Massive Reservoir of Helium Discovered Beneath Minnesota

A huge stash of helium might have been found by researchers in Minnesota, making it possibly the largest in North America.

Pulsar Helium, Inc., a company that hunts for resources, has been drilling near Babbitt, a place where iron ore is mined.

This area is called the Iron Range, and it spreads across about 175 miles in northern Minnesota. The drilling began in early February, and after about three weeks, on February 28th, when the drill reached about 2,200 feet deep, workers made the discovery.

“This is an outstanding result,” Thomas Abraham-James, the president and CEO of the company, said in the statement. “It is a big day for helium exploration, confirming the original discovery in the new jurisdiction of Minnesota.”

The possibility of setting up a complete extraction plant and providing large amounts of helium depends on how big the reservoir is, which is still under evaluation.

However, according to Abraham-James speaking to CBS News, the discovery could be one of the most significant globally due to the incredibly high and unmatched levels of helium concentration.

More than enough concentration of helium measured

Helium is a gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste. It is found under the Earth’s surface along with other gases. Even though it is the second most common gas in the universe, it’s not easy to find on our planet. Helium forms as a result of nuclear fusion and the breakdown of uranium and thorium, according to Live Science.

If helium is to be commercially worth extracting, the amount of it in natural gas needs to be more than 0.3 percent, says the American Chemical Society.

In Minnesota, at the drill site, the concentrations of helium measured between 1,750 and 2,200 feet deep were incredibly high, hitting 12.4 percent. This is way above what’s needed for commercial extraction.

Helium discovered in Minnesota as US supplies dwindle

Helium has applications in medical, tech, defense industries

A potential helium reservoir was discovered in Minnesota last week after drillers bored deep beneath the forest floor of the state’s Iron Range as supplies of the… pic.twitter.com/gnbP81IRdo

— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) March 4, 2024

Helium is extremely valuable, not only for filling balloons but also as a vital cooling element in rockets, nuclear reactors, superconductors, and medical tools such as MRI machines.

The increasing demand for helium is quickly using up the known sources. This has led companies to search worldwide for new deposits. In the US, which has been a major helium exporter, reserves are mainly found in the Texas panhandle and Kansas.

However, other countries like Russia, Qatar, and Tanzania are becoming prominent suppliers. In 2016, Abraham-James and his team discovered a huge helium gas field in Tanzania.

More investigation is planned at the drill site in Minnesota to see if the helium underneath can be extracted. A decision is expected by the end of this year, as reported by Live Science.