'Gold rush': Earth's core leaking precious metals, scientists discover
Scientists in 2024 found that tiny amounts of gold and other precious metals are slowly escaping from Earth's core, hitching a ride to the surface through volcanic eruptions.
By studying volcanic rocks from Hawaii, they spotted special isotopes that point straight to the core-mantle boundary—basically proof that our planet's deep insides are sharing their treasure.
Meanwhile, geologists found a massive gold field in China
Meanwhile, geologists uncovered a massive gold field called Wangu in China's Hunan Province.
With more than 40 veins about 1.9km underground, this site holds an estimated 1,000 metric tons of gold—worth around $83 billion—and its gold concentration beats most mines worldwide.
NASA's Psyche mission aims to study metal-rich asteroids
These discoveries flip what we thought we knew about Earth's insides. They show there's a slow exchange happening between the core, mantle, and crust over time.
It could change how we understand volcanoes and even how planets evolve.
NASA is also getting in on the action with its Psyche mission to study metal-rich asteroids and learn more about planetary cores beyond Earth.