High concentrations of helium-3 have been discovered in rocks on Baffin
Island by a team of geochemists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
and California Institute of Technology.
This discovery might indicate that the Earth's core is leaking. The team
details their investigation of helium-3 and helium-4 on the Canadian Arctic
Archipelago in a report that was published in the journal Nature.
Helium-3 traces have been discovered by earlier researchers in lava flows
on Baffin Island, raising the prospect that the Earth's core may be leaking.
This is due to the fact that it is an old isotope that was common when Earth
was developing and became stuck in the core.
However, helium-3 quickly escapes into the atmosphere and vanishes into
space as it reaches the surface due to its composition. Helium-3 is
therefore scarce. The likelihood that it emerged from the core is high if it
is discovered on the surface.
The idea that the Earth's core may be leaking intrigued the study team, so
they traveled to Baffin Island and started experimenting with various lava
flows. They discovered helium-3 in far higher concentrations than those
detected in previous studies—higher than any other location on
Earth.
In addition, they discovered the highest-ever ratios of the common isotope
helium-3 to helium-4 in terrestrial rock. The researchers propose that the
elevated ratios might be an additional indication that helium-3 is seeping
out of the core.
The discovery of such elevated helium-3 levels at a terrestrial location,
according to the research team, is significant because, should it be
demonstrated that the material is indeed escaping from the core, it will
provide scientists a hitherto unattainable avenue for studying core
material.
That could provide more information about the core than was previously
believed. They observe that further physical instances of core material
should be provided if the helium-3 is indeed originating from the core, as
should the surrounding material.
