Earth’s core is many things. A carrying case for a mysterious metal orb. A spinning (or... not spinning) sphere about as hot as the surface of the sun. Surprisingly squishy. A source of endless enigmas. And now, according to new research, we can add another thing to the list: the Earth’s core is leaking.

The theory that our home planet’s core is leaking gas, specifically helium-3, has been around for some time. The rare isotope (meaning a version of helium with one neutron instead of the usual two) has previously been found in volcanic rocks on the ocean floor, for example, but this left scientists stumped as to how it got there. Now, a new team of researchers claims to have figured it out, This follows the discovery of the highest ratios of helium-3 – as well as the much more common helium-4 – ever seen on dry land, in ancient lava flows on Canada’s remote Baffin Island, in the Arctic Archipelago.

What’s all the buzz about helium-3 anyway, you ask? Well, most of the helium-3 in the universe was formed around the time of the Big Bang. Billions of years later, it’s thought that this gas became part of Earth’s core as our solar system pulled itself together and the planets started to form – a process called planetary accretion – and survived subsequent collisions with stray space rocks by being protected deep in the planet’s centre. Billions more years later (AKA present day) it’s still knocking about in there, and sometimes trace amounts rise to the surface.

The aim when it came to analysing the Baffin Island lava was to shed light on the make-up of Earth’s least understood region, the core, and piece together the planet’s formation and evolution over time. By finding such as significant quantity of helium-3, researchers have essentially produced evidence that “volatile elements from the solar nebula have survived in the mantle since the early stages of accretion”, says the newly-published paper on Baffin Island. 

The paper also theorises that helium-3 could have made its way to the surface via “mantle plumes”, huge jets of molten rock that surge up from the boundary of the Earth’s mantle and its core. These plumes are associated with the formation of many volcanic hotspots across the world, including Hawaii, Iceland, and once upon a time Baffin Island.

There’s another important aspect of helium-3 that might motivate researchers to learn more about its origins. It’s thought that the isotope could one day be used in fusion reactors, potentially making it a very valuable resource. How will we get our hands on it? Well, while very scarce on Earth, there’s an abundance of it on the moon, which could be mined in future lunar colonies, and other planets may harbour it too. For now, though, we’ll just have to learn all we can from the vast reserves thousands of miles beneath our feet.

Earth itself has actually started spinning faster – read about what all that means here.

Mars has too! Read about what that all means here.

Sadly, though, the Earth’s core has stopped spinning. Read about what all that means here.

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