RE: Oxford university2 May 2021 11:27
"Since the first discovery of helium-rich gas in Kansas numerous others were made across the USA, in Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Colorado (USGS, 2017). Some of these fields contain up to 10% helium by volume, a significant proportion considering that the economic threshold concentration for helium to be considered extractable is 0.3%; the concentration...".
"World helium consumption has risen by around 130% over the past 10 years and is set to increase as technology advances (USGS, 2017)".
"Current helium reserves in the USA are due to be sold off/run out by 2021.."
"From the previous section we have established the presence of three components in Tanzania which would aid in producing viable helium-rich reservoirs:
1) a stable craton and surrounding mobile belts which have been tectonically quiescent for at up to 2.5 Ga,
2) a younger tectonic event (25-20 Ma) which is causing heating and faulting of the previously stable crust and
3) localised sedimentary basins near the tectonic event which may contain trapping structures.
From previous literature and this study we also have evidence that thermal springs in the region are actively producing high N2 and 4He gases; another indication that this region may contain viable helium reservoirs".
"Thermal springs, both high temperature and low temperature are common but
unevenly distributed features within the EARS and have attracted interest in the past due to their potential for commercial salt deposits, noble gases and geothermal energy...".
"Gas samples for this study were taken from thermal springs at 7 locations:
Eyasi, Balangida, Gonga, Mponde, Ivuna (Rukwa Basin), Idindiro and Rukwa in 2 main areas on both the Eastern and Western rift branches:
1) on the Eastern Branch the study area (red box) is within the Northern Tanzanian Divergence and
2) on the Western Branch the study area (blue box) is the Rukwa Basin and Rungwe Volcanic Province"
"...James, (1967a) recorded high concentrations of 4He within the Rukwa Basin of around 4.2% and high N2 with it which potentially substantiates the observations made by Barry et al of increasing crustal signal distal from volcanoes in the region".
"...(W)e have identified Tanzania as an area which fulfils two of the criteria for our helium exploration methodology:
1) it has an area/areas of crust which have been stable for a long period of geological time enabling them to accumulate
high 4He concentrations (the Tanzanian Craton and surrounding mobile belts from at most 2.7 Ga)
and 2) these areas of crust have been disturbed by a relatively recent tectonic event (the EARS from 25-20 Ma depending on the rift branch) plus an extra point
3) active degassing of N2-4He rich gases from thermal springs, we can perform a simple 4He mass balance calculation to estimate the maximum volume of 4He which can potential be produced within the Tanzanian system.."
Just a snipped from Dr.Da