Unlocking Australia's hydrogen industry through large-scale salt caverns
In July 2025, Dr Rachelle Kernen received an ARC Early Career Industry Fellowship for her work on hydrogen storage in large-scale salt caverns.
Salt diapirs are massive underground salt structures, which played a surprising role in shaping ancient ecosystems. Rising slowly beneath the seabed like geological lava lamps, these "salt mountains" deformed surrounding rocks and created elevated, sheltered environments that supported life in otherwise hostile seas. Their influence enabled the growth of stromatolite reefs, microbial communities that thrived in sunlight and nutrient-rich pockets formed by the diapirs. These niches acted as refuges during global crises, helping life persist through mass extinctions. Today, studying ancient salt formations offers insights into climate resilience, hydrogen storage, and the enduring link between geology and biology.
This University of Adelaide-led project evaluates Australia鈥檚 ancient salt deposits to identify optimal sites for underground Hydrogen storage. Salt caverns are the most cost-effective solution for this purpose, making it essential to characterise the sedimentology and structural geology of these deposits thoroughly. The project aims to optimise salt cavern sites in areas with limited geological data by employing an interdisciplinary approach using outcrop analogues from South Australia and the Northern Territory as inputs for novel physical and geophysical modelling.
For more information read:
Kernen R., Amos K.J., Virgo G., Lloyd J., Subarkah D., , The Geological Society of America Bulletin, Oct 21, 2025.
Kernen, R., Amos, K.J., The Conversation, Oct 23, 2025.