The Earth Is Leaking Gold: Scientists Stunned To Find Precious Metals Emerging From Core

A pioneering research on Hawaiian volcanic rocks reveals that gold and other valuable metals are seeping from Earth’s core to the surface. It is believed that more than 99.99% of the gold and precious metals on Earth, including Ruthenium, are ensconced in the metallic core, located beneath 3,000km of solid rock, according toreports. These precious resources have been sealed off since the planet was formed 4.5 billion years back. The study has been released in Nature.

A team from the University of Gottingen recently carried out a study on volcanic rocks from Hawaii, utilizing sophisticated isotopic analysis methods to identify trace elements. They discovered abnormally elevated amounts of a particular ruthenium isotope, which is more common in the Earth’s core compared to its mantle. This indicates that the lava material came from deep inside the planet.

“When the first results came in, we realised that 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 above,” says geochemist Nils Messling of Gottingen University in Germany.

The study shows that Earth’s core is less isolated than previously thought, with core material reaching the surface during volcanic eruptions, offering future research opportunities. Ruthenium isotopes could serve as a novel tracer for studying core-mantle interactions, according to the researchers. The analysis indicates that hundreds of quadrillion metric tonnes of superheated material from near the core-mantle boundary rise to form ocean islands like Hawaii.

Professor Matthias Willbold, co-author of the study, emphasised the significance of the findings: “Our findings not only show that Earth’s core is not as isolated as previously assumed. We can now also prove that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material, several hundred quadrillion metric tons of rock, originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to Earth’s surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii.”

The research results ALSO indicate that certain gold and precious metal resources around the globe might have come from the Earth’s core. Nevertheless, scientists remain uncertain whether the core-leaking process seen in the study has been a persistent occurrence throughout the planet’s history. “Our results provide a completely fresh viewpoint on the development of the internal processes of Earth,” the research stated.