29-35 Geologic Hydrogen Potential of the Carolina Bays: A Source Depth Assessment

Session: Undergraduate Research, Part II (Posters)

Presenting Author:

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Abstract:

The Carolina Bays are a series of approximately 20,097 mapped depressional circles that span the Atlantic Coastal Plain from New Jersey to Southern Alabama. Of these 20,097 bays 82% are located in the Southeastern United States. The Carolina Bays, also known as “fairy circles”, and other formations like them worldwide are unusual producers of natural hydrogen gas. Natural Hydrogen, also known as White Hydrogen, is a versatile and emerging resource that may be critical for the future of energy integration and carbon emissions reduction. Common potential sources may include the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks through the reduction of water, water radiolysis, and/or deep mantle degassing, but source of hydrogen from the Carolina Bay System remains unknown, and therefore unutilized. This study builds onto field data collected from three fairy circles across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Our field data utilized geometric information, airborne gas measurements, and soil gas measurements that confirm a link between molecular hydrogen gas seepage and these geologic features in the region. Soil concentrations range from 0 to 1269 ppm. By incorporating a numerical model, created by Schöpfer et al., that simulates the mechanical compaction of fairy circles, we were able to provide the depth of potential hydrogen sources for the Carolina Bays in the southeastern United States.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1, 2026

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