Helium, a non-renewable gas vital to technologies like superconductors, medical imaging devices, and space exploration, is in critically short supply. Traditionally sourced as a byproduct of methane extraction, helium production is closely tied to fossil fuels, prompting scientists to search for cleaner alternatives. A new study sheds light on the potential of carbon-free helium buried beneath ancient rocks in geothermally active regions, including Yellowstone National Park. If proven viable, these natural reserves could provide a sustainable source of helium without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Helium Without Fossil Fuels

According to the study published on April 5 in the International Geology Review, geothermal energy is crucial in releasing helium from uranium and thorium-rich rocks. As per a report by LiveScience, these radioactive elements slowly decay over billions of years, producing helium atoms that remain locked inside mineral structures unless exposed to high temperatures.

“If the temperature is raised above what is called the closure temperature of the particular mineral, then the helium will be released,” co-author Jon Gluyas, a professor of geo-energy at Durham University in the U.K., told Live Science via email. Once released, helium seeps into fluids like water or brine that circulate between rocks, eventually escaping as gas.

Lead author Ernest Mulaya, a structural geologist at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, noted the urgency of finding greener helium sources. “We have been scratching our heads to find helium that is free from fossil fuels,” Mulaya told Live Science. The breakthrough came in 2016 when large carbon-free helium reserves were discovered in Tanzania’s Rukwa Rift Valley.

Ancient Rocks and Modern Promise

Researchers examined three locations, Yellowstone in the U.S., Bakreswar-Tantloi in India, and the Rukwa Rift in Tanzania, that share the essential geologic conditions for carbon-free helium production: geothermal activity, ancient rock formations, and high uranium-thorium content.

Yellowstone sits atop the 3.5-billion-year-old Wyoming Craton, and although helium is not trapped in sealed underground reservoirs there, an estimated 66 tons of it escapes annually through hot springs and steam vents. “It is not as if you could put an enormous bag over the whole area and catch it,” Gluyas said. However, he noted that areas around Yellowstone might act as traps where helium accumulates.

Encouraging results from a helium drill site near Babbitt, Minnesota, which shares similar geological traits, suggest that these regions could eventually help meet the growing demand for clean helium. “There’s a promising future for helium to cover the shortage we are currently facing,” Mulaya said.

Jupiter’s weather just got even stranger. A new study published in the Journal Science Advances revealed that the gas giant’s turbulent thunderstorms create massive, softball-sized hailstones called “mushballs,” made of ammonia and water ice. These violent storms churn Jupiter’s atmosphere so deeply that they may explain a long-standing mystery among the scientists: the missing ammonia in the planet’s upper layers. For years, scientists were puzzled over why deep pockets of ammonia seemed absent across Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Mushballs Shake Up Old Assumptions

As per a report by LiveScience, Scientists believed Jupiter’s atmosphere was well mixed, much like a pot of boiling water. However, after analysing a massive 2017 storm captured by Juno, researchers found that even local storms can punch ammonia deep into the planet, shattering the old assumption. “The top of the atmosphere is actually a pretty poor representation of what the whole planet looks like,” explained study lead author Chris Moeckel from the University of California, Berkeley, told the publication. On April 15, 2025, as per EarthSky, his team’s findings suggest that the atmosphere becomes well-mixed only much deeper down than previously thought.

Ammonia as a Tracer Beneath the Clouds

Jupiter’s thick cloud cover blocks direct observation, and ammonia acts as a critical tracer to understand the hidden activity beneath the clouds. Scientists theorised in 2020 that Jupiter’s powerful storms lift ammonia-rich ice particles to high altitudes, where they combine with water ice to create a mushy, slushy hailstone. These mushballs then grow larger and heavier, cycling up and down in the atmosphere before plunging deep, carrying ammonia and water with them. This process leaves the upper atmosphere depleted, matching observations from Juno.

Confirmation came during Juno’s February 2017 flyby. While passing over a storm zone, the spacecraft detected an unexpected deep signal rich in ammonia and water beneath the storm clouds. Moeckel recalled spotting the discovery while casually running data on his laptop at a dentist’s office, describing the moment he realised the mushball theory must be true.

A Universal Phenomenon Beyond Jupiter

Researchers now believe that Jupiter might not be unique. Gas giants across the universe and even newly forming planets could experience similar mushball processes. “I won’t be surprised if this is happening throughout the universe,” Moeckel told to LiveScience, suggesting that Jupiter’s stormy secrets may echo far beyond our solar system.

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