Georeactor Source of Deep-Earth Helium

Since the late 1960s, scientists throughout the world have found traces of helium in volcanic basalt that comes from within the Earth. For decades, the origin of that helium was (wrongly) postulated with ad hoc assumptions. Then, J. Marvin Herndon's concept of a nuclear fission georeactor at the center of Earth came along [1-12] and the deep-Earth helium measurements provided strong confirmatory evidence.

Two isotopes of deep-Earth helium are observed, helium of mass 3 and helium of mass 4. Helium-4 was not a surprise because helium-4 is a product of the natural radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. Helium-3, however, was a great mystery as scientists were unaware of any deep-Earth natural mechanism for major production of helium-3.

Lacking knowledge of an adequate deep-Earth production mechanism, scientists, for more than thirty years, have assumed that the observed helium-3 is a relic left over from planetary formation 4.5 billion years ago. To explain the helium found in volcanic basalt, scientists have also had to assume that about 9 times as much helium-4 from radioactive decay had to have been mixed with the assumed primordial helium-3 in such a way as to give a rather narrow range of compositions, shown statistically for 95% confidence in table at right.

The table at right does not reveal the whole picture. Helium observed in basalt from deep-source "hotspots" can have significantly higher values. High He-3/He-4 ratios, some as high as 37 relative to air, are observed in Hawaiian and Icelandic basalts. Generally, most hotspot helium values, relative to air, are ≥10.

The (false) assumption that the source of deep-Earth helium-3 was trapped primordial helium led to a plethora of "mantle mixing" models.

But then came the georeactor numerical simulations. The figure at left shows more precise helium fission product data for two numerical simulations, published in 2003 by J. Marvin Herndon in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA [7]. for comparison, two bands are shown representing the ranges of helium ratios for mid-oceanic ridges and abandoned oceanic ridges. The arrow shown points to the present age of the Earth. TW stands for million-megawatts, the unit of georeactor power.

Note the upward trend in the helium isotope ratios with the passage of time. The increase in the He-3/He-4 ratio is a consequence of the decrease in helium-4 from radioactive decay as the uranium fuel is consumed by nuclear fission. High He-3/He-4 ratios, some as high as 37 relative to air, are observed in Hawaiian and Icelandic basalts. These high ratios are an indication that the end of the georeactor's life is approaching, which means as well the end of the geomagnetic field, but the time frame is unknown [7].

The helium coming out of the Earth is strong evidence for the georeactor's existence. See reference [14] to download an excellent description of the helium problem solved. Ultimately, other evidence for georeactor existence may arise, such as seismic evidence and antineutrino evidence. At present, resolution of earthquake waves is not sufficient to reveal the georeactor. Detecting antineutrinos from georeactor fission products holds potential, but technological advances are necessary. Antineutrino measurements to date have not refuted the existence of the georeactor [13].

Ultimately, other evidence for georeactor existence may arise, such as seismic evidence and antineutrino evidence. At present, resolution of earthquake waves is not sufficient to reveal the georeactor. Detecting antineutrinos from georeactor fission products holds potential, but technological advances are necessary as well as advances in truthful scientific reporting.