Helium-3 is usually talked about as a Moon resource – something future astronauts might mine from lunar dust to power fusion reactors or cool quantum machines. Its discovery beneath forests and wetlands in northern Minnesota has surprised many scientists.
At the Topaz Project near Babbitt, drilling has revealed measurable, usable amounts of helium-3 in gas trapped deep underground.
Lab tests show concentrations of about 14.5 parts per billion – remarkably similar to levels measured in Apollo samples brought back from the Moon.
The gas analyses, led by geochemist Dr. Peter Barry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, suggest Minnesota may host one of the most unexpected helium-3 reservoirs ever identified.
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