Scientists' search for what secrets are buried inside our Earth continues without end. Now, a new study of Hawaiian volcanic rocks shows that gold and other precious metals are leaking to the surface from the Earth's core. Most of these metals have been locked in the Earth's core since the planet formed about 4.5 billion years ago, Science Alert reported. More than 99.99% of the Earth's gold and other precious metals, such as ruthenium, are trapped in the metallic core, 3,000 km beneath solid rock. The study has been published in the scientific journal Nature. A rare discovery in Hawaiian volcanoes: Recently, a team from the university of Göttingen in germany conducted a detailed study of Hawaiian volcanic rocks. They used advanced isotopic analysis techniques to detect rare trace elements in these rocks. During the study, scientists found unusually high levels of a particular isotope, Ruthenium. This isotope is usually found in the core of the Earth than in the mantle.
This indicates that the lava material originated from deep within the planet. When the first results came in, we realized that we had indeed found gold. Our data confirmed that materials from the core, including gold and other precious metals, were seeping into the Earth's mantle. Nils Meinling, a geochemist at the university of Göttingen in germany, said. Scientists are looking at this discovery with surprise, as this treasure has been locked inside the Earth for centuries. Is the isolation of the Earth's core reduced?: The study shows that the Earth's core is less isolated than previously thought. That is, the core material reaches the surface during volcanic eruptions. This offers new opportunities for future research. According to the researchers, ruthenium isotopes could act as a new 'tracer' for studying core-mantle interactions. The analysis indicates that hundreds of quadrillion metric tons of superheated material are rising from near the core-mantle boundary to form oceanic islands like Hawaii.
 
Professor Matthias Willbold, co-author of the study, stressed the importance of the findings. Our findings show that the Earth's core is not as isolated as previously thought. We can now demonstrate that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material, several hundred quadrillion metric tons of rock, formed at the core-mantle boundary and rose to Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii. The findings of this study also suggest that some of the world's gold and precious metal resources may have originated from the Earth's core. However, researchers are still not sure whether the core seepage process observed in the study was a constant phenomenon throughout the planet's history. The study noted that our findings open up a completely new perspective on the evolution of the internal dynamics of our own planet. The research has provided new information never before available about the mysterious interactions between the Earth's deep layers and the circulation of metals. This could change our understanding of the origin and distribution of mineral resources found on the Earth's surface in the future. Further studies on how and to what extent this gold and other precious metals are reaching the surface from the Earth's core will help us gain a deeper understanding of our planet.
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Sowmiya Sriram

27/05/2025 11:49 AM