Question

The helium used to fill birthday balloons doesn’t come out of the air, but from out of the ground. Some of the gas might escape from the ground into the

atmosphere, but the majority of it is trapped in Earth’s crust. Based on what you have learned in today’s lab, give a reasonable explanation for the presence of helium gas in Earth’s crust.

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

A small proportion of helium in the crust is helium that was trapped in the Earth when the Earth formed and has not yet escaped. Most helium on Earth, however, forms as a result of alpha decay of uranium and thorium. The emitted alpha particles, once they grab a couple of stray electrons, become helium atoms and can accumulate in gas reservoirs along with things such as methane.