Stupid question regarding Helium...

[Boerseun]

Okay.

 

Stupid question time:

 

Where does Helium come from? I know, I know - Hydrogen gets squashed into Helium, etc.

I'm talking about Helium on Earth. 'Cause not only is Helium the second lightest gas after Hydrogen, it's also a noble gas. Which means that any Helium available on Earth, should be in the upper atmosphere, to be eventually blown away by the solar wind.

And it can't be in a mix with any other elements or compouds, seeing as it's noble.

Now - all sources I have consulted say that Helium is found in certain oil wells. Which is fair - but how did it get there? Through radioactive decay in the Earth's core? If it wasn't through that, the Helium should've escaped ages ago when the crust was still molten, not? And it's not a scarce commodity; we blow up countless balloons at kids' parties with it? So where does it come from, and if from oil wells, how did it get there?

[Turtle]

___Here is a beginning link on World production that is interesting. A didn't realize helium had so many sources & processing.

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/heliumcs04.pdf

___I also see they're looking worldwide for more deposits; for a long time, the US pretty much had all the Helium. Germany finally stopped with the airships because the US wouldn't sell them Helium.

___All in all, I think all those kid's balloons are a waste of resources. :rant:

[Boerseun]

All in all, I think all those kid's balloons are a waste of resources. :rant:

NO WAY! Ever inhaled one of those suckers? :rant:

 

To the best of my knowledge, the Gerries had hydrogen floating their airships - that's why the Hindenburgh blew up.

[Turtle]

___Yes yes, I have inhaled my share of Helium. :eek: There is as we speak a secret project underway to make Helium Beer. Think squeaky burping! :rant: Maybe we'll have a Name the Helium Beer Contest or a Design The Label For The Helium Beer Contest.

___The ballons I don't like because of the rubber/mylar littering around; neatness counts!

___I have recently seen an investigation into the Hindenburg fire which concluded it was the aluminized paint on the covering that caught fire first, then when it burned through to the balloonettes the Hydrogen burned. The Germans wanted Helium for safety, even though it has slightly less bouyancy (higher density) than Hydrogen.

___I did a little toying with the idea of building a working model of the US Navy's

Akron; alas it seemed a minimum of 12 feet long just to get off the ground. Think carbon fibre fuselage, microfilm covering, modern model plane engines & RC radios! I'm talking about a dirigible here keep in mind, not a blimp.

___Anybody with me? A group effort maybe? :rant:

[UncleAl]

Where does Helium come from?

Alpha-decay of heavy elements.

[bartock]

:rant: it must have been God. :shrug: :eek: who put it there. :)

[Boerseun]

Alpha-decay of heavy elements.

So...

 

If there's a source of helium, say a natural gas well, it should be indicative of an enormous source of radioactive material?

[Qfwfq]

it should be indicative of an enormous source of radioactive material?

There's a lot of radioactive material throughout Earth. I'd say it's only a matter of where it's less easy for the stuff to escape, as it can get through most ground quite easily. Just as the oil is found where it remained trapped, so is the Helium.