Latest news with #GöttingenUniversity
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientists catch Earth's core leaking gold toward the surface
The world's largest stash of gold isn't at Fort Knox: It's locked away in Earth's core. Now, new research from Göttingen University in Germany suggests that some gold might be leaking from the core into the mantle and the crust, bringing it another step closer in the long, and slow, upward journey to the surface. The findings, published this month in the journal Nature, trace the precious metal Ruthenium (Ru) in volcanic rocks from Hawaii back to the core-mantle boundary, which lies more than 3,000 kilometres underground. Most of Earth's gold and other precious metals like platinum and palladium are believed to have sunk into the metallic core during the planet's early, molten days. We can access gold from Earth's crust, but what lies there represents only 1 per cent of the total quantity of gold on the planet. More than 99 per cent of it is thought to be in the core. If that 99 per cent were placed on the surface, there would be enough to blanket all the land on Earth in a half-metre layer of gold. The authors of the new study say tiny differences in isotopes hold clues about when deep-earth elements appear closer to the surface. One isotope, 100Ru, is found in higher concentrations in the core than in the mantle. Using refined techniques, researchers detected high levels of 100Ru in Hawaiian lava samples. 'When the first results came in, we realized that we had literally struck gold!" says Dr. Nils Messling from the university's Department of Geochemistry, in a statement. "Our data confirmed that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into the Earth's mantle above.' The discovery challenges the assumption the planet's core is geochemically sealed off from the surrounding mantle and suggests some of the core's metal-rich contents leak upwards. But don't expect a gold rush anytime soon. Digging 2,900 km down to access the minerals isn't realistic, but the paper does offer new insight into what goes on deep underground. The findings suggest all siderophile elements, i.e., those that prefer to bond with iron and were drawn into the core early in Earth's formation, may be gradually leaking out. That includes ruthenium, gold, platinum, rhodium, and palladium. 'Our findings not only show that the Earth's core is not as isolated as previously assumed,' says Professor Matthias Willbold, also of the Department of Geochemistry, in the same statement. 'We can now also prove that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material – several hundreds of quadrillion metric tonnes of rock – originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to the Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii.' This research not only adds to our understanding of Earth's interior but could also reshape what we know about the evolution of other rocky planets across the solar system. Header image: Graphic representation of Earth's shell structure showing the super-heated metallic inner core in the centre, followed by the solid outer core, the rocky mantle and the thin crust towards the surface. New research from the University of Göttingen demonstrates that some precious metal-rich material from the core is leaking into the Earth's mantle above. University of Göttingen/ (OpenAI)
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Gold Erupts From Hawaiian Volcanoes, Scientists Discover
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There's gold in them thar hills—or, at least, in the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands—along with other precious metals. This is the conclusion of an international team of researchers who found evidence that metals are leaking from Earth's core into the mantle, before being erupted at the surface. "When the results first came in, we realized that we had literally struck gold," said paper author and geochemist Nils Messling of Göttingen University, Germany, in a statement. "Our data confirmed that material from the core—including gold and other precious metals—is leaking into Earth's mantle above." According to the researchers, more than 99.999 percent of Earth's total reserves of gold and other precious metals lie within our planet's metallic core—buried beneath some 1,864 miles of rock. A volcanic eruption at Kilauea, Hawaii. A volcanic eruption at Kilauea, Hawaii. wellesenterprises/Stock / Getty Images Plus In their study, Messling and colleagues found traces of one particular precious metal—ruthenium (Ru)—that their analysis indicates must have come from Earth's core. Compared with the mantle, the team explains, Earth's core has a greater abundance of one particular ruthenium isotope: 100Ru. The reason for this is that the ruthenium that ended up locked up in the core when it formed some 4.5 billion years ago (along with gold and other precious metals) came from a different source than the tiny amount of the element that can be found in the mantle today. It had long been impossible to distinguish these differences in ruthenium isotope concentrations—until the advent of new methods, developed at Göttingen, which revealed unusually high 100Ru signals in the Hawaiian lavas. Paper co-author and Göttingen geochemist professor Matthias Willbold said in a statement: "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 superheated mantle material—several hundreds of quadrillion metric tons of rock—originate at the core–mantle boundary and rise to Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii." The findings, the researchers explain, mean that at least some of our valued but limited supplies of gold and other precious metals may have come from the Earth's core. "Whether these processes that we observe today have also been operating in the past remains to be proven," Messling said. He concluded: "Our findings open up an entirely new perspective on the evolution of the inner dynamics of our home planet." Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about geology? Let us know via science@ Reference Messling, N., Willbold, M., Kallas, L., Elliott, T., Fitton, J. G., Müller, T., & Geist, D. (2025). Ru and W isotope systematics in ocean island basalts reveals core leakage. Nature.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists 'strike gold' in shocking discovery from Hawaiian volcanic rocks
A German university, Göttingen University, has literally "struck gold" in recent findings from volcanic rocks. A new study of these volcanic rocks from Hawaii, that leaked out from deep under the lithosphere, contained various precious metals. Dr. Nils Messling of the Göttingen University's Department of Geochemistry said in a news release they were surprised when the test results came in. "When the first results came in, we realized 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," Messling said. Largest Gold Deposit In The World Worth $83 Billion Found In China Approximately 99% of the Earth's gold is buried deep in the Earth's Metallic Core, far out of humankind's reach. Read On The Fox News App The gold is currently buried about 1,800 miles deep in the core. The discovery of this ruthenium, which was formed and locked down with gold, might be a telling sign that these volcanic rocks are coming from deep within the Earth. Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Erupts With 1,000-Foot 'Lava Fountaining' "Our findings not only show that the Earth's core is not as isolated as previously assumed. We can now also prove that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material – several hundreds of quadrillion metric tonnes of rock – originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to the Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii," said Professor Matthias Willbold in a news release. There is a way to test for isotopes of ruthenium, especially when differences are small variations of the same element. The isotopes of ruthenium in the Earth's core are slightly different from those on the surface, with the difference being too small to really detect. However, new procedures developed by researchers at the University of Göttingen have made it possible. "Whether these processes that we observe today have also been operating in the past remains to be proven. Our findings open up an entirely new perspective on the evolution of the inner dynamics of our home planet," Messling said in a statement. With these precious metals beginning to leak to the Earth's surface, it could suggest that the supplies of gold and others important for renewable energy came from the Earth's article source: Scientists 'strike gold' in shocking discovery from Hawaiian volcanic rocks
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Earth's core holds a vast reservoir of gold - and it's leaking towards the surface
You might think the Earth's largest gold reserves are locked up at Fort Knox. But Earth's core is rich with the precious metal – and it's slowly making its way up towards us, according to a new study. Ultra-high precision analysis of volcanic rocks show Earth's core is 'leaking' into rocks above. And it's bringing gold and other precious metals with it. Dr Nils Messling, at Göttingen University's Department of Geochemistry, said: '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.' More than 99.999 per cent of Earth's stores of gold lie buried under 2,900km (1,800 miles) of solid rock, locked away within the Earth's metallic core and far beyond the reaches of humankind. The team analysed rocks on the island of Hawaii, specifically looking at traces of the precious metal ruthenium (Ru). Compared to the Earth's rocky mantle, the metallic core contains a slightly higher abundance of a particular isotope called 100Ru. That's because this ruthenium, which was locked in the Earth's core together with gold and other precious metals when it formed 4.5 billion years ago, came from a different source than the scarce amount that is contained in the mantle today. These differences are so small it was impossible to detect them in the past. Now, new procedures developed by the research team made it possible to analyse them. The unusually high 100Ru levels they found in lava on the Earth's surface can only mean that these rocks ultimately originated from the boundary between the Earth's core and mantle. Professor Matthias Willbold, who also worked on the study, said: 'Our findings not only show that the Earth's core is not as isolated as previously assumed. 'We can now also prove that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material – several hundreds of quadrillion metric tonnes of rock – originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to the Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii.' The findings mean that at least some of the precarious supplies of gold and other precious metals that we currently have access to may have come from the Earth's core. It's believed that when the Earth was forming, gold and other heavier elements sank down into its interior. As a result, the majority of gold we currently have access to on the Earth's surface was delivered here by meteors bombarding our planet. Other elements that could currently be 'leaking' out of the core include palladium, rhodium and platinum. Despite the findings it's unlikely these precious metals are emerging at a particularly fast rate. It would also be impossible to drill down to where the Earth's core begins – approximately 2,900km (1,800 miles) - to access the gold contained down there. The findings were published in the journal Nature. Earth has an unusually high proportion of precious metals near the surface, which is surprising, as they would usually be expected to settle down near the core of the planet. Until now, this has been explained by the 'late veneer' theory, which suggests that foreign objects hit Earth, and in the process deposited the precious metals near the surface. New computer simulations from the Tokyo Institute of Technology took into account the metal concentrations on Earth, the moon and Mars, and suggests that a huge collision could have brought all the precious metals to Earth at once. The researchers believe that this happened before the Earth's crust formed – around 4.45 billion years ago. The findings suggest that Earth's history could have been less violent than previously thought.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Earth's Core Holds a Vast Reservoir of Gold, And It's Leaking Toward The Surface
Earth's core is rich with gold, and it's leaking out through the mantle and into the crust, new research has found. A new study of isotopes found in the volcanic rock that oozed out from deep under the lithosphere has revealed precious metals in Earth's crust, including gold, initially leaked out of the core before beginning the long, long journey up to the surface, borne on convecting magma. "When the first results came in, we realized that we had literally struck gold!" says geochemist Nils Messling of Göttingen University in Germany. "Our data confirmed that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into the Earth's mantle above." Although we can access gold in Earth's crust, the amount there is an estimated minuscule fraction of the total quantity that our planet possesses. Like a dragon, Earth is hoarding most of its gold: research suggests more than 99 percent is in its metallic core – enough to cover all of Earth's land in gold 50 centimeters (20 inches) thick. It makes sense: when still forming, the heavier elements sank down through the planet's mooshy interior and ended up sequestered in the differentiated core, a process known as the iron catastrophe. Later, meteor bombardment delivered more gold and heavy metals to the crust. Although we have good evidence that primordial helium and heavy iron isotopes are leaking from Earth's core, it's been unclear how much of the heavy metal we find on the surface is from the core and how much is from space. There is, however, a way to investigate: isotopes of a precious heavy metal called ruthenium. Isotopes are variations of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. The isotopes of ruthenium in Earth's core are slightly different from surface ruthenium. That difference had been too small to really detect, but Messling and his colleagues developed new analysis techniques that allowed them to tease them out. They used their new techniques to study ruthenium that was dug out of volcanic rock on the Hawaiian islands, and discovered a significantly higher amount of ruthenium-100 than can be found in the ambient mantle. That's the isotope of ruthenium that originated in Earth's core. This discovery suggests that all the siderophile elements – those that migrated to the core when the Earth was young and molten all the way through – are leaking out of the core. That includes ruthenium, of course, but also elements such as palladium, rhodium, platinum – and gold. It won't be emerging at a particularly high rate, nor can we just dig down 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) to get it. Rather, the finding tells us something new about our own planet, and perhaps other rocky planets, too. "Our findings not only show that the Earth's core is not as isolated as previously assumed," says geochemist Matthias Willbold of Göttingen University. "We can now also prove that huge volumes of superheated mantle material – several hundred quadrillion metric tons of rock – originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to the Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii." The research has been published in Nature. Mesmerizing Video Shows Cardiac Cells Building a Heart Scientists Peered Inside The Echidna's Mysterious 'Pseudo-Pouch' Bizarre Three-Eyed Predator Hunted The Ocean Half a Billion Years Ago
