The Turrialba volcano spews smoke and ash on Friday, May 20, in Cartago, Costa Rica. Experts say it is the strongest eruption from the volcano in the past six years.  The Pavlof volcano erupts on Alaska's remote Aleutian Island archipelago on Sunday, March 27.  The Ecuadorian volcano Tungurahua spews lava and ash in Cahuaji, about 80 miles south of Quito, on Saturday, February 27. Authorities raised the alert level from yellow to orange after the volcano increased its activity and projected a column of ash 3 miles high.  The Soputan volcano spews lava and ash during an eruption on Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Tuesday, January 5.  The Momotombo volcano erupts just before daybreak in Leon, Nicaragua, on Friday, December 4. The volcano had been quiet for many years.  Smoke rises over the Italian city of Taormina during an eruption of Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, on December 4.  The Calbuco volcano erupts near Puerto Varas, Chile, on Wednesday, April 22.  Smoke rises from the Turrialba volcano in Turrialba, Costa Rica, in March 2015. Eruptions of ash and stones prompted authorities to evacuate residential areas.  The Fuego volcano spews a cloud of ash west of Guatemala City, Guatemala, in March 2015.  Villarrica, a Chilean volcano, began erupting in March 2015. The volcano is one of Chile's most active.  Lava flows from the Kilauea volcano in Pahoa, Hawaii, in October 2014. The flow picked up speed, prompting emergency officials to close part of the main road through town and tell residents to be prepared to evacuate.  Japan's Mount Sakurajima erupts in September 2014. It was the second volcano in two days to erupt in Japan.  Dense white plumes rise high in the air as Mount Ontake erupts in central Japan in September 2014.  Mount Slamet spews lava and gas during an eruption in Brebes, Indonesia, in September 2014.  Fountains of lava spurt from a fissure in the ground on the north side of the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland in September 2014.  Mount Tavurvur erupts in Papua New Guinea in August 2014, forcing local communities to evacuate.  The Karymsky volcano erupts in Kamchatka, Russia, in January 2013.  The Copahue volcano emits smoke and ash above Caviahue, in Argentina's Neuquen province, in December 2012.  Western Mexico's Colima volcano emits lava in October 2004. The Global Volcanism Program reported "a bright thermal anomaly" as well as gas emission in November 2013.
Helium may best be known as the lighter-than-air gas used to fill party balloons but it's also key to medical applications like MRI scans and for nuclear power.