New evidence suggests molten heavy metals such as gold are leaking out of Earth's core.
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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.
