Helium is an immensely useful element in advanced applications like superconductors, rockets, and even lighter-than-air aircraft, but it’s not exactly easy to come by.
Recent discoveries of carbon-free helium deposits in Tanzania and Minnesota have encouraged scientists to develop methods of detecting other similar reservoirs around the world.
A new study analyzes the conditions of three geothermic areas around the world—including Yellowstone in the U.S.—to develop methods for detecting where these precious sources of helium may accumulate.
Although helium is the second-most abundant element in the universe—the Sun is essentially a helium-producing engine—the stuff is extremely scarce on Earth. Unfortunately, helium is also extremely useful as a cooling component in rockets, medical equipment like MRI machines, and superconducting magnets used in fusion reactors (among other things). It’s even the lifting gas of choice for the small-yet-resilient lighter-than-air aircraft industry. In fact, the element was so important that the U.S. had a strategic helium reserve for decades (though the government sold off that reserve just last year).
Finding this elusive element is difficult, but finding a clean source of helium is even more so—it’s usually a byproduct of natural gas, which is a key contributor to climate change. However, in recent years, scientists have found some evidence that caches of helium free from fossil fuels do exist. The most notable recent examples of this include when scientists discovered a massive underground helium reserve in 2016 in Tanzania, and when they uncovered an additional helium deposit in Minnesota in 2024.
Now, a new study published in the journal International Geology Review analyzes three parts of the world where conditions suit the discovery of similar, climate-friendly helium deposits—Yellowstone in the U.S., Bakreswar-Tantloi in eastern India, and the Rukwa Rift in southwestern Tanzania— and found that that the area surrounding the U.S.’s first national park could be a good place to hunt for carbon-free helium reserves.
“Successful exploration for further helium resources requires a thorough understanding of a wide range of suitable geologic settings,” the authors wrote. “Geothermally active regions are the critical sources of high heat flow required for helium release unlike their ‘dry’ helium-rich lithospheric counterparts.”
Focusing on Yellowstone, there’s a laundry list of good news. The first bit is that the area is absolutely humming with geothermal activity—a prerequisite for the production of helium, as the heat releases the helium atoms from rocks deep within the Earth. The second piece of good news is that Yellowstone rests in the Wyoming Craton, which contains 3.5-billion-year-old rocks. These are the right kind of rocks, considering most helium is produced from the decay of uranium and thorium (a process that can take billions of years). Eventually, the helium makes its way into water and brine, and becomes trapped in faults by the Earth’s crust (which is what happened in Minnesota’s case).
This study analyzes ways to refine humanity’s search for these carbon-free helium deposits, and crucially discovered that its important for the targeted areas to maintain a temperature above what’s known as “closure temperature.” This is what allows helium, which would otherwise be locked away in crystals and rocks, to be released.
“This study concludes that, it is not the extreme thermal conditions which matter to release radiogenic helium but the attainment of thermal condition above closure conditions for most helium-retentive minerals,” the authors wrote. “These findings provide an innovative approach to understanding and assessing the helium potential in similar tectonic settings elsewhere in the world.”
According to Live Science, it’s unlikely that Yellowstone—that is, the land that comprises the current national park—has a trapped reserve of helium due to the fact the area is essentially a massive underground pipe system with many ways for helium to escape. In fact, it’s estimated that roughly 66 tons of helium leak out of the park’s hot springs every year. However, the land surrounding Yellowstone could be trapping carbon-free helium in large deposits, an idea the authors describe as “hugely promising.”
If the discoveries in Tanzania and Minnesota are any indication, then finding sources of clean helium on Earth is definitely possible. The first step is just knowing where to look.
You Might Also Like
The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Painter’s Tape
The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere
Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
