“Natural hydrogen”, white or gold,  was discovered on a massive scale in 1987 as the unexpected result of drilling for water. In recent years, a rapidly growing interest in the exploitation of natural resources, and, first of all, in identifying possible sources of hydrogen naturally formed in the Earth’s crust, has been observed. Needless to say, hydrogen is an evident and desirable source of energy.   From a chemical standpoint, it is crucial to understand the possible reactions in the Earth’s crust that may be the source of ‘natural’ hydrogen. So far, it is commonly accepted that hydrogen ‘on the rocks’ is produced from water and iron-containing minerals by reaction (schematically)

2Fe²⁺  + H₂O  →     Fe₂³⁺O + H₂

(so-called serpentinisation, e.g. transformation of olivine to serpentinite) alternatively, by radiolysis processes. Some interesting chemistry also comes from the reaction of CO with H₂O at elevated temperatures and the possible sequestration of CO₂ by silicate materials. The present communication proposes another alternative in which silicon materials play a key role in hydrogen generation.

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