[Rockhounds] Geology of Helium
Paul
etchplain at att.net
Sun May 12 11:51:50 PDT 2019
Helium is a nontoxic, chemically inert, light element with a low density,
low boiling point and high thermal conductivity. These properties make it
not only an ideal, but also essential and irreplaceable, substance for a
multitude of uses. As noted in Nicolas (2018), these uses include as a
"...coolant for superconductors such as the magnets used in magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) machines and particle colliders (e.g., the Large
Hadron Collider), in fiber optics and silicon wafer manufacturing, in the
space industry, in air tanks for scuba diving, as a shielding gas in arc
welding, as a tracer gas for detecting leaks in an industrial high vacuum,
in high pressure systems and in balloons, the most commonly known use."
Helium is produced from beneath the ground like natural gas and not
from the air. Papers that describe the geology of sources of this crucial
element can be obtained include:
Broadhead, R.F., 2005. Helium in New Mexico—geologic distribution,
resource demand, and exploration possibilities. New Mexico Geology,
27(4), pp.93-101.
https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/periodicals/nmg/27/n4/nmg_v27_n4_p93.pdf
https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/openfile/downloads/400-499/483/New%20Mexico%20helium.pdf
Brown, A.A., 2010. PS Formation of High Helium Gases: A Guide for
Explorationists.
Search and Discovery Article #80115 (2010) Posted October 29, 2010
http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/documents/2010/80115brown/ndx_brown.pdf.htm
Johnson, E.G., 2013. Helium in Northeastern British Columbia. BC Ministry
of Natural Gas Development, p.45.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326635872_Helium_in_Northeastern_British_Columbia
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elizabeth_Johnson22
Nicolas, M.P.B. 2018: Summary of helium occurrences in southwestern
Manitoba; in Report of Activities 2016, Manitoba Growth, Enterprise and
Trade, Manitoba Geological Survey, p. 110–118.
http://www.manitoba.ca/iem/geo/field/roa18pdfs/GS2018-9.pdf
Yurkowski, M.M., 2016. Helium in southwestern Saskatchewan: accumulation
and geological setting. Open File Report, 1.
http://www.publications.gov.sk.ca/details.cfm?p=83677
http://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/310/94157-Open%20File%20Report%202016-1_Yurkowski.pdf
Currently, there is a growing shortage of helium.
WashU Expert: The global helium shortage hits home
Wshington University, April 12, 2019
https://source.wustl.edu/2019/04/washu-expert-the-global-helium-shortage-hits-home/
Not just balloons. Helium shortage may deflate MRIs, airbags and research
Edward C. Baig and Charisse Jones, USA Today, May 10, 2019
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/10/helium-shortage-could-deflate-mris-manufacturing-and-research/1169464001/
Helium shortage 2019: Why it's harder to throw a party and fill balloons
Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press / USA Today, May 9, 2019
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/09/helium-shortage-2019-affecting-parties/1158604001/
Global helium shortage affecting medical and aerospace industries, not just
party supply stores, by Gabrielle Moreira, MY9NY_com.
http://www.my9nj.com/group-content-team/global-helium-shortage-affecting-medical-and-aerospace-industries-not-just-party-supply-stores
Helium balloons can be a threat to wildlife.
Well-meaning balloons turn into deadly trash in the water, NOAA, June 2018
https://web.archive.org/web/20190512180153/https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/stories/2018/08_06112018_balloons.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20181109184949/https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/hold-those-balloons-they-could-end-ocean.html
Yours,
Paul H.
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