The rate of entry into the atmosphere is known, as shown above. But we can also measure the rate at which helium escapes from the rocks. This process is faster in hotter rocks, and the deeper one goes into the earth, the hotter the rocks become. The creationist physicist Robert Gentry was researching deep granite as a possible way of safely storing dangerous radioactive waste from nuclear power stations. Safe storage requires that the elements should not move too fast through the rock.
Granite contains mineral crystals called zircons , which often contain radioactive elements.
Thus they should produce helium, which should be escaping. However, if there had really been only thousands of years for this helium to escape, then we shouldn't be surprised that there is so much left. The amount of helium in the air and in rocks is not consistent with the earth's being billions of years old, as believed by evolutionists and progressive creationists. Rather it is good scientific evidence for a short age, as taught by a straightforward reading of Genesis. Even at absolute zero, there is some molecular motion due to a quantum mechanical effect called the zero point energy .