Noble gases occur in: (1) Ores (2) Natural gas (3) Atmosphere (4) Sea water (a) \(1,2,3\) (b) \(1,2,4\) (c) \(1,3,4\) (d) \(2,3,4\)

Noble gases, the elegant members of the periodic table, include Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr), Xenon (Xe), and Radon (Rn). These chemical elements share a range of fascinating properties that make them stand out in the world of chemistry.
For starters, noble gases are all odorless, colorless, and tasteless in their natural states. This makes them nearly impossible to detect without specialized instruments. They boast a low level of chemical reactivity due to their full valence electron shells which means they rarely form bonds with other elements. As a result of this, noble gases exist in the monatomic form—that is, as single atoms—rather than in molecules.

• Noble gases have high ionization energies,
• Low electronegativity,
• And are excellent electrical insulators.

Their physical properties include very low boiling and melting points, and they are particularly useful in conditions that require non-reactive environments, such as in light bulbs where Argon is often used to prevent the oxidation of filament materials.
Furthermore, Helium, which has the lowest boiling point of all elements, is used in cryogenics and as a diluent for deep-sea divers' breathing gases to prevent nitrogen narcosis.

While noble gases are famously unreactive, they play notable roles within our environment. These gases form a minuscule but important fraction of our atmosphere, with Argon being the third most abundant gas after Nitrogen and Oxygen.
In the atmospheric context:

• Argon makes up approximately 0.93% of the earth's atmosphere by volume,
• Neon, Helium, Krypton, and Xenon are present in trace amounts,
• And Radon, being radioactive, continuously forms from the decay of Uranium and Thorium in the earth’s crust.

Due to their lack of reactivity, these gases don't participate actively in the chemical cycles like other atmospheric gases but can be indicators of geological or environmental processes. Radon levels, for instance, can indicate the presence of radioactive elements deep within the ground and are important in geological surveys and earthquake prediction efforts.
Noble gases are also dissolved in the oceans with their concentrations providing valuable information about water mass ages and flow patterns in the study of oceanography. Scientists study these gases to understand more about the history and composition of Earth's atmosphere, its oceans, and even the cosmic origins of our solar system.

Natural gas, a crucial energy resource, is primarily composed of Methane (CH4), but its composition can vary widely depending on where it's found. Among its components are the noble gases - though in small concentrations, they are significant for a variety of applications and studies.
In natural gas reserves:

• Helium is the noble gas most commonly found due to its generation from radioactive decay beneath the Earth's surface,
• Argon and Neon can also be present, albeit in much smaller quantities.

Helium, in particular, has tremendous value for its unique properties such as its low boiling point and inertness, leading to its use in scientific research, in the cooling of superconducting magnets, and in space exploration. Helium extraction from natural gas has become a significant industry, as the gas cannot be synthesized practically and must be collected from natural geological processes.
It's important to note that, while found in natural gas, noble gases don't contribute to the fuel's energy-generating capability but are often separated and harvested for their specialized uses in industry and research. As natural gas is processed, removing impurities and non-methane hydrocarbons, the noble gases can be captured and purified for commercial use.