Rare gas formed during the Big Bang may be leaking from Earth’s core

A new study finds that an extremely rare form of helium Substance known as helium-3, which emerged shortly after the Big Bang, is escaping from the Earth’s core. The universe is full of helium-3, an isotope of helium that contains only one neutron in its nucleus, as opposed to ordinary helium-4, which has two neutrons. This mysterious gas, which is only 0.0001% of Earth’s helium, arises primarily from the consequences of the Big Bang.

Scientists suggest that the presence of helium-3 in the Earth’s core supports the idea that our planet originated within a developing solar nebula, rather than nearby or in its waning phase.

Peter Olson, lead author of the geophysical study at the University of New Mexico, supports this thesis: helium-3 is a “magnificent revelation of nature” and a vital clue to Earth history.

A balloon worthy of Helium-3

Scientists already had this information About 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of helium-3 escapes from the Earth’s interior each year. Most of these seeps occur along the mid-ocean ridge system, where tectonic plates meet. This phenomenon is interestingly compared to “enough to inflate a balloon the size of your desk,” according to Olson.

Although scientists know about helium-3 escapes, fundamental questions remain: How much of this comes from the Earth’s core, how much is present in the Earth’s various reservoirs, and where did it come from?

influence of the moon

This event transformed the Earth but did not completely deplete the planet’s helium-3 reserves. Some of the gas remained and slowly leaked from the Earth’s core.Scientists suggest that this is a solid and protected warehouse, less susceptible to cosmic influences.

The researchers’ calculations, combining current helium-3 escape rates with models of helium isotope behavior, It shows that the Earth’s core contains a staggering 22 billion pounds (10 teragrams) and 2 billion pounds (1 pentagram) of helium-3. The results presented, although convincing, are subject to uncertainties.

The research team had to rely on several assumptions, such as the idea that Earth accumulated helium-3 when it formed within the solar nebula and that helium-3 migrated between the metals that make up the core and mantle. Other uncertainties, such as the duration of the solar nebula relative to the Earth’s formation rate, may affect the actual amount of helium-3 in the core.

Did you like the content? Therefore, always stay up to date with new studies on how the Earth was formed at TecMundo!