Serpentinization is potentially significant for the origin and evolution of life during the early history of Earth and possibly on other planets. The dependence of starting materials and their initial ...

Here peridotite (a coarse-grained igneous rock) reacts with water to form hydrogen in a process called serpentinization, setting the stage for abiotic methane formation, while also providing fuel for ...

On Earth circa four billion years ago, life was hard. Frequent asteroid strikes turned parts of the planet into molten rock. Food and livable spaces were few and far between. What was a microbe to do ...

Water stored in peridotite aquifers in the shallow subsurface drives hydration and oxidation (serpentinization) reactions, generating hydrogen gas and releasing Mg2+, Fe2+, Ca2+ and OH- into solution.

Serpentinite, a metamorphic rock of modest appearance, has not only been a material revered by ancient cultures, but modern science points to it as the possible setting for the planet’s first ...

Hydrogen gas formed by natural processes in the subsurface of mountain ranges could represent a promising source of clean energy. A new international study led by Unil and GFZ shows that erosion plays ...

The discovery of hydrothermal fields at ocean floor opens a new chapter for marine sciences. Fluids in hydrothermal fields are hot and acidic, where at least 400 different biological organisms have ...