Systems and methods for evaluating hydrogen generation potential from rocks for natural hydrogen exploration

A method for evaluating hydrogen generation potential from a geological source rock, the method comprising;

• obtaining a geological sample of the geological source rock;
• determining one or more properties of iron in the geological sample by measuring, via Mössbauer spectroscopy, an abundance of Fe3+ and an abundance of Fe2+ in the geological sample;
• and
• performing a hydrogen quantification operation based on the one or more properties of iron to determine a potential for hydrogen production without injection of a reactant, the hydrogen quantification operation comprising measuring a proportion of Fe2+ to Fe3+ wherein a potential for carbon mineralization or a sulfur mineralization is quantified based on the proportion of Fe2+ to Fe3+.

An analytical instrumentation system for evaluating hydrogen generation potential from a geological source rock, the analytical instrumentation system comprising:

• sample containers configured to contain a geological sample of the geological source rock;
• and
• analytical instrumentation configured to determine one or more properties of iron in the geological sample, wherein the analytical instrumentation comprises:
• a Mössbauer spectrometer configured to measure an abundance of Fe3+ and an abundance of Fe2+ in the geological sample;
• and
• a computing device having a processor and memory storage operably coupled to the processor, the memory storage storing machine readable and executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to:
• determine one or more properties of iron in the geological sample;
• and
• perform a hydrogen quantification operation based on the one or more properties of iron to determine a potential for hydrogen production without injection of a reactant, the hydrogen quantification operation comprising measuring a proportion of Fe2+ to Fe3+, wherein a potential volume of hydrogen that may be generated is quantified based on the proportion of Fe2+ to Fe3+.