New exploration technique leads to huge helium discovery

The University of Oxford Tuesday announced that a new approach to gas exploration has resulted in the discovery of a huge helium gas field in Tanzania, which could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element.

Helium is critical to many things people take for granted, including MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners in medicine, welding, industrial leak detection and nuclear energy. However, known reserves are quickly running out. Until now helium were mainly found in small quantities during oil and gas drilling.

A team of researchers from the University of Oxford and Durham University, working with a helium exploration company, has developed a brand new exploration approach. The first use of this method has led to the discovery of a world-class helium gas field in Tanzania.

Their research shows that volcanic activity provides the intense heat necessary to release the gas from ancient, helium-bearing rocks. Within the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley, volcanoes have released helium from ancient deep rocks and have trapped this helium in shallower gas fields. The team sampled helium gas and nitrogen just bubbling out of the ground in the valley.

The team found that volcanoes in the valley play an important role in the formation of viable helium reserves, and volcanic activity likely provides the heat necessary to release the helium accumulated in ancient crustal rocks.

"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 cubic feet = 0.028 cubic meter) in just one part of the Rift Valley," said Professor Chris Ballentine from the University of Oxford.

To put this discovery into perspective, global consumption of helium is about eight billion cubic feet per year and the United States Federal Helium Reserve, which is the world's largest supplier, has a current reserve of just 24.2 billion cubic feet, according to Ballentine.

"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," said Ballentine. Endit