Origin of gold in Earth crust finally resolved

For a long time, the theory prevailed that the gold embedded in the Earth crust and on the surface of our planet originated in space, a result of neutron star collisions. However, it has long been proven that the gold in the core of the Earth, which consists entirely of liquid metals, cannot have been created solely by nuclear fusion in stars. The level of energy thus generated is too low, and gold and other metals in the core of the Earth are simply too heavy. An international research group led by German geologist Nils Messling from the University of Göttingen has now conclusively proven the origins of mining gold.

Gold makes its way to the surface from the Earth’s interior

Gold, a product of cosmic events such as supernovae caused by colliding neutron stars, hit Earth and sank to the core of the still liquid planet over millions of years, due to its extreme density. The gold deposits on the Earth’s surface or relatively close to the surface of its crust, on the other hand, did not originate in space to settle on its cooling upper mantle. Rather, surface gold originates from the Earth’s interior, where all gold was initially concentrated when the Blue Planet was formed. This theory has long been held by geologists, but it was Professor Messling and his team who finally succeeded in proving it.

Exchange of gold between Earth’s core and mantle proven

As published on cnn.com and nature.com, among others, the study shows that temperature differences have caused convection currents to push gold and other metals upwards. It was also successful in proving, for the first time, that an exchange between the Earth’s core and outer mantle actually does take place. With the help of an indicator, the heavy ruthenium isotope 100RU, one of the rarest elements on Earth, it has been proven beyond doubt that gold and other precious metals can rise in small quantities through the core-mantle boundary to the very top, mostly via volcanoes. However, the process is literally a tenacious uphill struggle: it takes thousands of years.