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Underground helium pool discovered in Africa

The pool is the first helium field discovered on purpose, rather than by accident during oil and gas drilling -- and may point the way to successful exploration for the essential element.

By Stephen Feller

OXFORD, England, June 28 (UPI) -- With global helium reserves running low, British researchers are calling the discovery of a large gas field in Africa potentially "life-saving" because of the medical and energy uses the element is essential for beyond blowing up balloons.

A group of researchers from the University of Oxford and University of Durham found the field in the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley estimated to contain 54 billion cubic feet of helium in just one area, which they say could lead to the discovery of much more.

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The world uses about 8 billion cubic feet of helium per year, of which the United States Federal Helium Reserve is the biggest supplier, for MRI scanners, welding and nuclear energy, among other essential uses.

The USFHR, however, contains just 24.2 billion cubic feet, and total known reserves in the United States are around 153 billion cubic feet -- showing how significant finding the single field may prove to be, considering it is the first successful search for helium.

Researchers at the universities, working the helium exploration company Helium One, has been working to find helium near volcanoes, the intense heat from which helps release helium from deep rocks and cause it to get trapped in more shallow gas fields.

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Typically, helium is found while drilling for oil and gas, however a method of searching for the "goldilocks zone" near volcanoes where helium has been released by the heat of a volcano but not tainted by other gases has finally borne fruit.

"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," Chris Ballentine, a professor in the department of earth sciences at the University of Oxford, said in a press release.

In research presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference, researchers show that volcanic activity in the rift provides heat necessary to release helium accumulated in ancient rocks in the Earth's crust.

The search is for areas helium has not been diluted by gases such as carbon dioxide, which researchers have been looking for using their understanding of helium geochemistry and seismic images of gas trapping structures underground.

The expectation is to continue developing methods of searching for helium, based on the recent success, to avoid the shortages that have scientists, doctors and others worried about running out.

"We can apply this same strategy to other parts of the world with a similar geological history to find new helium resources," said Dr. Pete Barry, an Earth Sciences professor at the University of Oxford. "Excitingly, we have linked the importance of volcanic activity for helium release with the presence of potential trapping structures and this study represents another step towards creating a viable model for helium exploration. This is badly needed given the current demand for helium."

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