Close Menu
Invest Intellect
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Invest Intellect
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Home
    • Commodities
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Fintech
    • Investments
    • Precious Metal
    • Property
    • Stock Market
    Invest Intellect
    Home»Precious Metal»Earth’s core holds a vast reservoir of gold – and it’s leaking towards the surface
    Precious Metal

    Earth’s core holds a vast reservoir of gold – and it’s leaking towards the surface

    May 26, 20254 Mins Read


    By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

    Published: 11:56 BST, 26 May 2025 | Updated: 11:56 BST, 26 May 2025

    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).

    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

    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

    Researchers found tiny traces of the precious metal ruthenium with an anomalous isotopic composition in lavas from Hawaii. The new findings prove that the Earth’s core is leaking metallic material, including gold and other precious metals

    Researchers found tiny traces of the precious metal ruthenium with an anomalous isotopic composition in lavas from Hawaii. The new findings prove that the Earth’s core is leaking metallic material, including gold and other precious metals

    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.

    Around 99.999 per cent of Earth’s stores of gold and other precious metals are locked away in the Earth’s core, around 3,000 km inside the Earth and far beyond the reaches of humankind

    Around 99.999 per cent of Earth’s stores of gold and other precious metals are locked away in the Earth’s core, around 3,000 km inside the Earth and far beyond the reaches of humankind

    Fort Knox (pictured), officially the United States Bullion Depository, is a secure facility in Kentucky that stores a significant portion of the U.S. government's gold reserves

    Fort Knox (pictured), officially the United States Bullion Depository, is a secure facility in Kentucky that stores a significant portion of the U.S. government’s gold reserves 

    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.

    HOW EARTH GOT ITS PRECIOUS METALS 

    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. 

    Share or comment on this article:
    Earth’s core holds a vast reservoir of gold – and it’s leaking towards the surface



    Source link

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    Related Posts

    Gold climbs Rs 400 to Rs 98,020/10 g; silver rises Rs 500 – ThePrint – PTIFeed

    Precious Metal

    XAG/USD flat lines around $37.00; bearish potential seems intact

    Precious Metal

    Logie Awards 2025 RECAP: Home and Away star Lynne McGranger finally wins the coveted Gold Logie – but a remark about her husband left the room of A-listers speechless

    Precious Metal

    Fed rate likely to weigh on gold, silver

    Precious Metal

    Coetzé makes it three from three with another silver in Singapore

    Precious Metal

    US Tariffs Impact on Copper, Gold & Crude: Rediff Moneynews

    Precious Metal
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Top Picks
    Commodities

    US wholesale: Week 31 ‘market pulse’ updates available on key seafood commodities

    Cryptocurrency

    Cryptocurrency investors leverage XRP through Blockchain Cloud Mining and earn a stable daily income

    Property

    What are my rights? Things to know.

    Editors Picks

    Continental’s second exit of the agricultural tyre sector since 2000

    April 4, 2025

    Nigerian engineer leads agricultural robotics innovation for Africa

    May 25, 2025

    Une filiale de Yuexiu Property cède 65 % de sa participation dans un promoteur immobilier

    May 20, 2025

    Savannah renforce son portefeuille d’actifs au Nigeria avec l’acquisition de SIPEC

    March 11, 2025
    What's Hot

    BlackRock to Launch 4 Laddered Bond ETFs

    October 29, 2024

    Dividend stocks: Why dividend yield, ignored in bull markets, matters: 6 stocks with high dividend yield of 5-9%

    April 27, 2025

    Does a Proposed $10 Billion Bond Favor Richer California School Districts? – The 74

    July 12, 2024
    Our Picks

    Purple Pepe listed on major crypto exchanges, enters US real estate market

    May 13, 2025

    Lukashenko sets tasks for Kupalovskoye company, Shklov District agricultural sector 

    August 10, 2024

    Cryptocurrency Prices on August 13: Bitcoin trades near $59k ahead of US inflation data; Altcoins mixed

    August 13, 2024
    Weekly Top

    MAFWR adopts drones, smart irrigation in agricultural push

    August 4, 2025

    Qatar fintech market sees upward trend driven by funding, policy

    August 3, 2025

    MobileMoney Ltd CEO Shaibu Haruna named ‘CEO of the Year-Fintech’ at 4th Ghana CEO Awards

    August 3, 2025
    Editor's Pick

    Economic uncertainty has consumers worried about financial investments

    March 11, 2025

    GLOBAL X ANNONCE LES DISTRIBUTIONS DE JUIN 2025 POUR SA GAMME DE FNB

    June 23, 2025

    Vantage remporte deux prix aux UF Awards LATAM 2025

    April 25, 2025
    © 2025 Invest Intellect
    • Contact us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.