From VICE · Luis Prada · · 40s
Earth's Core Has Been Leaking Ancient Material for Billions of Years
Scientists found Earth's core leaks ancient hydrogen and helium for billions of years.
In brief
Scientists found Earth's core leaks ancient hydrogen and helium for billions of years. Earth's core has been slowly leaking hydrogen, helium, and tungsten from the Solar System's formation for billions of years. Originally reported by VICE.
Earth's core leaks ancient material
Scientists discovered Earth's core has been leaking chemical leftovers from the Solar System's formation for billions of years.
“Earth’s core, frankly, sounds insane. It’s a molten ball covered in a lava ocean that spews lethal gases and occasionally ejects some of itself through volcanoes.”
Hydrogen leaks reveal core activity
Computer simulations show light hydrogen trapped in Earth's core billions of years ago is actively leaking into the mantle.
“This means that the original cooling process couldn’t have caused this current setup.”
Ancient gases reach surface
Light hydrogen and ancient helium ride hot lava streams to the surface, leaking for billions of years.
“This light hydrogen, along with ancient helium and tungsten, rides hot lava streams to the planet’s surface, meaning that for the past several billion years ancient gases trapped in Earth’s core have been slowly burping their way out.”
In short
Earth's core has been slowly leaking hydrogen, helium, and tungsten from the Solar System's formation for billions of years.
