He
A team of
scientists from Oxford and Durham Universities, working with the Norwegian firm
Helium One, made a helium deposit discovery recently, in a helium gas field in
the Tanzania East African Rift Valley or Tanzania Great Rift Valley , East
Africa. The quantity of the helium discovered is estimated at 54 million cubic
feet. Earth Scientists have hailed the discovery, and say it is critical to
helium security in the society.
Why the
acclamation about the discovery? Why is it critical?
The answers
to the questions are two. The two are:
- The gas helium is running out of stock in the world.
- The important and vital uses of helium in the lives of humans.
DEPLETING
STOCK
The world uses about 8 BCf
(billions per cubic feet) of helium annually. The USA, the largest supplier of the
gas has a reserve of 24 BCf. The gas cannot be replaced, renewed or created
artificially. A source believed to be contributing to the depleting stock is
the use of helium in inflating balloons, considered a waste compared to its
medical use, for example.
USES
- Liquid helium at a temperature of – 270°C or -454°F cool magnets to enable machines like MRI scanners in hospitals run. Without the liquid helium inducing that temperature, the MRI scanner cannot work. MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging.
- Helium helps super machines like Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to run smoothly, giving them the very cool temperature required to run. LHC is a particle collider. In Physics research, particles are stirred up to hit other particles.
- Helium is used to cool atoms to a temperature of -270°C to bring down their vibrations to facilitate their study.
- The gas is used to keep satellite equipment cool.
- It is used to clean rocket engines.
- In industrial applications helium is used in detecting leakage- it passes through solid three times faster than air.
- Helium is used as a shield in arc welding
- Helium is used in deep sea diving.
WHAT HELIUM
IS
Helium is a chemical element. Its
symbol on the periodic table is He. Its atomic number is 2, which means it has
two protons in its nucleus. Helium is lighter than air. Though rare on Earth,
it is the second most abundant chemical element in the universe, after
hydrogen. Helium is colorless and odorless. On Earth helium is trapped in rocks
in the ground as a result of radioactivity. During volcanic activities the gas
is released to extractable areas. Because it is lighter than air if it is not
properly tapped and stored it escapes into space.
TANZANIA AND
THE RIFT VALLEY
Tanzania where
the helium gas deposit has been discovered covers an area of 947,303 square
kilometers or 365,756 square miles. Tanzania shares borders with Uganda and
Kenya to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the
west, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique to the south and to the east a coastline of
800 kilometers or 500 miles long- the India Ocean. Three of Africa’s lakes
partially lies within Tanzania. The three lakes are: to the north and west Lake
Victoria (Africa’s largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (Africa’s deepest lake)
and to the southwest Lake Nyasa (it is home to more species of fish than any
other lake).
A rift
valley is a low area created by the parting of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates are large rocks in the Earth’s crust and mantle. The upper
mantle of the lithosphere is fluid. The plates are therefore always moving. In
their movements they slide under each other and that creates rifts in the
Earth’s crust.
East African
Rift System extents 1000 kilometers in Africa. It extends through Ethiopia,
Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique.
SUMMARY
- Helium, a gas rare in the natural environment has been discovered in East African Rift Valley in Tanzania.
- Helium is the second most abundant chemical element in the observable universe, after hydrogen.
- Because helium stock in the world is running out, and because of its usefulness to society, the discovery is of critical importance.
- Helium as a gas has uses for humans e.g., in the areas of aeronautics, industry, research, medical science etc.
PARTING SHOT
Excess inhalation of helium may
result in loss of consciousness, harming of the brain, suffocation and tear of
lung tissues, and may lead to death. While tapping helium from its sources we
as inhabitants of planet Earth ought to do it in such a way that cleanliness
and balance, sustainably, of the natural environment is foremost in our minds.
Natural Environment! …. Clean and Balanced!
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania
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