In March of 2015, WORLDteen reported about a serious shortage. It wasn’t food or water that was scarce. It was helium—an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas. Scientists believed the world was running out of this natural resource. But a new study shows that God created more helium than anyone ever thought. All humans have to do is look for it!
Scientists in Tanzania discovered a huge helium gas field. They call the East African find a “game changer.”
Helium is a precious gas that is essential to spacecraft, MRI scanners, and nuclear energy. It can withstand freezing temperatures, and it can cool very hot objects. That makes helium important in the medical and space industries.
The recent helium discovery is the result of a brand-new exploration approach. It is the first time helium has been found on purpose. Until now, researchers have located helium in small amounts by accident. They find it during oil and gas drilling. But the process of separating helium from other substances can be difficult and expensive.
Because of the shortage, researchers went looking for helium on the African continent. They found that intense volcanic heat in Tanzania’s East African Rift Valley released helium from ancient rocks and trapped it in shallow gas fields. The researchers worked with a Norway-based exploration company to extract the helium.
Scientists now believe the new go-and-get-it approach can be used to find helium in other parts of the world. Oxford University researcher Pete Barry says, “This is badly needed given the current demand for helium.”
Independent experts estimate the Tanzanian helium discovery is about 54 billion cubic feet (BCf).
“To put this discovery into perspective, global consumption of helium is about 8 BCf per year,” says Oxford professor Chris Ballentine. “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.”
Oxford tweeted a photo of some of the low-tech components used in the exploration, including a roll of duct tape and plastic piping propped on a stick in a shallow pond.
“It may not look like much, but it helped find enough helium for 1.2 million medical MRI scanners,” the tweet read.
The discovery of abundant helium is further evidence of God’s lavish care for His people. God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20)—even helium.
