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It would be wild if we figured out that every so often, on a universal timescale, nature just fucked up and split an atom on accident.
That’s how we get helium.
Edit: Because someone has downvoted me, now I have to explain it.
Helium is a noble gas; it doesn't bond with anything. It's also lighter than air (at ground level), so if it was just free, it would rise. So how come I can go buy a tank of it and fill balloons?
Radioactive uranium and thorium decay, and when they do, they release an alpha particle. An alpha particle is two protons and two neutrons. This is the same as a helium nucleus. When these alpha particles are released, they capture electrons from the environment, and now you have helium.
When high concentrations of uranium and/or thorium are found near natural gas seams, it's possible for the helium to become trapped in the top of the seam. It's then possible to collect that helium as a byproduct of natural gas wells.
Almost all of the world's helium is produced in an area around San Antonio, TX.
Can we downvote you again for more interesting info?
I have no power to stop you.
We've actually discovered a few of these! Though, nothing quite so catastrophic as you might be thinking.
Oh wow that's awesome. Here let me try again, wouldn't it be wild if we found out nature had a second earth we could easily move to?
No?
Well it was worth a try. Thank you for the fascinating read.
Venus, but that place already had it's climate change event.
Natural nuclear reactors exists:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reactor
Though I wonder if this is just a big meteor...
Oh wow that's awesome. Here let me try again, wouldn't it be wild if we found out nature had a second earth we could easily move to?
No?
Well it was worth a try. Thank you for the fascinating read.