<p>Geogenic Helium-4 (⁴He) in-situ increases locally in regions of large deformation generated naturally or anthropogenically. This gas release by deformation is a potential geochemical precursor signal for subsurface deformation. To evaluate the applicability of ⁴He degassing for correlating deformation in different lithologies, we conducted high force crush tests, up to 97,800 N axial load, to assess the total ⁴He released during fragmentation of the rocks. We observed that the highest ⁴He released occurred in the sedimentary rocks and that release correlated strongly with lithologic age and U/Th content. Microstructural changes of the pre- and post-test rocks indicate that the degree of grain size reduction relates directly to the total ⁴He released during crushing. The range of in-place ⁴He was calculated based XRF measurements of uranium and thorium in each lithology, with the results indicating that the majority of the trapped ⁴He was not released. However, the ⁴He released by deformation depended upon how the each rock deformed during deformation and the degree of grain size reduction. We postulate that ⁴He precursor signals can be used to understand subsurface deformation only if geomechanical and geochemical conditions for ⁴He enrichment in a lithology are met.</p>