Geological background and exploration prospects for the occurrence of high-content hydrogen

Gas of hydrogen is combustible and has been regarded as one of the important form of clean energy. With the increasing environmental concerns caused by the continues and high dependence on fossil fuels, more attention is being paid to the research on hydrogen exploration. However, only limited understanding about the geological, genetic as well as distribution characteristics of hydrogen gas has been addressed. In this paper, the formation and enrichment mechanisms of hydrogen gas under different geological conditions were compared, results showed that reservoirs of high-content hydrogen gas may develop in rift system and the front edge of plate subduction zone. By further summarizing the distribution of hydrogen gas in different tectonic members, it is concluded that the plate collision zone and subduction zone and their peripheries controlling the distribution of the development of high-content hydrogen gas and thus the petroliferous basins developed in these tectonic positions have good natural gas preservation conditions, hence are promising for the preservation of high-content hydrogen gas.