# How Much Is the Earth Worth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2016, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814 "2016-06-08T07:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/41 "2016-06-10T08:36:09Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I would think the only thing unique to Earth would be it’s biology. Our DNA and all the chemicals it can create might be worth something. All the basic elements are so easily gotten from asteroids we probably couldn’t give away the planet. This. There are maybe a hundred billion planets with about the same composition as Earth in our galaxy alone; if you just want the raw materials, it would be easier to mine asteroids and comets. But there is only one biosphere that is exactly like Earth’s in the entire visible universe. Our ball of rock and iron only has special worth as a physical support system for the biosphere. and for the cultures that depend on it. (it may be that our cultures and products of those cultures may be even more valuable than out biosphere in some alien markets). ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/42 "2016-06-10T15:44:59Z")
Or it might have negative value to those aliens. Berserkers might destroy us because they hate all life, or all life that isn’t their species. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/43 "2016-06-10T20:30:11Z")
Isn’t there going to be a good amount of gold in the core too? Heavy stuff sinks, right? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/44 "2016-06-10T20:59:03Z")
Gold should be present in the core, not just because it is heavy, but because it is a siderophile element, soluble in iron > **[Goldschmidt classification | Siderophile elements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldschmidt_classification#Siderophile_elements)** > > Siderophile (from sideron, "iron", and phileo, "love") elements are the transition metals which tend to sink into the core because they dissolve readily in iron either as solid solutions or in the molten state, although some sources include elements which are not transition metals in their list of siderophiles, such as germanium. Other sources may also differ in their list based on the temperature being discussed – niobium, vanadium, chromium, and manganese may be considered siderophiles or no Th... ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/45 "2016-06-10T21:02:46Z")
On the other hand, the heavy element uranium is a lithophile, and lead is a chalcophile, so both of those should be found in the crust rather than the core. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/46 "2016-06-12T04:59:26Z")
I don’t know if it is too late to add this. But you know, this would be an excellent question for Cecil Adams. Here, just insert this: [Dear Cecil:] [Jim B.] ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814/47 "2016-06-12T05:08:37Z")
\*\*Cecil \*\*will wiffle waffle and it will eventually turn out he had a side deal going with the Alpha Centurians. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-the-earth-worth/756814.md?page=2)