A recent study examining 62-million-year-old lava flows on Baffin Island in the Arctic Archipelago has revealed unusually high levels of helium-3 (³He), a rare isotope associated with the inner workings of our planet. This finding challenges the existing beliefs about the sealed-off nature of Earth’s Core and suggests a greater level of dynamism in the Earth’s deep interior.
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What perplexed scientists in this study was the exceptionally high levels of ³He found in Baffin Island’s lava olivine rocks. The Earth’s mantle continuously brings lava to the surface while consuming parts of the Earth’s crust. As a result, some of the ³He preserved within the planet has slowly escaped over time. However, scientists have established a limit for how much ³He can be present in mantle-derived rocks. Anything exceeding this limit suggests an alternative source.
The logical implication is that the rock containing excessive ³He might originate from deeper within the Earth, possibly the core itself. This challenges the conventional understanding that the core and outer layers of the planet are geochemically isolated, with minimal material exchange. If the Earth’s core is indeed leaking helium-3, it would reshape our understanding of the planet’s inner workings.
Helium-3 is a rare isotope of helium, with two protons and one neutron. It is not naturally abundant on Earth but can be found in small traces in certain minerals and lunar soil. Its presence is associated with processes occurring deep within the planet, such as radioactive decay and nuclear reactions.
This discovery raises intriguing questions about the dynamic nature of Earth’s core and its potential impact on our planet’s overall behavior. Further research will be necessary to confirm these findings and to better understand the mechanisms behind the potential leakage of helium-3 from the Earth’s core.
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Scientists Discover Earth’s Core Might Be Leaking Helium-3 .
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