Is Earth's core leaking gold and other precious metals to the surface?

A new study in Nature reveals that Earth's core may not be sealed shut after all. German geochemists have discovered traces of core-derived precious metals like ruthenium in volcanic rocks from Hawaii — suggesting gold and other elements may be slowly seeping up from deep within the planet read more
A woman and her daughter touch a structural model of the earth's core at Nanjing Geological Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, April 22, 2011. The Chinese characters on the model read "outer core". Representational Image/Reuters
Scientists have found robust suggesting that Earth's inner core, long considered completely sealed off, is slowly releasing gold and other precious metals into the layers above.
This revelation comes from a detailed isotope study of volcanic rocks, specifically basalt samples from Hawaii, which shows that some of the world's most valuable elements may have originated not just from meteorites or the planet's mantle, but from the very centre of Earth itself.
Geochemists from the University of Göttingen in Germany, including Nils Messling and Matthias Willbold, have published their findings in the scientific journal Nature, revealing how specific isotopes act as tracers for material that originated in Earth's metallic core.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
How Earth's core is seen as a hidden reservoir
For decades, scientists have known that the overwhelming majority of Earth's gold — along with elements like platinum, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium — is not found in the crust or even the upper mantle, but locked away in the core, buried beneath nearly 3,000 kilometres of dense rock.
This concentration of heavy elements occurred during Earth's early years, over 4.5 billion years ago, when the planet's internal structure began to differentiate.
Heavier elements sank toward the centre during a process known as the iron catastrophe, leaving the outer layers comparatively depleted.
Also Watch:
According to estimates, the quantity of gold sequestered in the core is so vast that, if extracted and spread evenly over the land surface, it could cover every continent with a 50-centimetre-thick layer of gold.
Yet, until recently, this immense subterranean reserve was believed to be geologically unreachable and completely cut off from the crust.
That assumption has now been upended.
How scientists tracked core-derived isotopes in volcanic rock
The Göttingen researchers focused on analysing isotopic compositions in rocks formed from deep-Earth magmatic activity.
They targeted ruthenium, a rare and heavy element that exhibits subtle isotopic differences depending on its source. These differences had previously been too minute to distinguish.
But by refining their laboratory techniques, the team was able to detect and compare ruthenium isotopes with unprecedented precision.
Using samples from basaltic lava flows in the Hawaiian islands — an area known for volcanic activity stemming from deep mantle plumes — the researchers discovered an elevated concentration of the isotope ruthenium-100.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
This variant is consistent with material originating from Earth's core, as opposed to the surface or upper mantle.
'Our data confirmed that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into the Earth's mantle above,' said Nils Messling, one of the lead authors of the study. 'When the first results came in, we realised that we had literally struck gold!'
The core-derived signature in the volcanic rock was not limited to ruthenium. It suggests that other siderophile elements — those with an affinity for iron and which bonded with it in the early, molten Earth — may also be part of the upward movement from core to mantle, and eventually, to the crust.
How core material reaches the surface
The study provides compelling evidence that deep mantle upwellings — also called mantle plumes — transport material from near the core-mantle boundary to the surface.
These massive columns of superheated rock rise through the mantle and erupt through oceanic crust to form volcanic islands such as those in Hawaii.
'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,' said study co-author Matthias Willbold.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Also Watch:
The volume and force of this process are immense, although it happens over geological timescales spanning millions of years.
The volcanic rocks that emerge during these eruptions carry chemical and isotopic clues from the depths, making them natural record-keepers of Earth's internal dynamics.
What this means for future research
The discovery opens new avenues for understanding how Earth's internal systems have evolved over billions of years.
Prior to this discovery, the prevailing understanding among Earth scientists was that the planet's core, encased beneath the solid silicate mantle and crust, was an isolated and chemically inert reservoir.
The new research not only confirms that elements like ruthenium and possibly gold are slowly migrating upward, but it also introduces the use of isotopic 'tracers' to monitor and quantify this migration in future studies.
Ruthenium, in particular, may serve as a powerful tool for understanding the interactions between Earth's layers.
'Precious metals such as ruthenium are highly concentrated in the metallic core but extremely depleted in the silicate mantle,' the researchers wrote in their study.
While many of Earth's surface metals were believed to have arrived via meteorite bombardment during the early years of the solar system, this study shows that at least some of those metals may have originated from within the planet itself.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'Our findings open up an entirely new perspective on the evolution of the inner dynamics of our home planet,' the researchers concluded.
While practical access to these deeply buried resources remains impossible with current technology, the scientific insight gained from these findings may influence everything from geochemistry to planetary science.
This revelation also has implications beyond Earth. If core leakage of precious metals is possible here, similar processes may occur on other rocky planets.
Though no gold rush will result from this research, its value lies in the new understanding it offers about Earth's inner mechanics.
Also Watch:
With input from agencies

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

NDTV

6 hours ago

• NDTV

Casino Lighting May Be Secretly Pushing You To Gamble More, Reveals Study

A new study by researchers from Flinders University and Monash University in Australia suggests that casino lighting may play a surprising role in encouraging risky gambling behaviour. The research found that blue-enriched lighting, commonly used in casino decor and LED screens, may influence brain responses, making individuals less sensitive to financial losses. The study published in Nature's Scientific Reports journal examined participants' economic decisions using a series of casino scenarios under blue-enriched and blue-depleted light to assess the impact of light wavelengths on risk preferences. "We found that light with more blue wavelengths in it, which is frequently emitted by LED screens and casino lighting, could subtly influence how people perceive losses and gains," says lead author, Dr Alicia Lander from FHMRI Sleep Health. "This raises questions about the role of lighting in environments like casinos or online gambling platforms." According to the news release by Flinders University, the study investigated whether circadian photoreception affects risk-taking behaviour during gambling by manipulating the 'melanopic' brightness of light, which targets the body's internal clock, while keeping visual brightness constant. The results showed that participants exposed to blue-enriched light became less sensitive to losses, making them more likely to choose risky financial options over safer alternatives. "Typically, people have a strong tendency to avoid losses, often outweighing potential gains in their decision-making," says Dr Lander. "However, under blue-enriched light, which stimulates non-visual circadian photoreceptors, they demonstrated a reduced sensitivity to financial losses that may influence gambling tendencies, potentially encouraging riskier behaviours. "Under conditions where the lighting emitted less blue, people tended to feel a $100 loss much more strongly than a $100 gain - the loss just feels worse. "But under bright, blue-heavy light such as that seen in casino machines, the $100 loss didn't appear to feel as bad, so people were more willing to take the risk." The study suggests that blue light alters neural processing in brain regions tied to reward and decision-making, such as the amygdala and habenula, possibly dampening negative emotions associated with losses. "Interestingly, we found that women displayed greater loss aversion than men, showing more reluctance to take risks under both light conditions," says Dr Lander. "This aligns with previous research indicating that women often experience stronger emotional responses to financial uncertainty, while men may have a greater tolerance for risk."

NDTV

7 hours ago

• NDTV

Israeli Scientists Scramble To Save Work After Iranian Missile Hits Labs

REHOVOT Israel: Researchers at Israel's prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science have been scrambling to save their experiments after an Iranian missile destroyed a building containing dozens of cutting-edge laboratories. The missile struck the institute's campus at Rehovot, on the southern periphery of Tel Aviv, in the early hours of Sunday, damaging multiple buildings and prompting researchers to clamber into the ruins to save samples even as fire raged. No one was hurt as the campus was empty overnight, but one part of a building collapsed entirely, while in the remaining part, the walls were blown out, exposing a tangle of twisted metal, blasted debris and blackened cement. "We did our best to save as much of the samples as we could from the labs, from the buildings, while we were fighting the fire," physicist Roee Ozeri, Weizmann's vice president for development and communications, told Reuters. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel. Israel's strikes have killed several prominent Iranian nuclear scientists, wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of civilians. Iran's attacks have killed 24 civilians in Israel and damaged hundreds of structures, including a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba. Iran has not said if or why it targeted the Weizmann Institute. While most of the institute's research is in areas with potential benefits for medicine and scientific knowledge, it also has connections with defence. It announced in October 2024 a collaboration with Israel's largest defence firm, Elbit, on "bio-inspired materials for defence applications". A multidisciplinary institution which carries out research in fields including genetics, immunology and astrophysics, Weizmann was founded in 1934 and is considered world-class within the international scientific community. It is Israel's most important science research institute, with 286 research groups, 191 staff scientists and hundreds of PhD students, master's students and postdoctoral fellows. 'EVERYTHING IS LOST' The Iranian missile hit the work of researchers such as Eldad Tzahor, who focuses on regenerative medicine with particular relevance to adult heart diseases. He said many samples and tissues that had been part of long-running experiments had been destroyed. "Everything is lost," he told Reuters TV. "I would estimate that it will take us about a year to get into a full year of research and with everything working again." In financial terms, the damage is estimated at $300-$500 million, according to the institute, which operates costly, complex machines, often shared between several labs or research groups. Jacob Hanna, who runs a molecular genetics team focused on embryonic stem cell biology, told the scientific journal Nature that his lab's ceiling had collapsed and the staircase had detached. His students managed to save hundreds of frozen mouse and human cell lines by transferring them to back-up liquid-nitrogen tanks that Hanna had stored in the basement, Nature reported. "I was always worried that if a war actually happens, I don't want to lose these," he said.

Time of India

13 hours ago

• Time of India

Nature's red alert: 5 species that went extinct while we watched

The last few years were quite ominous for conservationists and wildlife lovers everywhere. Climate change, deforestation, and pollution have long been known as causes of extinction, but 2019 to 2024 saw a rapid increase in species going extinct. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The official announcement of extinction is not to be taken lightly and takes years, and very often decades, of intensive surveys and ecological information. The following are five species that were officially confirmed as extinct between 2019 and 2024, using official sources such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and national environmental departments. Chinese Paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) Credit: Wikipedia Confirmed extinct: July 2022 (IUCN) Last spotted: Early 2000s Habitat: Yangtze River, China One of the world's largest freshwater fish, the Chinese paddlefish, was officially declared extinct in 2022. Reaching more than 7 meters in length, it was a top predator in the Yangtze River for millions of years. But dam building (particularly the Gezhouba Dam), overfishing, and habitat fragmentation put an end to its life. No one has been seen despite exhaustive search campaigns since 2003. The paddlefish was considered "functionally extinct" in 2019 before it was delisted from the IUCN Red List in 2022. Mountain Mist Frog (Litoria nyakalensis) Announced extinct: October 2020 (IUCN) Last recorded: 1990 Distribution: Queensland, Australia This rare frog had previously inhabited the rainforests of uplands in northeastern Australia. It started declining in the latter half of the 20th century due to the transmission of chytrid fungus, a highly lethal pathogen on amphibians globally. By 1990, the species was completely extinct. It was officially declared extinct by the IUCN in 2020, after intense surveys had failed to provide any indication of its continuation. Poʻouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma) Credit: Wikipedia Declared extinct: 2021 (U.S. Fish & Wildlife), 2024 (IUCN) Last seen: 2004 Habitat: Maui, Hawaii The Poʻouli, a honeycreeper native to Hawaii, was a bird that inhabited forests with exceptional feeding habits and a distinctive look. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It was first discovered in 1973, and its population quickly dwindled because of habitat loss, introduced predators such as rats and cats, and disease transmitted by mosquitoes. The last recorded specimen died in captivity in 2004. In 2021, the U.S. formally recommended its delisting as an endangered species because it had gone extinct. IUCN also verified the status of extinction in 2024. Campo Grande Tree Frog (Boana cymbalum) Declared extinct: 2023 (IUCN) Last spotted: Only once in 1968 Habitat: São Paulo, Brazil Recorded from a single locality and observation in 1968, this Brazilian tree frog has not been seen since targeted searching. Urbanization at speed, pollution, and deforestation of forested habitats led to its suspected extinction. In 2023, the IUCN officially declared the Campo Grande tree frog to be extinct, another case of how biodiversity can be lost before a species can even be scientifically examined. Cheongpung Blind-Beetle (Coreoblemus parvicollis) Declared extinct: 2023 (IUCN) Last observed: Unknown Habitat: Cheongpung, South Korea A subsurface cave beetle restricted to a limited region of South Korea, the beetle went unnoticed when it silently became extinct after environmental alterations due to dam construction and flooding in the area. Its extinction was authenticated by the IUCN in 2023. Lacking its unknown nature, very little information is available, which is usually true with underground or micro-endemic organisms. Is this nature warning us against a bigger threat? These five species are among the hundreds that could be lost this decade. Every extinction carries a greater message: the Earth's biodiversity is in trouble. Over 47,000 species are threatened with extinction, and many will likely go silently into oblivion without ever being globally noticed, states the IUCN Red List. Whereas extinction is irreversible, activist conservation, restoration of habitats, and international cooperation can reverse this trend. The question remains: Will we do so before the next one is erased from the list.