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Earth's core may hold ancient pre-Big Bang gas
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)The Big Bang - Level 4
The Earth contains many mysteries about how it formed, and what is at its centre. A recent study has clues as to what shaped our planet and solar system. Scientists say vast amounts of a primordial form of the gas helium may be trapped inside Earth. It is called helium-3. Scientists believe it is from a giant cloud of gas and dust that gelled to create different planets. It has been inside Earth's core for billions of years. It is occasionally released in volcanic eruptions.
The research is very exciting for planetary geologists. They think the helium-3 could unlock secrets of the Big Bang. The presence of helium-3 could mean that Earth was created faster than we thought. A geophysicist in the USA said: "There is evidence that has been interpreted to say the Earth formed very slowly, requiring 100 million years. [However], you wouldn't get much helium deep in the Earth if the Earth formed that slowly."
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The Big Bang - Level 5
The Earth contains mysteries that are yet to be unravelled. They focus on how Earth formed, and what is at its centre. A recent study has clues as to what shaped our planet at the beginning of the solar system. Scientists have evidence that vast amounts of a rare, primordial form of the gas helium may be trapped inside Earth. It is called helium-3. Scientists believe this helium-3 is from a giant cloud of gas and dust that gelled to create different planets. The gas has remained locked inside Earth's core for billions of years. It is occasionally released in volcanic eruptions.
The research has created great excitement among planetary geologists. They believe large amounts of helium-3 could unlock secrets of the Big Bang. The scientists are speculating that the presence of helium-3 could mean that Earth was created much more quickly than we thought. A geophysicist in the USA shed light on the possible speed of Earth's creation. He said: "There is evidence that has been interpreted to say the Earth formed very slowly, requiring 100 million years. [However], you wouldn't get much helium deep in the Earth if the Earth formed that slowly."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
The Big Bang - Level 6
Our planet contains mysteries that are yet to be unravelled. Many of them focus on how the Earth formed, and what is at the centre of our planet. A recent study provides clues as to what shaped Earth at the beginnings of our solar system. Scientists say they have discovered evidence that vast amounts of a rare, primordial form of the gas helium may be trapped inside Earth's core. It is called helium-3. Scientists from universities in Japan and Taiwan believe the helium-3 is from a giant cloud of gas and dust that amalgamated to create different planets. The gas has remained locked inside Earth's mantle for billions of years, but is occasionally released in volcanic eruptions.
The research paper has created considerable excitement among planetary geologists. They believe the presence of large amounts of helium-3 could unlock more secrets of the Big Bang. In particular, the scientists are speculating that there being so much helium-3 under the Earth's mantle could mean that Earth was created much more quickly than previously thought. Dr Peter Olson, a geophysicist at the University of New Mexico, shed light on the possible speed of Earth's creation. He said: "There is evidence that has been interpreted to say the Earth formed very slowly, requiring 100 million years. [However], you wouldn't get much helium deep in the Earth if the Earth formed that slowly."
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