Scientists from Göttingen University have made a surprising discovery of precious metals in volcanic rocks.

A new study reveals that these volcanic rocks, originating from deep beneath the Earth’s lithosphere, contain a variety of valuable metals.

Dr. Nils Messling from the university stated in a news release that the test results were unexpected.

“The initial results were astonishing, indicating that we had indeed found gold! Our data confirms that material from the Earth’s core, including gold and other precious metals, is seeping into the mantle above,” Messling explained.

It is estimated that approximately 99% of the Earth’s gold is located far within the core, inaccessible to humans.

Currently, this gold is buried roughly 1,800 miles deep inside the core.

The presence of ruthenium, formed and associated with gold, suggests that these volcanic rocks originate from deep within the Earth.

“Our findings not only demonstrate that the Earth’s core is not as isolated as previously thought, but also provide evidence that significant amounts of super-heated mantle material – hundreds of quadrillion metric tons of rock – originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to the surface, forming ocean islands like Hawaii,” said Professor Matthias Willbold in a news release.

Analyzing the isotopes of ruthenium presents a challenge, particularly when the variations are subtle.

The ruthenium isotopes in the Earth’s core are slightly different from those on the surface, but the difference is minimal and difficult to detect.

However, new techniques developed by researchers at the University of Göttingen have made this possible.

“Whether these processes observed today have occurred in the past remains uncertain. Our discoveries offer a new perspective on the evolution of our planet’s internal dynamics,” Messling stated.

The leakage of these precious metals to the Earth’s surface suggests that the Earth’s core could be the source of gold and other elements crucial for renewable energy technologies.

“`