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Wednesday, 21st October 2009 (511 views)

Some of the Earth's gold may have come to the planet from outer space, according to a new study.

Geologists at the University of Toronto and the University of Maryland say that some of the precious metals that currently lie in the rock beneath the Earth's surface could have extraterrestrial origins.

Published in the current issue of Nature Geoscience, the research indicates that the extremely high temperatures that were present when the Earth's core was first formed would have stripped away any metals from the planet's rocky crust, raising the question of why some metals can still be found in this section of the planet.

It puts forward the suggestion that a shower of material from outer space could have brought precious metals to the planet.

When it comes to gold, while it is likely that geological processes account for the majority of the precious metal that has been found in the Earth's rocky crust, some of it may have come from elsewhere, University of Toronto geologist James Brenan told the CanWest News Service.

He said that there is "a bit more gold in the rocky portion of the Earth than we can account for, which is consistent with a bit more being added as an extraterrestrial source".

The University of Maryland put forward a similar theory in the Nature journal in 2000.

 

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