Koloma, based in
Denver, Colorado, and Columbus, Ohio, is currently drilling and testing for
natural hydrogen, also known as geologic hydrogen, along the
Mid-Continent Rift System in Iowa. Along with exploration along the extensive
Mod-Continent Rift System, which traverses several states, the company expanded
into Australia in February 2025. In late 2024, the company announced an
exclusive partnership with Xcalibur Smart Mapping for aid in exploration. Also
in late 2024, they partnered with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan’s Osaka
Gas. Both of those companies have extensive experience with hydrogen. They also
developed a partnership in 2025 with the government of the Philippines.
Koloma has a nice series
of animations (click link, then scroll down for
animations) about how natural hydrogen is formed and how it is being developed,
with the steps as follows: emplacement, burial, deformation, infiltration,
serpentinization, formation of the hydrogen gas trap, regional airborne
geophysical surveys, zoomed-in geophysical surveys (mainly seismic), and
finally accessing the hydrogen through drilling. Below is a summary of Koloma’s
steps in exploration.
The company utilizes several
types of geophysical surveys, similar to the oil & gas and mineral
industries. These include airborne surveys such as aeromagnetic surveys and
gravity surveys, seismic surveys including passive acoustic and active acoustic
surveys, and magnetotellurics.
An article for Azo Clean Tech
explains the formation of natural hydrogen.
“Geologic hydrogen is an inorganic resource generated by
continuous geochemical processes, distinguishing it from finite fossil fuels.
The primary formation mechanism is serpentinization, a chemical reaction that
occurs when water interacts with iron-rich rocks such as olivine and pyroxene
at temperatures between 200–300 °C.”
“In this process, the water oxidizes the iron minerals
and releases hydrogen gas (H₂). These conditions are often found in specific
geological settings, such as mid-continent rift systems and ophiolites.”
“A secondary generation pathway is radiolysis, where
natural radiation from radioactive elements in the Earth's crust splits water
(H₂O) molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation from
radioactive elements interact with groundwater, producing hydrogen and oxygen
gases continuously in radioactive formations.”
As of mid-February, Koloma
has drilled four wells in the Iowa portion of the Mid-Continent Rift System.
The basement rock in the region is basalt, which is favorable for natural
hydrogen formation. From what I could gather, drilling has taken place in
Northwest-Central Iowa at the Vincent Dome, presumably a possible trap with
structural four-way closure, in Webster County. The depth to the Precambrian
basaltic basement is just a few thousand feet. However, according to
an Iowa Geological Survey geologist, the total depths are currently
proprietary, and he noted:
“The wells that (hydrogen exploration companies) are
drilling now are basically the second deepest in the state,” Clark said. “So,
we’re talking about very deep wells and an awful lot of information.”
If that is the case, they are
likely drilling pretty far into the basalt.
Todd Bush of Decarbonfuse
notes the interest in exploring for natural hydrogen in Iowa:
“Ryan Clark of the Iowa Geological Survey confirmed that
about half a dozen companies have expressed interest in hydrogen exploration in
the state. Most have requested basalt core samples, with 11 of 24 available
samples located in the Vincent dome region.”
Below, Bush notes some
details about Koloma.
According to
NatH2Investing.org:
“Iowa lawmakers are considering Senate File 546, which
would establish permitting, pooling, royalty, and confidentiality rules for
hydrogen extraction.”
The potential
and presence of natural hydrogen have been established in Iowa, as it has in
Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska, but the next thing to determine is trapping
via structural closure.
The USGS published a U.S. map
of the potential for natural hydrogen for the first time in January 2025. The
map is shown below and shows many potentially prospective areas. Factors for
development include depth, properties of basement rocks, presence of
olivine-rich rocks, groundwater infiltration to induce serpentinization, and
four-way structural closure.
According to an interview
with Koloma CEO Pete Johnson:
“From a market standpoint, there’s probably no better
place on earth to discover more hydrogen than the Corn Belt in the United
States where you’ve got massive fertilizer demand,” Johnson said.
“Potential hydrogen extracted in Iowa could have other
uses, like generating electricity or fueling vehicles, if the
infrastructure and demand were put in place. But Johnson said the immediate
demand, especially in Iowa, is for domestically produced anhydrous ammonia.”
Development of natural
hydrogen could also include injecting water to stimulate increased
serpentinization so that hydrogen continues to be generated or possibly is
generated at higher quantities. If the resource was adequate and this could be
done, it could bypass the need for structural geologic traps.
Below are some depictions of
Koloma’s Columbus, Ohio lab, where they house and analyze solid, liquid, and
gas samples associated with natural hydrogen exploration.
Incidentally, I once had a
dream about working on a drilling project to test a geologic structure in Iowa,
which I found odd, since there is very little oil & gas found in the state,
and none is commercial.
References:
Powering
the Future with Natural Hydrogen. Koloma. Home - Koloma
Koloma
Partners with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Osaka Gas to Advance Geologic
Hydrogen Exploration. Michelle Brkljacic. October 15, 2024. Koloma. Koloma
Partners with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Osaka Gas to Advance Geologic
Hydrogen Exploration - Koloma
Uses
for Natural Hydrogen: How Natural Hydrogen is Formed. Koloma. Natural Hydrogen -
Koloma
How
One Company is Removing Barriers to Clean, Natural Hydrogen Production. Abdul
Ahad Nazakat. Reviewed by Laura Thomson. Azo Clean Tech. June 20, 2025. Unlocking
Clean Hydrogen: Koloma's Groundbreaking Technology
Iowa
Moves to Regulate Natural Hydrogen as Koloma Drills Four Wells into
Midcontinent Rift Potential. NatH2Investing.com. February 13, 2026. Iowa
Moves to Regulate Natural Hydrogen as Koloma Drills Four Wells into
Midcontinent Rift Potential - NatH2investing
Iowa's
Hydrogen Rush: Can Koloma Strike Gold Before Rules Kick In? Todd Bush. Decarbonfuse.
February 23, 2026. Iowa's
Hydrogen Rush: Can Koloma Strike Gold Before | decarbonfuse.com
GEOLOGY
AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCESOF WEBSTER COUNTY, IOWA. William E. Hale. U. S.
Geological Survey. 1955. 2014-10-23_09-10-56_wsb-4.pdf
Mapping
the Future of Energy: Hydrogen Reserves in the U.S. Todd Bush. Decarbonfuse. January
22, 2025. Mapping
the Future of Energy: Hydrogen Reserves in | decarbonfuse.com
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