Did silver and gold come from meteorites
HalfDime
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Did silver and gold come from meteorites
Yes, a significant amount of gold on Earth is believed to have come from meteorites.
During Earth's formation, iron sank to the center, forming the core. Precious metals like gold would have followed, leaving the mantle with little to none.
However, the Earth's mantle has more gold than expected. The "terminal bombardment," a period of intense meteorite impacts around 3.9 billion years ago, delivered gold to the Earth's surface.
Scientists have found that meteorites carry precious metals from other celestial bodies and enriched the Earth with elements like gold. The gold content in meteorites varies, ranging from 0.0003 to 8.74 parts per million.
Gold is siderophilic, meaning it has an affinity for iron, so the greatest amounts in meteorites are found in the iron phases. Some believe the gold we mine today may have originated from these ancient meteorite impacts. Without these meteorites, the gold used in jewelry might have remained inaccessible, locked within the Earth's molten core.
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It is estimated that the gold on the moon is worth around $800 billion. However, the cost of extracting gold on the moon would be greater than the cost of gold on Earth.
Comments
Maybe...most from the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.
Actually gall stones from prehistoric dinosaurs.
Ain’t it wild to think a lot of our gold came from space? Back when Earth was still molten, most of the gold sank into the core, but meteorites brought more to the surface. Without those impacts, we might not have gold coins or jewelry today.
As for gold on the moon, there’s a fortune up there, but gettin’ it back ain’t worth the cost—at least not yet. Maybe space minin’ will change that someday. What do y’all think?
How did the gold get in the meteorites in the first place?
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
No significant amount of gold on Earth came from meteorites.
Gold was originally formed in super nova events.
When the Earth formed, gold, iron, and other heavy metals settled in the core.
Over a long time, volcanic eruptions brought some of it (in low concentrations) closer to the surface.
Slow percolation of ground-water transported and concentrated that gold in various deposits, one atom at a time.