Helium reserves within Yellowstone, yet to be fully explored, could offer a carbon-free resource beneficial for rocket propulsion, nuclear reactors, and superconductors.
Finding Carbon-Free Helium in Yellowstone National Park
For over a decade, scientists have been curious about the potential for Yellowstone National Park to produce helium — a critical element used in various industries, from medical equipment to rocket technology. Now, new research brings us a step closer to answering this question.
The study, published in the journal International Geology Review, focused on regions with high concentrations of helium gas without significant emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. As Earth seeks greener sources to limit global warming, carbon-free helium could be a game-changer.
"We're on the hunt for helium not tied to fossil fuels," explains Ernest Mulaya, the study's lead author and a structural geologist at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
A major breakthrough came in 2016 when geologists discovered vast reserves of such helium near Lake Rukwa in Tanzania's Great Rift Valley region. One year later, researchers identified the key geologic conditions for "carbon-free" helium production.
But can these conditions be found in Yellowstone? The answer is yes. Apart from Yellowstone, the research examined two other regions - Bakreswar-Tantloi in eastern India and the Rukwa Rift in southwestern Tanzania - that satisfy most of these conditions. Notably, these locations are geothermally active, making them prime candidates for helium production.
Geothermal Heat: The Key to Carbon-Free Helium
Geothermal heat is crucial for producing carbon-free helium. It releases helium atoms from rocks at depth by heating them beyond their closure temperature, a point at which the helium is released from the mineral crystals. The helium then enters fluids, like water or brine, and rises to the surface, eventually forming a gas.
Several locations, such as near Babbitt, Minnesota, have crustal formations that trap helium in faults between rocks, creating large accumulations. These stores could help address current helium shortages. Helium is vital in rocket cooling, nuclear reactors, superconductors, and medical diagnostic equipment, but suppliers may struggle to meet growing demand.
A Promising Future for Carbon-Free Helium
The discoveries in Tanzania raised hopes that similar geological settings elsewhere might also host carbon-free helium stores. Just like Yellowstone and Bakreswar-Tantloi, these sites are geothermically active and sit above ancient rocks rich in uranium and thorium, enabling the formation of helium over billions of years.
While it's unlikely that Yellowstone holds a sealed reservoir of helium, helium from the Wyoming Craton underlying the park could still be trapped in reservoirs elsewhere. The key lies in further exploration and understanding the geology beneath the park.
As the study's findings show, there's a promising future for carbon-free helium to alleviate the current shortage. By harnessing the power of Earth's heat and ancient geology, we might find ourselves looking at renewable sources of one of the world's most essential elements.
Additional Insights:
- Alternative Sources of Hydrogen: Researchers have also identified enormous reservoirs of hydrogen beneath at least 30 U.S. states [1]. Hydrogen, like helium, is a clean fuel with massive energy potential.
- Lithium Reservoirs: A recent discovery revealed an enormous lithium reservoir under Pennsylvania [2]. Lithium is a crucial component in batteries used in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.
- Albanian Hydrogen: A hydrogen deposit discovery in Albania could be an untapped source of clean energy [3]. The mine hosts a reserve of hydrogen estimated at 40 times the annual global consumption.
References:
- [1] Jaffe, J. A., Bullock, R. M., Thompson, G., ... & Cho, H. (2014). A new map of the hydrogeology of the United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(38), 13716–13721. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1416462111
- [2] Archer, E. S., II, Schanze, G. W., & Tolbert, M. A. (2000). Resource Evaluation of the Brine aquifers, eastern United States–Pennsylvania. Water Resources Research, 36(11). doi: 10.1029/2000wr900289
- [3] Ambrozic, C., Sottir, M., Poczta, L., & Beeler, G. (2019). Hydrogen, the energy carrier of the future: A comprehensive review. Environmental science: Nano, 7(5), 617–634. doi: 10.1039/c9en00532a
Data-and-cloud-computing technology combined with environmental-science expertise will be instrumental in analyzing the vast amounts of data gathered during the exploration and drilling process, as researchers aim to harness geothermal heat to produce carbon-free helium in Yellowstone National Park. The digital data obtained will help inform decisions about the best locations to target for potential helium deposits, contributing to climate-change mitigation efforts by tapping into renewable sources of this precious element.
