The idea that Earth is hiding treasure deep within has fascinated people for ages. Now, science has found a golden clue buried under our feet. Researchers say gold and other precious metals are slowly leaking from Earth’s core into the mantle and crust. It’s not just a tale—there’s new evidence to prove it.
Core gold may not stay buried forever
Scientists studied volcanic rocks from deep below the lithosphere. These rocks surfaced through magma plumes beneath ocean islands like Hawaii. Inside them, researchers found signs of precious metals, including gold. Their analysis confirmed something striking—these metals originated from Earth’s metallic core.
“When the first results came in, we realised we had literally struck gold,” said Nils Messling, a geochemist at the University of Göttingen. “Our data confirmed material from the core is leaking upward.” The core holds most of Earth’s gold—over 99% by current estimates. If spread across all land, it could form a 50-centimetre-thick golden layer.
This vast deposit settled deep inside during Earth’s formation. Back then, heavier elements sank through molten layers and became trapped. The process, called the iron catastrophe, locked away metals like gold, platinum, and rhodium. Later, meteorites added more of these elements to Earth’s crust.
Rare metal reveals the hidden journey
Though helium and iron isotopes are known to leak from the core, researchers wanted to know more about surface gold. To solve this, they studied ruthenium isotopes. Ruthenium, a rare heavy metal, leaves clues about its origin. Isotopes from the core differ slightly from those in the upper mantle.
These differences were long undetectable, but Messling’s team used new techniques. Their analysis of volcanic rocks from Hawaii showed high levels of ruthenium-100. This isotope likely came from deep within the core, rising through the mantle.
This discovery shows more than just gold is leaking upward. Elements that once sank—called siderophiles—are slowly returning. That includes palladium, platinum, rhodium, and other valuable metals. While they’re not easily reachable, they’re reshaping our understanding of Earth’s inner life.
A window into Earth’s deep processes
“We can now prove huge amounts of superheated mantle rock rise from the core-mantle boundary,” said geochemist Matthias Willbold of Göttingen University. These materials—totalling several hundred quadrillion tonnes—eventually reach the surface.
Though we won’t be mining gold directly from the core anytime soon, the research matters. It shows Earth’s deep layers are not as sealed off as once believed. These findings also offer new insight into how other rocky planets might behave.
The full study has been published in the journal Nature
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