Scientists have confirmed a "huge" gas field at Rukwa in Tanzania's East African Rift Valley region that could help solve a global shortage of valuable helium gas. 
 
 A "huge" cache of helium discovered in East Africa could ease a decades-long shortage of the rare and valuable gas. 
 
 Researchers in the United Kingdom and Norway say the newly discovered helium gas field, found in the East African Rift Valley region of Tanzania, has the potential to ease a critical global shortage of helium, a gas that is vital to many high-tech applications, such as the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners used in many hospitals. 
 
 The researchers say the discovery is the result of a new approach to searching for helium that combines prospecting methods from the oil industry with scientific research that reveals the role of volcanic heat in the production of pockets of helium gas. [Elementary, My Dear: 8 Elements You Never Heard Of] 
 
 By one estimate, the newly discovered helium field in the geothermally active East African Rift Valley may contain more helium than the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve near Amarillo, Texas, which holds about 30 percent of the world's helium supply. 
 
 The Tanzania discovery was made by researchers from the University of Oxford and Durham University, both in the U.K., working with Helium One, a helium exploration company headquartered in Norway. 
 
 "We sampled helium gas (and nitrogen) just bubbling out of the ground in the Tanzanian East African Rift valley," Chris Ballentine, a geochemist in the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University, said in a statement. "By combining our understanding of helium geochemistry with seismic images of gas-trapping structures, independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 billion cubic feet [1.5 billion cubic meters] in just one part of the rift valley." 
 
 Pete Barry, a geochemist at the University of Oxford, takes gas samples from a thermal pool at a helium prospecting site in Tanzania operated by Norwegian geoscience company Helium One. Credit: Thomas Abraham-James/Helium One 
 
 Meanwhile, the Federal Helium Reserve currently holds just 24.2 billion cubic feet, and the total known reserves in the U.S. contain about 153 billion cubic feet (4.3 billion cubic m), Ballentine said, while global consumption of helium is about 8 billion cubic feet (0.23 billion cubic m) per year. 
 
 The newly discovered gas field in Tanzania holds enough helium "to fill over 1.2 million medical MRI scanners," he said: "This is a game changer for the future security of society's helium needs, and similar finds in the future may not be far away." 
 
 One of the project leaders, geologist Jon Gluyas of Durham University, told Live Science that although the Tanzania gas field is large, it's only a small part of what the entire Rift Valley area may contain. "So it could be substantially larger," Gluyas said. "We will still have a lot of data to collect to be really confident, but yes — this is a globally significant discovery." 
 
 Gluyas said the discovery hinged on a new understanding of the very complex and ancient nuclear, chemical and geological mechanisms that create helium in the Earth's crust and transport it into pockets that can be tapped by drilling. 
 
 "Almost more significant than the volume of helium found is that it was found on purpose," he said. "Every other discovery of helium to date has been found by accident." 
 
 Helium accumulates inside rock in the Earth's crust over billions of years, from the radioactive decay of the elements uranium and thorium. But the gas remains trapped in the rock until it is freed by very intense volcanic heat, such as that found in geothermally active regions such as the East African Rift Valley, Gluyas said. 
 
 By studying that process and the geological mechanisms that cause freed helium gas to accumulate in pockets, the researchers were able to identify potential drilling sites, he added. 
 
 Gluyas said the team took the same protocols and "applied the same sort of thinking you would for finding oil" to finding helium. 
 
 The fusion of hydrogen atoms produces large amounts of helium in the nuclear processes that power the sun. But here on Earth, helium is hard to find and hard to keep hold of, Gluyas said. Helium atoms are so small that the gas leaks out of almost every sort of container, and once helium escapes into the atmosphere, it's gone for good, he explained. 
 
 "In a bizarre sort of way, it is the ultimate nonrenewable element, and at the moment, it is not replaceable for many applications, certainly for medical systems such as MRI scanners," Gluyas said. 
 
 Scientific research associated with the discovery in Tanzania will be presented Tuesday (June 28) at the Goldschmidt Conference, which is being held in Yokohama, Japan, from June 26 to July 1. 
 
 Original article on Live Science. 

 Print Page About Helium 
 
 What is helium? 
 
 Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen. It is a colorless and odorless inert gas that has unique properties. What makes helium so unique? 
 
 Of all the elements, helium is the most stable; it will not burn or react with other elements. Helium has the lowest melting and boiling points. It exists as a gas except under extreme conditions. At temperatures near absolute zero, helium is a fluid; most materials are solid when cooled to such low temperatures. Where does helium come from? 
 
 Helium is a non-renewable natural resource that is most commonly recovered from natural gas deposits. Geologic conditions in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas make the natural gas in these areas some of the most helium-rich in the world (with concentrations between 0.3% to 2.7%). What is helium used for, and why is it a strategic natural resource? 
 
 Perhaps the most familiar use of helium is as a safe, non-flamable gas to fill party and parade balloons. However, helium is a critical component in many fields, including scientific research, medical technology, high-tech manufacturing, space exploration, and national defense. Here are a few examples: The medical field uses helium in essential diagnostic equipment such as MRI’s, and helium-neon lasers are used in eye surgery. 
 
 National defense applications include rocket engine testing, scientific balloons, surveillance craft, air-to-air missile guidance systems, and more. 
 
 Helium is used to cool thermographic cameras and equipment used by search and rescue teams and medical personnel to detect and monitor certain physiological processes. 
 
 Various industries use helium to detect gas leaks in their products. Helium is a safe tracer gas because it is inert. Manufacturers of aerosol products, tires, refrigerators, fire extinguishers, air conditioners and other devices use helium to test seals before their products come to market. 
 
 Cutting edge space science and research requires helium. NASA uses helium to keep hot gases and ultra-cold liquid fuel separated during lift off of rockets. 
 
 Arc welding uses helium to create an inert gas shield. Similarly, divers and others working under pressure can use a mix of helium and oxygen to create a safe artificial breathing atmosphere. 
 
 Helium is a protective gas in titanium and zirconium production and in growing silicon and germanium crystals. 
 
 Since helium doesn’t become radioactive, it is used as a cooling medium for nuclear reactors. 
 
 Cryogenics, superconductivity, laser pointers, supersonic wind tunnels, cardiopulmonary resuscitation pumps, monitoring blimps used by the Border Patrol, and liquid fuel rockets all require helium in either their manufacture or use. For many of these applications, there is no substitute for helium. Helium is a non-renewable resource found in recoverable quantities in only a few locations around the world, many of which are being depleted. Accordingly, the US has important economic and national security interests in ensuring a reliable supply of helium. What is the Federal role in managing this strategic resource? 
 
 The BLM operates and maintains a helium storage reservoir, enrichment plant, and pipeline system near Amarillo, Texas, that supplies over 40 percent of domestic demand for helium. The BLM supplies crude helium to private helium refining companies which in turn refine the helium and market it to consumers. The BLM is also responsible for evaluating the nation’s helium-bearing gas fields and providing responsible access to Federal land for managed recovery and disposal of helium. The Federal Helium Program is administered by the BLM’s Amarillo Field Office under the authority of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013. History of the Federal Helium Program 
 
 The Federal Helium Program has undergone many changes since its inception in 1925. Following World War I, Congress created the Federal Helium Program to ensure that helium would be available to the government for defense needs. The Army valued it as a safe, noncombustible alternative to hydrogen for use in buoyant aircraft. The Bureau of Mines constructed and operated a large helium extraction and purification plant near Amarillo, Texas, that went into operation in 1929. The facility was located close to the Hugoton and other natural gas fields that run from southwest Kansas through the panhandle of Oklahoma and into the panhandle of Texas. The natural gas in these fields contains unusually high concentrations of helium, from 0.3% to 2.7%; they constitute the largest source of helium in the United States. From 1929 to 1960 the federal government was the only domestic producer of helium. During and after World War II the demand for helium increased. In response, Congress passed amendments to the Helium Act in 1960 that provided incentives for private natural gas producers to strip helium from natural gas and sell it to the Federal government. The Secretary of the Interior was given authority to borrow money from the U.S. Treasury to buy helium. Some of this helium was used for research, NASA’s space program, and other applications, but most was injected into the Cliffside Storage Facility, a natural geologic formation known as the Bush Dome about 12 miles northwest of Amarillo (aka the Federal Helium Reserve). Over the next several decades, private sector demand for helium began to exceed Federal demand. In response, Congress redefined the government’s role in helium production by passing the Helium Privatization Act (HPA) of 1996. The Bureau of Land Management was given responsibility for operating the Federal Helium Reserve for the purpose of providing enriched crude helium to private refiners. The HPA directed BLM to use revenues from the sale of helium to pay off the debt originally incurred to acquire the helium. By 2013, BLM had fully repaid the $1 billion debt, with 11 Bcf of helium still remaining unsold in the Reserve. Congress authorized continued operation of the Reserve by passing the Helium Stewardship Act. The intent of the HSA is to allow for a smooth transition to private means of helium production (both domestic and international) as the Reserve is steadily drawn down. How is the Federal Helium Program Funded? 
 
 The Federal Helium Program operates using non-appropriated funds, i.e. money generated from the sale and storage of helium and other related non-tax revenues. After funding operations, the program yields about $430,000 per day for the U.S. Treasury. 
 
 
 
 Energy & Minerals Home Helium Program Home About Helium 
 
 
 
 Helium Resources on Federal Land Federal Helium Operations Amarillo Field Office 
 
 Other FAQs Helium Trivia 1. Helium was the cause of the Hindenburg explosion. (True or False) 2. Inhaled helium causes your vocal cords to constrict, giving you a voice much higher in pitch. (True or False) 3. In order of abundance in the universe, where is helium ranked among elements? 1st 
 
 2nd 
 
 4th 
 
 30th 4. What does helium mean? male 
 
 floating 
 
 sun 
 
 weird Answers to Helium Trivia General and media inquiries about the Federal Helium Program may be directed to 
 
 Paul McGuire, Public Affairs Specialist, at (405) 790-1009, pmcguire@blm.gov 
 

– What scientists are calling a "game changer" for society has been discovered deep in Tanzania's Rift Valley: a massive helium gas field with enough of the precious commodity to fill more than 1.2 million MRI scanners, Phys.org reports. Besides the sheer amount of gas, the discovery is notable because it appears to be the first time that stores of helium have been purposely found (they're usually stumbled upon during oil and gas drilling). And the find, which will be presented Tuesday by Durham University PhD student Diveena Danabalan at a Japanese geochemistry conference, could help restock nearly depleted stockpiles. Researchers figure there's about 54 billion cubic feet of helium in just one section of the valley. To put that in context, the Federal Helium Reserve in Texas, which supplies more than 40% of domestic helium needs and contains about 30% of the world's total helium supply, right now holds about 24.2 billion cubic feet, per Live Science. "It could be substantially larger," researcher Jon Gluyas says. "This is a globally significant discovery." The scientists from Durham, working with Oxford University counterparts, used a new method of gas exploration to track down the Rift Valley helium, studying volcanic activity in the region, as well as how intense heat from that activity works to release helium trapped in the Earth's crust, and then pinpointing which sites would likely prove to be plum drilling sites, much like those looking for oil would do. The problem arises when the helium-storing rocks are too close to the volcanoes—meaning the helium will be mixed in with and diluted by volcanic gases—so now the researchers' next goal is to find the sweet spot (or, as Danabalan puts it, the "Goldilocks zone") "where the balance between helium release and volcanic dilution is 'just right.'" (Danabalan has been on the hunt for helium for some time.)