Geologists point to outer space as source of the Earth's mineral riches

University of Toronto ^ | Oct 18, 2009 | Unknown

[decimon]

TORONTO, ON – According to a new study by geologists at the University of Toronto and the University of Maryland, the wealth of some minerals that lie in the rock beneath the Earth's surface may be extraterrestrial in origin.

"The extreme temperature at which the Earth's core formed more than four billion years ago would have completely stripped any precious metals from the rocky crust and deposited them in the core," says James Brenan of the Department of Geology at the University of Toronto and co-author of the study published in Nature Geoscience on October 18.

"So, the next question is why are there detectable, even mineable, concentrations of precious metals such as platinum and rhodium in the rock portion of the Earth today? Our results indicate that they could not have ended up there by any known internal process, and instead must have been added back, likely by a 'rain' of extraterrestrial debris, such as comets and meteorites."

Geologists have long speculated that four and a half billion years ago, the Earth was a cold mass of rock mixed with iron metal which was melted by the heat generated from the impact of massive planet-sized objects, allowing the iron to separate from the rock and form the Earth's core. Brenan and colleague William McDonough of the University of Maryland recreated the extreme pressure and temperature of this process, subjecting a similar mixture to temperatures above 2,000 degrees Celsius, and measured the composition of the resulting rock and iron.

Because the rock became void of the metal in the process, the scientists speculate that the same would have occurred when the Earth was formed, and that some sort of external source – such as a rain of extraterrestrial material – contributed to the presence of some precious metals in Earth's outer rocky portion today.

"The notion of extraterrestrial rain my also explain another mystery, which is how the rock portion of the Earth came to have hydrogen, carbon and phosphorous – the essential components for life, which were likely lost during Earth's violent beginning."

###

The research was funded with the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and a NASA Cosmochemistry grant.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

James M. Brenan Department of Geology University of Toronto 416-978-0281 brenan@geology.utoronto.ca

Sean Bettam Office of Communications, Faculty of Arts & Science University of Toronto 416-946-7950 s.bettam@utoronto.ca

[decimon]

Preciousss ET ping.

[cripplecreek]

The number one reason why liberals should want more space exploration. If they want to stop mining earth, they should want to start mining lifeless asteroids.

They always talk about wanting to fix earth first, well here’s their chance.

[DannyTN]

Or maybe the author is completely wrong about how and when Earth formed.

[GeronL]

don’t forget the space ping

[DannyTN]

But I call dibs on any gold meteorites that land.

[decimon]

don’t forget the space...

Ineverforgethespace.

[GeronL]

Someay we might detect a planet covered in spice.

[Prospero]

Earth is of extra-terrestrial origin.

It's difficult to understand the worldview presented in this piece. Perhaps they have no worldview at all.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks decimon.

According to a new study by geologists at the University of Toronto and the University of Maryland, the wealth of some minerals that lie in the rock beneath the Earth's surface may be extraterrestrial in origin. "The extreme temperature at which the Earth's core formed more than four billion years ago would have completely stripped any precious metals from the rocky crust and deposited them in the core," says James Brenan of the Department of Geology at the University of Toronto and co-author of the study published in Nature Geoscience on October 18.

Also see additional topics mostly pertaining to J. Marvin Herndon and Did iron cyclones give Earth a wonky core?.

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[marron]

The universe is made from minerals and hydrocarbons. They are the basic building blocks of the universe.

[decimon]

This is not exactly rock science.

Or brain surge. I do what I can. ;-)

[sig226]

hence we use the technique of MINING to find precious metals, which are precious because they are not generally found lying about the backyard. I would like to inform the Canadian Engineering Council that it should investigate MINING as it has been demonstrated to be a means to find rare and precious materials. In fact, I believe that further research, conducted at the post doctorate level, might prove that MINING involves digging rather deep holes in order to get at the rare and precious materials. They should investigate to see if there is a history of MINING on planet Earth. if such history exists, it might prove that rare and precious materials have been buried deep under the ground for literally thousands of years. a government grant is surely in order.

[decimon]

Yeah, but how about mining? Any opinion on that?

[sig226]

stuff like this makes me wonder how many crayons a student needs to get a science degree.

[onedoug]

The most predominant element in the universe is hydrogen.

[wendy1946]

"So, the next question is why are there detectable, even mineable, concentrations of precious metals such as platinum and rhodium in the rock portion of the Earth today?

There's an even better question than that: why would anybody try to make any sort of a claim about the age of the Earth or any of its features based on isotope ratios of heavy metals which could not possibly be primordial to the planet, i.e. which must have arrived via impact events??

[gleeaikin]

I once drove through an area in southern Ontario called the Sudbury. There was apparently a major very old boloid strike here, and the area has been extensively mined for a number of minerals. No enviros here, it is one of the ugliest stretches of earth I have ever seen. Miles and miles of desolation and toxic poisoning of any plant life.