Have you ever wondered where the precious metals that adorn our jewelry, electronics and even our OLED screens?
A new scientific discovery has shed light on the incredible journey these metals took to reach us, revealing a cosmic secret that dates back billions of years.
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For a long time, scientists believed that catastrophic impacts brought these valuable metals to Earth, where they remained on the surface thanks to a blanket of molten magma.
However, the question that intrigued everyone was: why didn't these elements sink to the Earth's core, given that they are highly attracted to iron?
Recent research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers a surprising answer to the questions that revolve around the manufacture of precious metals within the Earth.
You scientists have developed a new computer model that takes us on an incredible journey through time and space.
According to the study, after Earth's initial formation, the planet was hit by rogue protoplanets, among them an object the size of Mars, nicknamed “Theia”, which played a fundamental role in the creation of our planet. Moon. These protoplanets also contained precious metals.
(Image: Shutterstock/reproduction)
However, when colliding with the Earth, something surprising happened. Instead of sinking into the Earth's iron core, these valuable metals became trapped at the surface.
The study reveals that, after each gigantic impact, an immense layer of magma formed in the lithosphere, which encompasses the Earth's crust and upper mantle.
It was within this layer of magma that the precious metals began their sinking journey towards the core.
However, the fate of these metals has taken a surprising turn. They found a partially melted transition layer that slowed their descent. This allowed the lower mantle to cool and solidify before they could reach the core.
These valuable metals were thus trapped in the Earth's mantle, where they were subjected to convection by thermal currents originating from the Earth's hot core.
These currents continue to move precious metals around the Earth, eventually bringing them back to the surface, where they can be explored and used in our modern society.
Although this entire process occurred around 4.5 billion years ago, traces of these impacts and transition layers are still detectable in the form of two Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVP, its acronym in English).
These are gigantic geophysical anomalies, located in the Earth's deep mantle, covering up to 9% of the planet's volume and located in the Africa and in Oceania.
This discovery not only offers us a fascinating insight into our planetary history, but also highlights the importance of preserving the Earth and its natural riches while continuing to explore the treasures it gives us. offers.
