Exploration & Operations

How We Find Natural Hydrogen

Natural hydrogen is a clean, cost-effective, and sustainable primary energy source that requires minimal land, water and energy to extract. The challenge is finding the ideal locations to access these natural hydrogen accumulations. Koloma has the world’s top hydrogen scientists and geochemists using advanced science, proprietary technology and decades of exploration data to unlock this revolutionary energy source.

Our exploration process systematically narrows down regions with hydrogen source rock to identify increasingly more precise locations for potential drilling operations. Each step in the process helps our world-class team hone in on the most promising locations with exploration operations specifically tailored for each region’s unique environmental conditions.

Learn more about end uses of natural hydrogen.

Our team of geologists, geochemists, and geophysicists conducts desktop research on a broad geographic region, 5,000 square miles or more. We study existing public datasets, analyze samples from state core repositories, and run data through proprietary algorithms to build out our database.

Our team of geoscientists narrows down results from geologic research and conducts geophysical surveys. We start with aerial surveys covering from 3,500 to 4,500 square miles each.
We use those results to inform our ground-based surveys, covering an average of 900 miles each. Learn more about geophysical surveys.

The geophysical survey results are sent to our geologists for interpretation, and an area of land 5 acres or less is identified for a stratigraphic test well. These wells will not produce hydrogen commercially. They are used for data collection and research.

Samples from stratigraphic test wells are analyzed onsite in real-time in our state-of-the-art field laboratory, and sent to our research lab in Columbus, OH to be further analyzed.

If the results of our laboratory research indicate an accumulation of hydrogen is present, our operations team will return to drill an exploration well at or near the site of the stratigraphic test well to determine if commercial quantities may be present.

If our laboratory results do not indicate the potential for commercial quantities of natural hydrogen, we will restore the land to the condition we found it. Landowners are compensated for the use of their land during operations.

Types and Benefits of Geophysical Surveys

Geophysical surveys use a combination of electromagnetic signals and sound waves to create detailed images of underground rock layers. These surveys help our team identify geologic formations that are most promising for natural hydrogen generation and accumulation with minimal disturbance.

Airplane conducting an airborne gravity and magnetic survey over a target area

Airborne Gravity & Magnetics

Airborne Gravity & Magnetics

Detects subsurface geologic structures and their iron content. Iron is a key component of natural hydrogen generation
Illustration of passive acoustic survey data shown as subsurface cross-sections

Passive Acoustic Survey

Passive Acoustic Survey

Sensors placed on the ground listen to the natural sounds of the earth.
Vibroseis truck generating sound waves for an active acoustic survey with ground receivers

Active Acoustic Surveys

Active Acoustic Surveys

Sound waves travel through layers of rock, echoing back to receivers that record the information to build a model of the subsurface
Magnetotelluric survey equipment measuring earth’s natural electromagnetic signals

Magnetotellurics

Magnetotellurics:

Measures Earth’s natural electromagnetic signals to give details about structures deep within the Earth’s crust

Benefits of geophysical surveys include:

  • No drilling, chemicals, or water use required
  • Temporary, low-impact operations lasting only a few days per area
  • Minimal noise, traffic, or disturbance to landowners and crops