Gold !!! Where does it come from?
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https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/uog-aig112117.php
"An international group of scientists, with the participation of the University of Granada (UGR), has shed new light on the origin of gold, one of the most intriguing mysteries for Mankind since ancient times and which even today doesn't have an answer that convinces the scientific community."
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This article deals with the distribution of gold within the Earth but does not address where the gold molecules come from in the first place. It's quite interesting but not the only recent revelation about the origin of gold.
Until very recently, we thought that gold was only formed in supernovas, meaning all of the gold in our solar system is older than and comes from outside our solar system. We still agree that it takes a massive explosion to create the pressures necessary to create gold molecules by fusion but now suspect that the collision of neutron stars also produces gold and more of it than has been created by exploding supernovas.
The beauty of science is that it does not hesitate to throw out older beliefs when new evidence or proof is considered. That self correcting mechanism keeps science and it's benefits always advancing knowledge and our standard of living.
The idea that gold rises to the surface in volcanic plumes is nothing new. The Cripple Creek mining district here in Colorado is one such.
Well, they do disclaim the accuracy.
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
This whole time I thought it came from Doug Winter.
I thought it came from China...or is that gold plate?
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
It comes out of the ground ......
.... I dug this gold a few days ago in the California desert .......
Yes, the neutron star collision discovery was a fantastic find, and that is indeed where the gold is really forged.
The best part of that discovery though, was that it resulted from the addition of a third gravity wave detector. This means that we can now tell from which direction the waves came from, among other new measurements, such as the polarization of the waves. Knowing this direction was how astronomers were able to find the visual explosion. So we now have a gravity wave telescope, for real! There will surely me many more discoveries from this in the future, seeing the gold forge is just as taste.
WOW. I like it.
Hi Errorsoncoins,
Neat gold! I am California also. Dug near Colorado river?
Cheers
100% Positive BST transactions
Exactly, the claim I am on is well known and has been worked since the 1600's
Come out and dig sometime, split 50/50.
Interesting!
Curious----what is the value of the gold in the pic?
@ErrorsOnCoins...Nice gold, which method are you using? I have a couple of good nuggets from AZ I found with an metal detector.... used to pan gold (CA, WA, NZ)....found mostly dust doing that...but still exciting. Cheers, RickO
Gold is formed in the cores if stars. When they go nova this material is ejected into space and becomes asteroids or assymilated in planetary bodies. The recent asteroid which came into the solar system from interstellar space recently entering the plane of planetary orbits traveling around 60,000 mph between the sun and the orbit of mercury then passing earth between the orbit of earth and mars and on its way out is believed to be formed of heavier elements - it could have a lot of gold and platinum. It is an odd elongated shape and reddish in color from 100’s of million years between the stars as an interstellar wander - Wb interesting object drill into. It came from the vicinity of where the star Vega is currently - as a backyard astronomer years ago I remember looking up at the sky in summer and spotting the triangle formed by the stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb.
Gold, like our bodies is made up of 'star stuff' - Carl Sagan
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
@sellitstore said: "The beauty of science is that it does not hesitate to throw out older beliefs when new evidence or proof is considered. That self correcting mechanism keeps science and it's benefits always advancing knowledge and our standard of living.
Yep, that's the way it is supposed to work. However, for many selfish reasons "science" is corrupted and myths are magically pulled out of a hat. Ever hear of Man-Made Global Warming?"
Recently, it comes from Europe
I am rather suprised this made it into Nature Geoscience. This is a good quality petrology study with implications to a single area, nothing about the greater global origin of gold deposits in the crust. They make a big deal about finding Au crystals within sulfides in mantle xenoliths. That is not surprising, Au, is a noble metal with Re and the PGE (Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh, and Pd). All of them resist bonding in reduced conditions that form sulfide in the mantle and are found as small nano crystals within the sulfides. I have found Pt nuggets within sulfides from Washington using the same techniques. To get a paper into Nature Geosci. you have to shoot for sounding big and global and then get lucky to have the right reviewers. This one got lucky. Good stuff, but not solving gold origin.
What they really mean is that gold is being made via the r-process. Just happens that r-process operates in supernovas but also they claim in neutron star collisions. Since gold is monoisotopic, one can't really model the distribution of how much came from where - it could be that for some elements, for example, Os, Pt, Pd, etc. that are related to Au and each of which has 7, 6, and 6 long-lived isotopes respectively, the nucleosynthetic models could predict the outcomes to the isotope abundance profiles of these elements via the different locations where r-process operates and we could then see if the materials from our solar system match those predicted outcomes. That is what they do after all. Keep in mind that there are other nucleosynthetic processes operating as well to make isotopes of these elements, p-process and s-process for example, so to unravel what the isotopic abundance profiles for these elements is a complex challenge.
Best, SH
I once came across a "fact" that the Earths molten core has so much Gold, if brought to the surface it would form a layer 40 ft deep. Most of the Gold we can find near the surface is supposedly from Meteors and Asteroids that impacted the Earth.
So how rare is Gold? Maybe the money God Warren is right, maybe Gold really is just a barbaric relic. Now Bitcoin, wow that's really something to sink your investor teeth into.
Yes 99% of Au in Earth is in the core. The other 1% was added by ET's (meteorites, etc.) after the core formed and mixed into the mantle. It has been coming out in magmas from the mantle into the crust for the past 4.4 billion years.
Best, SH
Since the entire planet, and the solar system, came from star merger/explosions etc., obviously everything came from something else. It is most likely that gold in the planetary crust has come from the process of planetary evolution, though, it is possible some could come from external asteroid encounters. As to the actual elemental formation, I believe @spacehayduke likely has the technical concepts mapped out above. Cheers, RickO
Everything in our solar system does not come from outside of it, but all gold does.
The sun is creating new elements through fusion, up to iron on the periodic chart, even as we speak, and has been doing so for over 4 billion years.
That's pretty sweet, congrats! What's the approximate purity and weight of what you found? That seems like a lot of fun. The best I do is gem mining in NC with the kids. Sometimes we can find a tiny flake of gold but that's about it. Happy to find emeralds, star rubies, garnets and stuff like that though.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that most of the platinum on the surface of the earth came from ancient meteor impacts.
I was told the gold in the area is very pure and assayers like it.
This is chunky gold but not much, about .17 Grams.
I can guaranty two things about digging this area. You will find chunky gold in every bucket. You will not pay for the gas money to get to the claim with gold that you find.
I read that most of the stuff in the Earth's core is "Unobtanium." The only place it is found is at the edges of the mantle under the sea and from volcanic eruptions.
That's only $7 worth of gold?
As photographed, it sure looks like more than one gram! LOL!
Hey Errors on coins,
Wish I could make it out to your claim sometime, but might be awhile. I am still working on our house we recently moved in before the winter sets in. I am in California about 3 hrs from the Colorado river "pot holes" area. The "old timers" have told me that the ancient Colorado river meandered south. I was called "Big Blue" and deposited huge amounts of Gold in now flat barren deserts.
Good luck. Cheers
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Anytime as it is a lot more fun with another person. It is hard work. Cold Beer helps as does seeing gold in the pan. I am about 3 hours from the potholes claim as well. Now is the season.
I really like to look at the geology of what I am digging and go for very round river rock sitting on bedrock. So much virgin ground in the area. I still need to do a lot more prospecting. I have seen large nuggets from the area that a friend of mine found, but have yet to find anything big myself, yet.
Most of my gold came from the US Mint, and has a bunch of plastic around it.
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
IMO, the thrill of the hunt and in this case - the joy of coming home with some little nuggets - far outweighs the price for gas, supplies, and your time. You probably added several years to your life (aside from a rattlesnake) from this adventure. You could probably recover the gas money and make a $$$ profit if you took some folks with you.
PS @BillDugan1959 I hope to see a very "big rock" in your hand one day. Enjoy! I'm very jealous.
Oh of course the hunt is extremely fun. I found it weird that the very first time I tried to find gold, I did. Every bucket of pay dirt that I have run has had gold in it. I did do quite a bit of research before my first try, the internet is amazing for such information.
I kinda view it as fishing. When I first started kayak fishings about 7 years ago, I saw what others where catching and could not believe the size of the fish being caught. People would bring in 50 pound white sea bass and 30 pound yellowtail. It seemed close to impossible.
Fast forward 7 years and I myself have caught two 50 pound WSB, many 30 pound yellowtails, and much more. We call it "time on the water"
So I am only into this gold prospecting mining thing for about 8 months now. I have not found my 50 pound WSB (large gold nugget) but I know its out there and I just need to spend "time on the water".
Plan Apmex From Outer Space !
@Insider2
I simply do not live anywhere near gold producing country.
Where I live, it is 6 feet of loam and another 60 feet of clay and mixed rock before you reach bedrock.
Nonetheless, my (sadd) vial of placer gold:
It would be embarrassing to tell you how much this cost me.
Ah, the lost art of gold mining. I always wanted to strike out in the Mother Lode country myself but afraid I’d cross paths with a secret grow. Dredging was outlawed in CA by Arnie and the laws still stand.
Suction dredging is the only way I’ve found to really get gold to add up. Of coarse, everyone like a nice picker or nugget, but mining is truly all about FINE gold recovery. An accumulation that adds up over time.
I love hitting my low profile areas in the historic Black mining Hills of Dakota.
This day produced 10 grams.
I love mining, but also chase the elusive Fairburn agate if SD. Another mineral that has debatable origins. My avatar is one. Easier on the back and rarer than gold, but a day standing in a creek on a hot summer day can’t be beat. When I get a free day I’m always torn about where to go, such a cool area.
I sent the weekend in Dahlonega, GA in the 1990's. Bought the maps, pan, and had great fun in the streams and rivers on a very hot weekend and came away with NOTHING! I would do it again in a heartbeat. LOL. I get my gold specimens at Gem & Mineral Shows.
WildIdea, wow very nice gold. That is quite a bit for one day. Was that suction dredging? How many people (or just you) on the dredge?
Those agates are insane. Nicer that the gold, IMO. Is that how you find them or have those been produced in some way?
My wife and I have worked on 5 different continents for gold and silver mining companies since the 70's. Most gold mined from the largest mines in the world is from invisible specks of gold deposited in cracks in rocks from where it was dissolved in hot fluids coming from the mantle over millions of years. You basically do not see 99% of it and it has to be crushed and/or ground and dissolved in cyanide to recover it.
Edited to add that the gold mines and geology of Ghana (the Gold Coast of Africa) and Suriname in the upper part of South America is very similar and exploration geologists have been drilling for decades with full awareness of the two continents once being together.
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
Errors, suction dredging is basically a vaccum cleaner that sucks gravels from the bottom of rivers or cracks in bedrock and drops them on a either a submersible or floating sleuce to classify items by weight. I have a 2.5 inch nozzle that gets right into cracks but have worked on a 4 and 6 inch before in Nome. There are 8 inch nozzles and bigger but are dangerous and have tremendous power. Google suction dredging.
The agates pictured are as found. Polished in the ground. If an agate is worked it’s value is reduced. Sound familiar?
The agates are formed in voids in limestone deep underground, the Black Hillls uplift brough many minerals to the surface and they subsequently weathered out over the eons. They are found laying on the surface all over the Blacxk Hills and Badlands where they weather out. Some real dandies can be found. Google SD rock beds.
Not to hijack talking about Agates, i just cant stop once I start talking about them. I always thought the folks that collect toned silver Eagles would love agates.
ErrorsOnCoins do you eat the Yellowtail collars? Leaving for Cabo tomorrow!
Of course, they are delicious.
Wow, enjoy your epic trip to Cabo!
@sellitstore...."Everything in our solar system does not come from outside of it, but all gold does." That statement seems to be in conflict with other professional opinions. What is that based upon? Cheers, RickO
I think I know what he meant, but perhaps the comment is poorly phrased. How about "Not everything in the solar system comes from outside of it, but all gold does"?
And, while we are on the subject, heavy elements do seem to be rather common for something that only exists as the debris of cosmic explosions. Why would it concentrate here to form a significant percentage of the Earth?
What do the learned cosmologists (which I am not) say about the possibility that heavy elements were formed during the "Big Bang" and distributed throughout the Cosmos?
Only elements up through iron are produced in thermonuclear reactions. Thereafter, reactions require energy input and that is where supernovae and other gravity/mass-enabled interactions create heavier elements.
Ricko- You said that everything in our solar system comes from outside it and this is not correct. The sun has been creating new elements through fusion for 4 billion plus years and continues to do so. But only up to iron on the periodic chart. All gold needs higher forces than are present in our sun to be created. Hope this clarifies the facts.
Yes the proposed impacts that seeded the mantle with Au, Pt, Ir, Os, and other platinum group elements after core formation is called 'late accretion' or 'late veneer'. The impacting bollide material went down into the mantle where it was mixed in, then later came back out to the crust via magmas. That is the prevailing hypothesis for the overabundance of these elements in the mantle today, but there are a couple competing hypotheses that are still playing out as more studies are done.
Best, SH
This is only partly true. Excepting within the sun itself, the majority of elements in the solar system everywhere else was indigenous at the time of condensation and formation of planets and other bodies from dust and ice. So pretty much everything in the Earth came from outside of our solar system in the form of that dust and ice that was produced in earlier stars and the big bang (H and He), as did almost everything in the sun. The fusion ongoing in the sun today has not added much material to the rest of the solar system. There are dredge ups and some heavier elements get into the area around the sun and beyond, but very little. See the work on the collector arrays from the Genesis spacecraft to see what the sun expunges today.
Best, SH