We have recently shown that molecular hydrogen generation from organic matter occurs at high maturity levels (vitrinite reflectance 3–5%) in Lower Cretaceous shales of the Songliao Basin. To evaluate and extend these implications to a wider range of source rock types and organofacies, we report on two Paleozoic maturity suites from Australia, namely the Permian Patchawarra Formation (fluviodeltaic; Type-III; Cooper Basin) and the middle Cambrian Arthur Creek Formation (marine; Type-II; Georgina Basin), and additional mature marine source rocks from Europe and the USA.

It can be inferred from high resolution mass spectrometry that rapid growth of aromatic ring systems is the major pathway for the formation of thermogenic molecular hydrogen from all organic matter types. Extensive open system pyrolysis experiments indicate that the main generation pulse occurs in the vitrinite reflectance range 3.5–5.0%. Kinetic parameters were constructed by subtracting the hydrogen associated with hydrocarbon formation from total hydrogen in the open-system experiments via adjustment factors defined by the relative yields of CH₄ and H₂. A cumulative H₂ potential of 20 mg/g TOC is found with maximum rates of generation that are sufficient for feeding the deep biosphere. Back of the envelope calculations indicate ∼3.5E+10 tonnes of in-place accessible H₂ globally, which is an order of magnitude lower than in-place shale gas resource estimates. Regionally, inferred here for the Patchawarra Formation in the Nappamerri Trough (Cooper Basin), yields per unit rock volume resemble those of economic shale gas in the Barnett Shale, Fort Worth Basin, USA.

Organic particles are, at the SEM-scale (>30 nm), barren of secondary porosity in the case of terrigenous samples at all maturity stages, but show sponge-like porosity in the investigated marine source rocks exhibiting vitrinite reflectance >∼2.0%. Presence of such meso- and macropores is crucial for H₂ storage in marine shales, as microporosity (<2 nm) yielding sorptive storage space for H₂, is usually much higher in mature terrigenous kerogens.

我们最近表明，松辽盆地下白垩统页岩的高成熟度水平（镜质体反射率 3-5%）发生了从有机质产生分子氢。为了评估这些影响并将其扩展到更广泛的烃源岩类型和有机相，我们报告了来自澳大利亚的两个古生代成熟度组，即二叠纪 Patchawarra 组（河流三角洲；III 型；Cooper 盆地）和中寒武统 Arthur Creek 组（海相；II 型；乔治娜盆地），以及来自欧洲和美国的其他成熟海相烃源岩。

从高分辨率质谱可以推断，芳环体系的快速增长是所有有机物类型形成产热分子氢的主要途径。广泛的开放系统热解实验表明，主要产生脉冲发生在镜质体反射率范围 3.5-5.0%。_{通过由 CH 4}和 H ₂的相对产率定义的调整因子从开放系统实验中的总氢中减去与烃形成相关的氢来构建动力学参数。累积 H ₂电位为 20 mg/g TOC发现具有足以喂养深层生物圈的最大生成速率。信封背面的计算表明，全球约有 3.5E+10 吨就地可利用的 H ₂ ，这比就地页岩气资源估计值低一个数量级。在区域上，这里推断 Nappamerri 槽（库珀盆地）的 Patchawarra 组的单位岩石体积产量类似于美国沃思堡盆地 Barnett 页岩的经济页岩气产量。

在 SEM 尺度 (>30 nm) 上，在陆源样品的所有成熟阶段，有机颗粒都没有次生孔隙，但在所研究的海相烃源岩中表现出海绵状孔隙度，表现出镜质体反射率 >~2.0%。这种中孔和大孔的存在对于海相页岩中的 H _{2储存至关重要，因为在成熟的陆源干酪根中，产生 H 2}吸附储存空间的微孔（<2 nm）通常​​要高得多。