Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/712968
62 www.resourceworld.com a u g u s t / s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6 T hough helium is the second most abun- dant element in the universe it has been in surprisingly short supply on planet earth. So much so there has been talk of banning its use in party balloons. Helium's unique properties make it valu- able in medicine and technology. On the table of elements, helium is a non-flamma- ble, noble gas, the second lightest with the lowest boiling point. One of the important uses of helium is in MRI scanners. It is also used in the manufacture of semiconductors, welding, airships and deep sea diving. The problem with helium is, like the party balloons it fills, it just floats off into space. On June 27 however, there was a game changing announcement in regards to helium supply. Researchers at Oxford and Durham universities in the UK announced, at the Goldschmidt geochemistry confer- ence in Yokohama, Japan, that "a new, huge, helium reserve has been found in the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley." The researchers were working with Helium One, a Norway-based exploration company. Up until now, helium was discov- ered by companies exploring for oil and gas. Exploration companies did not explore for helium. A CBC article, Huge helium deposit found in Africa, reported that, "the researchers decided to use oil and gas exploration techniques to do a targeted search for helium. They looked for the types of rocks that typically produced helium and combined that with seismic images of underground struc- tures that could trap gases. They also showed that volcanic activity provides the heat necessary to release the gas from the rock." Helium One holds over 4,500 km² of prospecting licenses encompassing four project areas which all have surface seeps with helium concentrations rang- ing between 2.5%-10.5% by volume, and have ideal geology to host sub-surface helium accumulations. The company states that, "first mover advantage has given the company the ability to control a globally significant helium-bearing province." The licenses are held under the Tanzanian Mining Act, and are not within national parks. The company reports that, "a maiden prospective resource assessment for Rukwa and associated Competent Persons Report (CPR) is currently a work in prog- ress by Netherland, Sewell & Associates Incorporated (NSAI). Geophysical surveys are planned in the near term at Eyasi and Balangida with the intention of advancing them to the same status as Rukwa." A pre- liminary resource estimate was pegged at 1.5 billion cubic metres. Helium One's website explains, "As helium is lighter than air, it is actively being lost into space, however helium is also actively being created via the decay of naturally occurring radioactive elements in rocks over vast periods of time. The produced helium (among other gases such as argon) is liberated and carried in saline groundwater. This is the setting for Helium One's projects, where the released helium has been transported by groundwater and can accumulate in porous geological for- mations such as sandstone." The company also states that, "Over the past 10 years, world prices for bulk liquid helium have increased by an estimated 106%. n Oil & g a s Huge helium reserve discovered in Tanzania, Africa by Kathrine moore