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Scientists' warnings have gone relatively unheard for years regarding the world's shrinking helium supply. The American Physical Society has considered it at a crisis point for over five years.

Pulsar's timely discovery of a massive helium deposit in Minnesota may keep our medical scanners, rockets, and nuclear reactors going.

Despite being the second most abundant gas in the universe, there is a definite helium shortage in America, risking the operation of everything from medical diagnostics to cooling nuclear reactors. But the U.S. might finally be in luck – a recently discovered reservoir in Minnesota boasts concentrations pushing 13.8%, the highest the industry has ever seen.

Pulsar Helium, a resource exploration company, announced the discovery of these stores in late February, just outside of Babbitt, northern Minnesota.

The gas deposits were discovered at depths of 2,200 feet, with initial measurements showing concentrations of 12.4%, but new laboratory readings have already surpassed those results. What makes them notable is the richest helium accumulations in the U.S. have only ever topped out at 7%.

A quiet crisis

Helium is used in its liquid form as a vital coolant, to pressurize the tanks of fuels like liquid hydrogen in rocket engines and as a critical component in many fields, including scientific research, high-tech manufacturing, and national defense.

There's a finite amount of helium on Earth, recovered in only a few locations around the world, many of which are being depleted faster than it is produced. For many of its applications, there is no substitute. Accordingly, the U.S. has economic and national security interests in ensuring a reliable supply.

Helium only forms through nuclear fusion or the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. Normally, helium is obtained as a byproduct of natural gas production, accumulating underground in pockets of methane and other hydrocarbons. The gas is also difficult to store, breaking down in 25-45 days after it is extracted, depending on the container.

"Helium is used in MRIs, it's used in nuclear magnetic resonance, and the semiconductor industry uses a lot of helium," said Mark Elsesser, the associate director of government affairs at the nonprofit American Physical Society. "Helium is the workhorse of chemistry. Because of a helium shortage, some important experiments are being forced to shut down. The development of some drugs is being impacted. We're losing time in research efforts."

Scientists' warnings have gone relatively unheard for years regarding the world's shrinking helium supply. The American Physical Society has considered it at a crisis point for over five years.

"It's pretty dire out there," said Thomas Abraham-James, president and CEO of Pulsar Helium.

Minnesota to the rescue

Pulsar Helium Inc.

Pulsar Helium, a resource exploration company, announced the discovery of a Minnesota reservoir in late February.

A production facility at the promising new reservoir in Minnesota has the potential to process helium on demand with minimal loss through transportation. As the gas from this site naturally rises to the surface, there would also be no need for fracking. Having helium on tap would provide a great deal of relief to U.S. industries reliant on the resource.

Minnesota is also one of very few locations globally where helium is produced without hydrocarbons. The other comparable sites in Greenland and Africa feature a combination of granite rock rich in uranium and thorium, volcanism, which releases helium atoms, and a system of fractures in the rock where the helium produced through radioactive decay escapes.

"Effectively, the reservoir is the storage itself," Abraham-James said. "There's not that sense of emergency that you must get it out right now."

Experts are reviewing the site's collected data to establish the size and properties of the reservoir. Key measurements will be needed to estimate the standing pressure and flow rates that can be expected. Results are anticipated by the middle of this year to determine the commercial viability of the site.

"That's really just as important as high concentration, because you want to know how much of the gas is voluntarily coming out of the ground - a bit like cracking a soda can," Abraham-Jones said.

Forestalling the need to add our helium-rich Moon to Earth's supply chain, this eleventh-hour discovery is timely and welcome.