seaboard; USGS has not assessed offshore areas.

Why it’s interesting

Fig. 028 Four anchors frame the conterminous U.S.; nested contours mark overlap of source, reservoir and seal conditions in USGS’s 2025 hydrogen prospectivity map.

The longer version

Natural, or geologic, hydrogen forms within rocks and may collect where geology creates a trap. To guide exploration, the U.S. Geological Survey released Professional Paper 1900 and a companion data set on January 16, 2025, presenting the first publicly available prospectivity map for the conterminous United States.

The map combines expert‑elicited, probabilistic layers for three conditions—hydrogen sources, reservoir rocks, and sealing units—under USGS’s peer‑reviewed series process. A 2026 DOE report described it as the first peer‑reviewed, open‑source methodology of its kind and noted that USGS had not completed offshore assessments. USGS outreach mentions possible expression along parts of the eastern seaboard, including the Carolina bays; independent coverage summarized the highlighted regions and uncertainties.

USGS mapped where natural hydrogen may gather.

Why it’s interesting

The longer version

See how we got here

Sources