"A dream. It's perfect": Helium discovery in northern Minnesota may be biggest ever in North America
"A dream. It's perfect": Helium discovery in northern Minnesota may be biggest ever in North America
For a century, the U.S. Government-owned the largest helium reserve in the country, but the biggest exporters now are in Russia, Qatar and Tanzania. With this new discovery, Minnesota could be joining that list.
"A dream. It's perfect": Helium discovery in northern Minnesota may be biggest ever in North America::For a century, the U.S. Government-owned the largest helium reserve in the country, but the biggest exporters now are in Russia, Qatar and Tanzania. With this new discovery, Minnesota could be joining that list.
Hopefully we stop wasting this limited resource on fucking balloons.
Edit: well this kicked off a fun and respectful conversation. The information I can find from actual scientists says wasting helium on balloons is bad. The balloon lobby says it is just a waste byproduct. The balloon lobby brings nothing of value to the world in terms of plastic or helium use, so I'm going to go with the science opinion on this one.
How do you find helium? Did everyone suddenly start talking like chipmonks?
[off topic]
"The Guns Above" by Robyn Bennis. What if Napoleonic armies had an unlimited supply of helium? The author does a great job of describing 1800's airships and their tactics.
Fun book.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
MINNEAPOLIS — Scientists and researchers are celebrating what they call a "dream" discovery after an exploratory drill confirmed a high concentration of helium buried deep in Minnesota's Iron Range.
Prior to arriving in Minnesota, Abraham-James was working in Tanzania, where another helium discovery was made, but at half the concentration as found in the Iron Range.
The inert gas is likely known by most consumers for filling balloons and blimps, but it's actually one of the most sought-after commodities in the world because of its versatility; as a liquid, helium is among the most effective and safest coolants around.
Dr. Grant Larson, a radiologist at Hennepin Healthcare, said the health system's four MRI machines rely on helium to operate.
"We're aware that it could potentially render us vulnerable to not being able to provide access to our patients," Dr. Larson told CBS News Minnesota.
"It's not just about drilling one hole, but now proving up the geological models, being able to get some really good data that wasn't captured in the original discovery," he explained.
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