• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Scientists make groundbreaking $5,904,500,000,000,000 discovery that changes our understanding of geological history

Home> Science> News

Published 16:02 20 Nov 2024 GMT

Scientists make groundbreaking $5,904,500,000,000,000 discovery that changes our understanding of geological history

That's a whole lot of money...

Harry Boulton

Harry Boulton

Scientists have made a discovery that helps us understand the Earth's geological history, but it could also be worth a whopping $5,904,500,000,000,000 in total.

Discovering rare metals and minerals can be quite the profitable venture, as those discovered on Earth and even all the way up in space give the potential for a significant amount of money.

While the primary function of their discovery is often to help understand their origins, which commonly links to the origins of Earth and other similar planets, you can't help but gawk at the value proposition too.

Advert

That is very much the case when scientists discovered iron pieces within a Western Australian ore deposit, which illuminate much of Earth's geological history including how the separation of supercontinents allowed precious metals to form.

The iron discovered tells scientists a lot about the Earth's geological origins (Liam Courtney-Davies/Curtin University)
The iron discovered tells scientists a lot about the Earth's geological origins (Liam Courtney-Davies/Curtin University)

And precious these metals are indeed, as while iron isn't as valuable as rare-Earth minerals like neodymium and gallum, it starts to stack up if you've got a big chunk of it.

The Hamersley Province, where these iron pieces were found and formed over one billion years ago, is recognized as the world's largest iron ore deposit, amassing more than 55 billion tons (50 metric gigatons) of the metal, as reported by Live Science.

Advert

Iron ore currently only trades at around $102 per metric ton, which is peanuts compared to something like nickel which sells for just under $16,000 for the same amount, but if you've got a lot of it then it doesn't really matter does it?

If the deposit were to sell all of its ore at the current price of iron then it would net a tidy $5,904,500,000,000,000, which in words breaks down to five quadrillion nine hundred four trillion five hundred billion. Not too bad, eh?

The Hamersley Province holds a significant amount of money (Richard Woldendorp/Photo Index)
The Hamersley Province holds a significant amount of money (Richard Woldendorp/Photo Index)

If you were to split that staggering figure between every single person on Earth then you'd be landed with a handy $735,763.

Advert

That doesn't quite compare to the $1,246,105,919 that everyone would be entitled to if NASA are able to capture a metal-rich asteroid floating beyond Mars, but it's a bit more realistic.

Of course, mining all of this iron would take a significant amount of time, and it's needed for far more than just it's monetary value, but it certainly makes you think about how much things that are natural to the Earth can be worth.

The discovery itself is fascinating enough though, as it has unveiled so much that scientists were previously unaware of regarding the separation of supercontinents.

We'd all be lying if said we wouldn't rather $750,000 in our pockets though, right?

Featured Image Credit: Monty Rakusen / Lucas Ninno / Getty
Science
Earth
Discovery

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Scientists say groundbreaking discovery at 'site of Noah's Ark' could prove Biblical story as true
  • 1,400,000,000-year-old discovery changes scientists' understanding of Earth's geological history
  • 1,400,000,000-year-old discovery changes scientists' understanding of Earth's geological history
  • Astronomers make groundbreaking discovery of planet hiding in our solar system with 'promising' evidence of life

Choose your content:

18 hours ago
22 hours ago
a day ago
  • 18 hours ago

    5,000 year-old city hiding underneath vast desert uncovered in astonishing discovery

    An ancient civilization once thrived in what is now a desert

    Science
  • 22 hours ago

    Terrifying footage of 400ft deep 'glory hole' that people have been 'sucked into' is 'plaguing nightmares'

    The man-made sinkhole has left people terrified of falling in

    Science
  • a day ago

    Scientists reveal shocking reason why you should never hit the snooze button on your smartphone

    Sleep experts say the snooze alarm could be doing more harm than good

    Science
  • a day ago

    Why billionaire Bill Gates could hugely benefit from $1,500,000,000,000 'white gold' discovery found in supervolcano

    It's been dubbed the biggest lithium reservoir in the world

    Science