Helium Prospecting Picking Up in North-central Montana

BILLINGS — Helium prospecting is picking up in north-central Montana with Canadian companies expanding south after years of development in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Montana oil and gas records show at least two companies drilling wells in an area spanning Toole, Hill and Liberty counties. Developers say geological formations on the U.S. side of the border share similarities with areas in Canada where helium development has become part of a larger plan for long-term economic development.

“It’s all goes back to geology,” said Genga Nadaraju, Avanti Energy vice president of subsurface geology, told The Billings Gazette.

“Helium is the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. It comes up from basement rock. Helium is everywhere, but in that area, there are higher concentrations of helium and the right geological conditions. We have reservoir rock, we have structure and we have a seal where you can trap it,” he said.

Read more: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/12/04/helium-prospecting-picking-up-in-north-central-montana/