Critical Metals & Natural Hydrogen

Tracing how copper moves through subduction zones — and exploring the geological potential of natural hydrogen.

Copper underpins renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, and the infrastructure needed for a Net Zero future — yet the IEA predicts a 30% supply shortfall by 2035. Our NERC-funded project traces the critical-metal conveyor belt: the chain of geological processes that transport copper in fluids and melts from deep subducting slabs to shallow crustal levels where it forms porphyry copper deposits. In collaboration with UCL, UNLV, and Diamond Light Source, we combine laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments with synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy to determine copper speciation, solubility, and partitioning at conditions spanning the full depth range of subduction zones.

Alongside this, we are beginning to explore natural (or “white”) hydrogen — a potentially vast, carbon-free energy resource whose geological formation, migration, and accumulation mechanisms remain poorly understood.