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E.H. Denton

Publications and source records attributed to E.H. Denton.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1979

Recent developments in uranium exploration using the U.S. Geological Survey's mobile helium detector

A mobile mass spectrometer to measure He concentrations has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. This instrument has been tested in areas of known uranium deposits, and He anomalies have been found in both soil gas and water. A gas sample is collected in a hypodermic syringe, injected into the spectrometer, and analyzed for He. Over 100 analyses a day can be performed with a sensitivity of 10 parts per billion (ppb). One detailed study conducted in Weld County, Colorado, shows that values for He in soil gas can be contoured to outline an anomalous area and that the anomaly is displaced from the deposit in the direction of groundwater flow. Other studies include the Schwartzwalder uranium mine, Jefferson County, Colorado, where He anomalies may be related to geologic structure; near Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico, where the location of He anomalies are related to groundwater movement; and tests for diurnal effects showing only slight variations probably related to soil-moisture content. ?? 1979.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗
USGS1978

Helium in soil gases of the Roosevelt Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Ares, Beaver County, Utah

Soil samples were collected in two parallel traverses across the Dome fault zone of the Roosevelt Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area. The samples were sealed in air-tight aluminum cans, and the soil gas was allowed to equilibrate with the atmospheric air in the cans. Gas from the cans was analyzed by mass spectrometry. Samples collected over faults contained anomalously high concentrations of helium. Samples collected close to a geothermal well 884 m deep contained more helium than samples collected near another geothermal well 1370 m deep.

Utah↗
USGS1976

Helium Sniffer field test: Newcastle, Utah, 10-26 March 1976

The Helium Sniffer (Friedman and Denton, 1976; Roberts and others, 1975) was used to measure the flux of helium permeating the soil at a site in southwest Utah where a new irrigation well had unexpectedly encountered hot water (110° C). About 200 soil-gas samples, taken 2 ft (0.61 m) below the surface,-were collected in the vicinity of the well, covering an area of some 2 mi 2 (~5 km 2 ), as shown in figures 1-3. Since only about half these data were taken over a uniform grid, the resulting pattern of helium concentrations is somewhat incomplete. Nevertheless, the more densely spaced data appear to delineate a dome beneath which hot water has accumulated, and into the side of which the well was drilled. Throughout the survey, the weather remained dry and cool, averaging 55° F (13° C), with the wind from the southwest at zero to 13 mph (0-5.8 m/s), and the barometric pressure ranging from 24.91 to 25.25 inches of mercury (43.55-55.06 millibars). The soil in the region was fairly dry. It varied in texture from sandy to clayey near the well, to pea-size gravel in the foothills (southeast). The abundance of helium in the ambient atmosphere was found to be within 1 percent of 5,240 ppb. The sensitivity of the spectrometer itself remained within 10 percent of 18 parts per billion (helium in air) per leak detector unit.

Utah↗
USGS1976

A portable helium sniffer

A portable helium sniffer has been developed for field use. The instrument is mounted in a four-wheel-drive pickup truck and can detect 50 parts per billion of helium in soil gas. The usefulness of helium sniffing in soil is being investigated as a prospecting tool in gas, oil, uranium, and geothermal prospecting as well as in earthquake prediction.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗