High helium reservoirs in the Four Corners area of the Colorado Plateau, USA

Radiogenic 4He is naturally produced in Earth's crust due to alpha decay of Uranium (U) and Thorium (Th). Helium has unique thermodynamic properties required for the medical imaging industry, aerospace and other fields of high-tech manufacturing, and currently is in increasingly high demand. Despite its economic value, the mechanisms of helium migration and retention in sedimentary basins remain poorly understood.