[Rockhounds] "A dream. It's perfect": Helium discovery in northern Minnesota may be biggest ever in North America

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Scientists and researchers are celebrating what they call a "dream"
discovery after an exploratory drill confirmed a high concentration of
helium buried deep in Minnesota's Iron Range.

Thomas Abraham-James, CEO of Pulsar Helium, said the confirmed presence of
helium could be one of the most significant such finds in the world.

"There was a lot of screaming, a lot of hugging and high fives. It's nice
to know the efforts all worked out and we pulled it off," Abraham-James
said.

CBS News Minnesota toured the drill site soon after the drill rig first
broke ground at the beginning of February
<https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/babbitt-minnesota-helium/>. The
discovery happened more than three weeks later at about 2 a.m. Thursday, as
a drill reached its depth of 2,200 feet below the surface.

According to Abraham-James, the helium concentration was measured at 12.4%,
which is higher than forecasted and roughly 30 times the industry standard
for commercial helium.

"12.4% is just a dream. It's perfect," he said.

For decades, the U.S. was the leading exporter of helium, but the former
government-run reserves have since been depleted and sold off to private
equity. Abraham-James and other researchers have since scoured the globe
for other helium deposits to help improve global supply.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/helium-discovery-northern-minnesota-babbit-st-louis-county/