Earth's core is leaking gold and other precious metals, may change the planet's composition
Gold and other precious metals are slowly leaking from Earth's core into upper layers. A new study suggests that they are reaching the surface during volcanic island formation like Hawaii.
Researchers have studied Hawaiian rocks formed by rising magma plumes and found signs of heavy metals. This supports the idea that Earth's core may not be fully sealed off. It could be seeping into the rocky mantle.
Experts already believed that almost all of Earth's gold lies deep in its molten core. It was created around 4.5 billion years ago during early planetary formation. However, this research shows that small amounts may be reaching the surface.
The findings excite scientists because, over time, more gold and rare elements could continue moving up from Earth's deep interior. This discovery gives hope that new sources of gold might slowly form near volcanic zones in the future.
Earth's core has two layers: a solid inner core made of iron and nickel and a liquid outer core of molten metal. The solid core is about 70% the size of the moon. The outer core extends 1,800 miles below the surface.
'About 40 years ago, people first came up with the theory that maybe the core is losing some material into the mantle, but the signals we got so far were really ambiguous,' CNN quoted geochemist Nils Messling as saying.
'Now, in my opinion, we have the first very strong evidence that some of the core is actually ending up in the mantle,' Messling added.
Messling and his team have studied volcanic rocks from Hawaii to understand how Earth's core and mantle interact. They crushed half a kilo of basalt rock into powder, melted it with chemicals and turned it into a liquid.
From this, they extracted rare elements from the platinum group, focusing on ruthenium. This silver-grey metal, as rare as gold, is mostly found in Earth's core, not in the mantle.
Messling suggests that tiny amounts of gold may slowly leak from Earth's core. This process may explain how Earth's gold supply keeps getting renewed.
'It's a very interesting idea that, although this process is tiny and has zero effect if you look at just one island, if you scale it up to 4.5 billion years it could be that it changes the composition of the Earth,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
6 hours ago
- News18
Delhi Government To Conduct First-Ever Artificial Rain Trial Between July 4 And 11: Sources
Last Updated: The Delhi government is set to conduct its first trial of artificial rain through cloud seeding in a bid to reduce air pollution. The Delhi government is set to conduct its first trial of artificial rain through cloud seeding between July 4 and 11, in an effort to reduce air pollution, sources told CNN-News18. IIT Kanpur is in charge of the technical operations for this project. The BJP-led Delhi government has secured permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and plans to induce rain when weather conditions are favorable. This trial is estimated to cost approximately Rs 3.21 crore. Each trial will last 90 minutes and involve spraying a mixture of nanoparticles and salt from an aircraft. This is a developing story. More details to be added. First Published:
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Was the colour of the sky blue during the dinosaur era?
When we gaze up at the sky, it's easy to assume it's always looked blue all through the years. After all, the sky's colour is such a consistent backdrop in our daily lives. But Earth's past is full of unimaginable changes, like shifting continents, evolving life, and even an ever-moving position of our galaxy in terms of the shifting universe. But was the colour always the same shade? A NASA research scientist, Jessie Christiansen, explained that the night sky, and possibly even the daytime one, may have looked a little different during the age of dinosaurs. The reason isn't just atmospheric changes but also the solar system's journey through the Milky Way galaxy. Was the sky during the dinosaur era a different colour from today's blue? The sky we see today is blue because of Rayleigh scattering. Sunlight contains all the colours of the spectrum, but shorter wavelengths, like blue and violet, scatter more when they hit air molecules. Our eyes are more sensitive to blue than violet, which is why the sky appears blue. However, during the time of the dinosaurs, which lasted for about 250 to 65 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era, Earth's climate and atmospheric conditions were quite different. Earth was generally warmer during this era, which meant more water vapor in the air. This didn't necessarily mean more clouds, since cloud formation depends on evaporation and saturation levels, but it could have impacted how the sky appeared. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Everybody Is Switching To This Enterprise Accounting Software [Take a Look] Accounting ERP Click Here Undo This means that while the physics of Rayleigh scattering still applies, the exact appearance of the sky may have shifted due to changes in humidity, temperature, and atmospheric particles. Closer to the end of the Mesozoic, it likely resembled the nearly-clear light blue skies we know today. The night also looked different than today! The sky's appearance also changed depending on where Earth was in the Milky Way galaxy. According to NASA scientist Jessie Christiansen, when dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus and Iguanodons roamed Earth during the early Cretaceous period, "our entire solar neighborhood was on the opposite side of the Milky Way galaxy that it is now." Christiansen explained that "the dinosaurs were around for 200 million years, give or take, so the sky might have looked different early on but more like today towards the end, about 65 million years ago," as reported by CNN. It is never possible to reach the same point that the Earth travelled years ago! Apart from that, Christiansen also said that "we're back to where we were between 200 to 250 million years ago" in terms of our position within the galaxy. But because everything in the galaxy, including stars and solar systems, is constantly moving and rotating around a central black hole, she clarified that "we've never really [been] back at the same absolute point in space because it's not possible." So, was the sky a different colour back then? The answer is probably yes, at least for some time. While it may not have been of a starkly different colour but probably of a slightly different shade of blue as per some reports. While the scattering of light works the same, Earth's shifting climate, atmosphere, and cosmic position likely made the sky appear a bit different at various points in dinosaur history. Photo: Canva
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Dog-sized dinosaur fossil that roamed among giants, discovered by scientists
Source: CNN Scientists have uncovered fossils of a new dog-sized dinosaur species that lived alongside some of the largest dinosaurs ever known. This remarkable discovery sheds light on the diversity of prehistoric life and how smaller dinosaurs coexisted with gigantic species millions of years ago. According to The BBC , a study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science has identified this new dinosaur species, Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, which was roughly the size of a Labrador retriever, with its tail making up half its length. It was originally classified as a Nanosaurus, but scientists now conclude it is a distinct species. The dinosaur is currently on display in the Natural History Museum (NHM) Discovery of a unique dinosaur Source: The BBC The newly identified dinosaur, named Enigmacursor- meaning 'puzzling runner' - was roughly the size of a modern-day dog. It was relatively small, measuring 64 cm in height and 180 cm in length, comparable to a Labrador retriever, but distinguished by its larger feet and long tail. It co-existed with dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and is estimated to have lived 150 million years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The scientists questioned the classification, so they visited the US to examine the original Nanosaurus specimen. However, they found that the specimen was incomplete, consisting of only a rock with bone impressions, making it impossible to confirm its identity. Coexisting with other giant dinosaurs Source: The BBC Despite its small stature, this dinosaur was a thriving part of the ecosystem, running around the feet of enormous herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. Its discovery provides new insights into how smaller species adapted to survive alongside massive contemporaries, highlighting a complex prehistoric environment. The discovery of dinosaurs is of great significance for paleontology Source: The BBC The momentous discovery adds to scientists' knowledge of dinosaur diversity, evolution, and behavior. It also challenges the notion that only larger dinosaurs could dominate these ecosystems and provides evidence that smaller species played very important roles. The discovery also continues to provide important data for examining deep-time evolutionary relationships. Also read | Shocking discovery! 230 giant viruses found lurking in Earth's oceans; scientists say
