Wiseman and Eckels reported in 2019 that for nearly 100 years the naturally occurring noble gas, helium, has been documented in the gas stream of natural gas wells in eastern Utah. Demand for helium is growing and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is nearing completion of a prolonged exit from its dominant position in the commercial helium business. This transition creates opportunity for focused exploration of helium in eastern Utah and the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau. As supply diminishes and global demand for helium rises, primarily in the medical, technology and defense industries, economic consideration of helium exploration and production from helium-rich gas streams outside of proven natural gas productive areas is likely to significantly increase. A volume concentration of helium found in the gas stream of 0.3% or more is considered a potential helium resource. Concentrations of helium over 7.0% are rare, yet have been discovered and documented in the gas stream of wells drilled in east central Utah.
Helium (He) forms primarily in granitic or crystalline crustal rock as the alpha decay product of various radioactive elements. In southeastern Utah, reactivation of Precambrian suture zones, formed during the initial accretion of the western North American Cordillera, may provide pathways for helium microseepage to the surface. Through groundwater interaction, the buoyant decay products of deep-seated granitic or crystalline basement rocks can travel up fractures and faults until constrained in conventional hydrocarbon traps. Mantle degassing and breakdown of uranium ore bodies within thick sequences of sedimentary rock may also contribute significantly to the accumulation of helium in the subsurface. In Utah, high helium gas is typically concentrated at the margins of proven petroleum fields in deep vertical natural gas wells with high associated concentrations of nitrogen (N2) and/or carbon dioxide (CO2). Helium-rich gas streams in Utah are often found reservoired below the Paradox Formation salt or below the thick Mancos Shale.
While many helium-prospective regions may exist, very few natural gas fields contain the concentrations necessary to justify a helium recovery process. Documented helium shows in Utah range from common trace amounts up to 7.31%, with the highest helium concentrations on the crest of the Harley Dome structure in east central Utah from the Entrada Sandstone reservoir. Although eastern Utah helium prospects have been documented since the early 20th century, recent renewed interest of several upstream helium exploration and production companies has brought attention back to the helium potential of Utah. With several high-percentage helium plays and natural gas wells with associated helium concentrations at or above the 0.3% economic threshold, Utah deserves the consideration of those interested in exploring for and producing helium.
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