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A new map by researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey can now show the prospective locations of naturally-occurring geologic hydrogen resources in the lower 48 states.

So what does that mean? Experts say this type of gas has the potential to become a new, low-carbon energy source and they are trying to harness the power of hydrogen.

“For decades, the conventional wisdom was that naturally occurring hydrogen did not accumulate in sufficient quantities to be used for energy purposes,” Sarah Ryker, USGS associate director for energy and minerals, said in a news release. “This map is tantalizing because it shows that several parts of the U.S. could have a subsurface hydrogen resource after all.”

The blue portions of this map indicate there could be large amounts of this “gold” or “white” hydrogen across the midsection of the country, including potential in Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, and in parts of California and the Eastern seaboard. It’s still rare to find high concentrations of this type of hydrogen underground, so this map is the first of its kind to point out potential locations for exploration.

In a recent study, USGS geologists Geoff Ellis and Sarah Gelman estimated a large potential for the amount of hydrogen accumulations, but there was still uncertainty about how or where it’s distributed.

“We showed there is a significant potential for geologic hydrogen as an emerging energy resource,” Sarah Gelman, geologist with the USGS Central Energy Resources Science Center, said in a news release. "The next logical step was to find where it might be in the United States – and for that, we had to develop a methodology, which we applied first to the lower 48 states.”

Researchers say burning hydrogen produces only water as a byproduct, as opposed to carbon dioxide, which comes from burning fossil fuels.

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