'Earth’s core may be leaking a rare and valuable element' - Times of India (2024)

Some scientists have recently discovered that

Earth's core

may be leaking a rare and

valuable element

called helium-3. Helium-3 is a non-radioactive isotope of helium that has one less neutron than the common helium-4. Helium-3 is very scarce on Earth, but abundant in space, especially on the Moon and the Sun.
The discovery was recently described in a study published in the journal

Nature

.

The scientists found unusually high levels of helium-3 in volcanic rocks on Baffin Island, Canada. They also found high levels of neon-22, another rare isotope that was present when Earth was formed. These isotopes suggest that the rocks came from a very deep source, possibly the core itself.
The origins of helium-3 in the rocks can be traced back to the big bang, which released vast amounts of hydrogen and helium. These elements played a role in galaxy formation. Scientists believe our solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago within a solar nebula. Helium from this nebula likely became trapped in Earth’s core, making it a reservoir for noble gases. As helium-3 leaked from the core, it rose to the surface through magma plumes, eventually erupting on Baffin Island. The olivine crystals in the lava trapped and preserved the helium from deep within the Earth.
The scientists think that helium-3 and neon-22 may be leaking from the core through cracks or plumes in the mantle. These leaks may have been happening for millions or billions of years, but they are very slow and small. The scientists estimate that only about 0.1 grams of helium-3 escape from the core every year.

According to a CNN report, the study's lead author Forrest Horton, said, there is little helium-3 in the universe compared to helium-4. “Helium-3 is rare on Earth because it has not been produced in or added to the planet in significant quantities and it is lost to space,” said Horton, who is associate scientist in the department of geology and geophysics at

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

.
The leakage of helium-3 from the core does not have any negative impact on our planet or environment. Helium-3 is a noble gas that does not react with other elements, so it does not affect the chemistry or climate of Earth. Helium-3 also does not harm living organisms or cause radiation.

However, the leakage of helium-3 from the core may have some positive implications for science and technology. Helium-3 is an ideal fuel for nuclear fusion, a process that can produce clean and abundant energy by fusing atoms together. Helium-3 can fuse with deuterium, another isotope of hydrogen, to produce helium-4 and a proton, without releasing any harmful neutrons.
Nuclear fusion using helium-3 could solve many of the world's energy problems, but it is very difficult and expensive to achieve. One of the main challenges is to obtain enough helium-3, which is very rare on Earth. Scientists estimate that 100 kilograms of helium-3 could power a 1000-megawatt electric plant for a year. However, there are only about 15 tons of helium-3 on Earth, mostly trapped in natural gas deposits.
The leakage of helium-3 from the core could provide a new source of this precious element, if we can find a way to extract it from volcanic rocks or gases. This could make nuclear fusion more feasible and accessible in the future. It could also help us understand more about the origin and evolution of our planet and its core.