Helium, a gas that’s lighter than air, is best known for keeping balloons aloft. For years, experts have worried that the world’s helium supply could run out. But recently, scientists found a new helium source in the African nation of Tanzania. It holds enough gas to fill the Empire State Building 22,000 times!
Helium has many important uses. It helps run medical scanners and send rockets to space. But the gas forms deep underground and is hard to find.
In Tanzania, volcanic activity has trapped helium closer to Earth’s surface. That makes it easier to access. Scientists now plan to look for more helium in areas with similar conditions.