HELIUM Chemistry

Students will develop solutions related to well drilling of helium, its conservation and utilization.

Summary

SEEd CHEM.3.5 Develop solutions related to the management, conservation, and utilization of mineral resources (matter). Define the problem, identify criteria and constraints, develop possible solutions using models, analyze data to make improvements from iteratively testing solutions and optimize a solution. (PS1.B, ESS3.A, ETS1.A)

Lesson Performance Expectations

  1. Students will develop solutions related to well drilling of helium, its conservation, and utilization.
  2. Students will focus on the geochemistry associated with nuclear decay that produces helium in granitic rocks and why drilling is used to recover the gas. A granitic rock is a common, coarse-grained, light-colored, hard igneous rock consisting chiefly of quartz used in monuments and for building and commonly referred to as granite.
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