Huge helium reserves discovered in the US

A team of researchers has discovered a large deposit of helium at extremely high concentrations that could boost global supplies.

Pulsar Helium's helium drilling site. Photo: Pulsar Helium — Pulsar Helium's helium drilling site. Photo: *Pulsar Helium*

Researchers have found the largest helium deposit in North America at a drilling site in Minnesota. Resource exploration company Pulsar Helium, Inc. has a rig located outside Babbitt in the Iron Range, an iron ore mining district that stretches 175 miles across the northern part of the state. The rig first broke ground in early February 2024 and made the discovery just over three weeks later, when the drill reached a depth of 2,200 feet (670 meters) early on February 28, according to Live Science . This is a major discovery for helium exploration, according to Thomas Abraham-James, president and CEO of the company.

Whether the area can support a large-scale helium plant depends on the size of the deposit, which authorities assess. However, the discovery is of global significance due to the extremely high concentration of helium, Abraham-James said.

Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas found in the Earth's crust along with many other naturally occurring gases. Although it is the second most abundant gas in the universe, helium is very rare on Earth, forming only as a byproduct of fusion reactions or through the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium.

To be commercially viable, natural gas must contain more than 0.3 percent helium, according to the American Chemical Society. The concentration measured at a depth of 530 to 670 meters at a drilling site in Minnesota was 12.4 percent. Helium is a valuable gas, used not only to pump aircraft but also as a coolant in missiles, nuclear reactors, superconducting equipment and medical diagnostics such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Growing demand for helium is rapidly depleting known reserves, prompting companies to search for untapped deposits around the globe. In the United States, one of the world’s top helium exporters, reserves are mainly found in Texas and Kansas. But other suppliers are outpacing the United States, including Russia, Qatar and Tanzania, where Abraham-James and his colleagues found a large helium deposit in 2016.

Experts are planning further studies at the Minnesota drilling site to determine whether the helium stored underground is exploitable. They should have a conclusion later this year.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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