Abstract
A suite of Permian sylvite samples from Boulby potash mine, Yorkshire, UK, consistently yield traces of hydrogen upon analysis by a cold crush technique for liberating volatiles from entrapped fluid inclusions. In contrast, accompanying halite samples do not yield hydrogen. These data suggest the formation of hydrogen by radiolysis of water due to irradiation from potassium in the sylvite. The data indicate radiolysis as a mechanism for subsurface hydrogen generation, where it is available as an electron donor for a deep biosphere.
Highlights
The most common liquid entrapped in fluid inclusions is water, representing the most widespread ambient fluid in the upper crust
In some circumstances, the water may be broken down into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen. This can be the consequence of radiolysis, involving the dissociation of water due to irradiation. This is most evident in uranium ores, where intense irradiation can lead to the formation of discrete volumes of hydrogen and oxygen in aqueous fluid inclusions [1,2]
This conspicuous consequence of radiolysis in highly radioactive ores implies that lesser amounts of hydrogen and oxygen would form in rocks containing lesser amounts of uranium or thorium, or potassium
Summary
The most common liquid entrapped in fluid inclusions is water, representing the most widespread ambient fluid in the upper crust. In some circumstances, the water may be broken down into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen This can be the consequence of radiolysis, involving the dissociation of water due to irradiation. This is most evident in uranium ores, where intense irradiation can lead to the formation of discrete volumes of hydrogen and oxygen in aqueous fluid inclusions [1,2]. This conspicuous consequence of radiolysis in highly radioactive ores implies that lesser amounts of hydrogen and oxygen would form in rocks containing lesser amounts of uranium or thorium, or potassium
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