A groundbreaking study of volcanic rocks from Hawaii has revealed that Earth’s core may be leaking gold and other precious metals to the surface. According to Science Alert, it’s estimated that more than 99.99% of Earth’s gold and rare elements like ruthenium are locked away in the metallic core, buried beneath 3,000 kilometers of solid rock since the planet formed 4.5 billion years ago. The findings were recently published in the journal Nature.
Researchers from the University of Göttingen used advanced isotopic analysis techniques on Hawaiian volcanic samples and discovered unusually high levels of a particular ruthenium isotope—one typically more abundant in the Earth’s core than in its mantle. This strongly suggests that the lava originated from deep within the planet.
“When the first results came in, we realised we had literally struck gold! Our data confirmed that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into the Earth’s mantle,” said Nils Messling, a geochemist at Göttingen University.
The study challenges the long-standing view that Earth’s core is completely sealed off from the rest of the planet. It shows that core-derived materials can reach the surface via volcanic activity, providing new avenues for future research. The researchers propose that ruthenium isotopes could serve as innovative tracers for studying interactions between the core and mantle.
Their analysis suggests that hundreds of quadrillions of metric tons of superheated material from the core-mantle boundary rise through the mantle and eventually form volcanic ocean islands like Hawaii.
Co-author Professor Matthias Willbold emphasized the study’s significance: “Our findings not only demonstrate that Earth’s core is not as isolated as we once thought, but also provide direct evidence that vast volumes of superheated mantle material—hundreds of quadrillions of metric tons—rise from the core-mantle boundary to form islands such as Hawaii.”
The study also raises the possibility that some of the planet’s gold and precious metals may originate from deep within the core. However, researchers remain uncertain whether this core-leakage process has occurred consistently throughout Earth’s history. “Our findings open up an entirely new perspective on the evolution of the inner dynamics of our planet,” the study concludes.
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