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How do radioactive elements contribute helium and argon to some natural gas deposits?
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natural gas
The Troll A natural gas production platform in the North Sea, 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Bergen, Norway. Troll A, the largest movable structure ever built, rests on the seafloor some 300 metres (990 feet) below the surface and rises more than 100 metres (330 feet) above the sea. The platform regulates the recovery of gas from 40 wells located on the seafloor.
Helium and argon are not produced by the formation of natural gas itself; rather, they are products of natural radioactive disintegration that happen to become trapped in the same geological formations as natural gas.1
The contribution of these elements occurs through the following processes:
- Helium: This gas is generated by the radioactive decay of radioisotopes within the thorium and uranium families. During alpha decay, these parent isotopes eject alpha particles, which are essentially the nuclei of helium-4 atoms.1234
- Argon: This gas is derived from the radioactive decay of potassium, specifically the isotope potassium-40. Potassium-40 decays into argon-40, which can then accumulate in subsurface environments.15
Because these gases are released from minerals and rocks over geologic time, they may migrate and become caught in the same underground traps where natural gas has accumulated.1