Helium in New Mexico--geologic distribution, resource demand, and exploration possiblities

Abstract

Helium gas has been produced in New Mexico since 1943. Production has been from eight oil and gas fields located on the Four Corners platform of northwestern New Mexico. Almost 950 MMCF (million cubic feet) helium has been produced from reservoirs of Permian, Pennsylvanian, Mississippian, and Devonian age on the Four Corners platform in San Juan County. In northwest New Mexico, elevated levels of helium in natural gases occur not only in Paleozoic reservoirs on the Four Corners platform but also in Paleozoic reservoirs in the deeper parts of the San Juan Basin located east of the Four Corners platform. The orthogonal sets of high-angle faults that offset Precambrian basement throughout the deeper parts of the San Juan Basin acted as migration pathways that transmitted helium from its basement source into overlying Paleozoic reservoirs. Helium has not been extracted from produced gases in the New Mexico part of the Permian Basin where the concentration of helium in most reservoir gases is significantly less than 0.1%. However, gases with helium contents ranging from 0.3 to almost 1.0% occur in Pennsylvanian and Permian reservoirs along the northwest flank of the basin. The helium appears to have originated by radiogenic decay of uranium and thorium in Precambrian granitic rocks and migrated vertically into Pennsylvanian and Permian reservoirs through regional, high-angle, strike-slip faults. Known accumulations of helium-rich gases are located near these faults. Lower Permian evaporites provide vertical fault seals. In this area, lower and middle Paleozoic strata are only a few hundred feet thick, resulting in short vertical migration distances between the Precambrian source and helium-bearing reservoirs. The fault trends define exploration fairways. Other basins and areas in New Mexico are characterized by helium-rich gases and are of significant exploratory interest. These areas include the Chupadera Mesa region of eastern Socorro and western Lincoln Counties in the central part of the state, the Tucumcari Basin in the east-central part of the state, and a wide region across Catron and southern Cibola Counties in the westcentral part of the state. Elevated levels of helium are found in Pennsylvanian and Permian gases in these areas.