Robert Richardson

The Looming World Shortage of Helium (Lecture + Discussion)

Category: Lectures

Date: 30 June 2010

Duration: 32 min

Quality: SD

Robert Richardson (2010) - The Looming World Shortage of Helium (Lecture + Discussion)

Abstract

The world’s supply of Helium gas comes primarily from alpha decay in rocks. The most abundant supply is in the American Southwest where it is trapped with methane is natural gas wells. That supply is estimated to last a mere 25 years. It took 4.7 billion years for the earth to manufacture the helium. It will be squandered is 150 years since its discovery.