Lack of Helium in the Earth's Atmosphere Points Toward Younger Age
By Owen Borville
February 25, 2019
Geology, Astronomy
Helium, a lightweight, inert, colorless and odorless gas, is a nonrenewable resource and has many industrial uses. Therefore, the amount of helium supply in the world is shrinking. Helium, the second lightest chemical element, forms inside the earth by radioactive decay and is released into the atmosphere. The low helium percentage in the earth’s atmosphere supports a young earth model, as there should be more helium observed in the old earth model claiming a 4.5 billion year old earth. Helium found in radioactive rocks supports a young earth, as all helium would have escaped these rocks in less time than the old earth model predicts. In addition, because helium is a noble gas (is chemically inert), it should diffuse even more easily from radioactive rocks and enter the Earth's atmosphere without chemically reacting with other atoms.
Despite the fact that old-earth advocates claim helium escapes the atmosphere into outer space, creationists believe that they have evidence that little if any helium escapes the atmosphere. Scientists have calculated the rate of helium formation on earth, the rate that it escapes rocks, how much enters the atmosphere, and how much enters space. Using this data, scientists have calculated that all of the helium on earth could enter the atmosphere in less than two million years, much younger than the old-earth time scale of 4.5 billion years. It is also possible that the accumulation rate of helium in the atmosphere was much faster in the past and has slowed down. Therefore, the time frame for total accumulation of helium in the atmosphere could be much less than two million years.
In addition, if there was already helium in the earth’s early atmosphere during creation week, as is possible with the creation model, the time for accumulation would be even less and more consistent with the creationist time frame of 6,000 years. The old earth advocates explain that helium escapes the atmosphere and into space, therefore leaving room for millions of years. However, creation scientists believe that most helium stays within the earth’s atmosphere, citing the earth’s gravitational pull, and therefore supporting a lack of helium on earth for an old-earth time frame. (1)
Creationists also explain that the rocks in which helium forms contain too much helium for an old-earth model. As helium is a lightweight and inert gas, it should rise from the rocks into the atmosphere relatively easily. If there is so much helium in the rocks, there should be more in the atmosphere-a fact that implies the young-earth creationist model (2).
(1) Sarfati, Jonathan. Blowing old-earth belief away. Creation 20(3):19–21. June 1998.
(2) Morris, John. The Young Earth, Master Books, 2007. p. 85.
By Owen Borville
February 25, 2019
Geology, Astronomy
Helium, a lightweight, inert, colorless and odorless gas, is a nonrenewable resource and has many industrial uses. Therefore, the amount of helium supply in the world is shrinking. Helium, the second lightest chemical element, forms inside the earth by radioactive decay and is released into the atmosphere. The low helium percentage in the earth’s atmosphere supports a young earth model, as there should be more helium observed in the old earth model claiming a 4.5 billion year old earth. Helium found in radioactive rocks supports a young earth, as all helium would have escaped these rocks in less time than the old earth model predicts. In addition, because helium is a noble gas (is chemically inert), it should diffuse even more easily from radioactive rocks and enter the Earth's atmosphere without chemically reacting with other atoms.
Despite the fact that old-earth advocates claim helium escapes the atmosphere into outer space, creationists believe that they have evidence that little if any helium escapes the atmosphere. Scientists have calculated the rate of helium formation on earth, the rate that it escapes rocks, how much enters the atmosphere, and how much enters space. Using this data, scientists have calculated that all of the helium on earth could enter the atmosphere in less than two million years, much younger than the old-earth time scale of 4.5 billion years. It is also possible that the accumulation rate of helium in the atmosphere was much faster in the past and has slowed down. Therefore, the time frame for total accumulation of helium in the atmosphere could be much less than two million years.
In addition, if there was already helium in the earth’s early atmosphere during creation week, as is possible with the creation model, the time for accumulation would be even less and more consistent with the creationist time frame of 6,000 years. The old earth advocates explain that helium escapes the atmosphere and into space, therefore leaving room for millions of years. However, creation scientists believe that most helium stays within the earth’s atmosphere, citing the earth’s gravitational pull, and therefore supporting a lack of helium on earth for an old-earth time frame. (1)
Creationists also explain that the rocks in which helium forms contain too much helium for an old-earth model. As helium is a lightweight and inert gas, it should rise from the rocks into the atmosphere relatively easily. If there is so much helium in the rocks, there should be more in the atmosphere-a fact that implies the young-earth creationist model (2).
(1) Sarfati, Jonathan. Blowing old-earth belief away. Creation 20(3):19–21. June 1998.
(2) Morris, John. The Young Earth, Master Books, 2007. p. 85.