Geochemists from the University of Göttingen in Germany have discovered evidence that the Earth's core is gradually "releasing" precious metals, in particular gold, which, together with hot magma, rise to the Earth's crust. The results of the study are published in the journal Nature and Yahoo.

A team of researchers analyzed isotopes of ruthenium, a rare metal belonging to the platinum group. The isotopic composition of volcanic rocks collected in Hawaii has shown that some of the metals actually originate in the very core of the planet. The scientists paid special attention to the isotope ruthenium-100, which, according to the data, is characteristic of the nucleus.

"When the first results came in, we realized that we had literally stumbled upon gold! Our data indicate that the material from the core, including gold, is indeed seeping into the Earth's mantle," said geochemist Niels Messling.

Scientists explain that more than 99% of the Earth's gold is concentrated in its core, where it sank during the formation of the planet. This amount would be enough to cover the entire surface of the land with a 50-centimeter layer. korrespondent.net.