How Hydrogen-Leaking ‘Fairy Circles’ Might Form

Understanding the origins of mysterious seeps could help prospectors extract natural hydrogen fuel

On every continent not cloaked in ice, researchers have discovered strangely barren circular depressions, tens of meters or even kilometers across and as little as a few centimeters deep. Soil probes show these sunken patches, sometimes called “fairy circles,” leak hydrogen gas that is percolating up from within the earth. They have attracted scientists and businesspeople alike for their potential to signal reserves of clean hydrogen fuel. Now, researchers are offering one of the first geomechanical explanations for how they form: from the pressure of upwelling hydrogen gas, which causes a circular patch of land to rise and then sink.