Archaeologists Claim Earthquake Will Reveal Gold Nuggets in Earth

LONDON – Archaeologist discover the formation of large, pure gold nuggets in the Earth’s crust, which may be related to earthquake activity.

Until recently, the common explanation for gold formation was that gold precipitated from hot, air-rich fluids as they flowed through cracks in the Earth’s crust, and was then trapped in quartz veins as these fluids cooled.

However, this theory faces several problems, most notably why gold is more often found in vein quartz and how very low concentrations of gold can be present.

The explanation proposed by Dr. Chis Voisey and team focuses on the piezoelectric properties of quartz, namely the ability to generate new electricity when pressure is applied.

Quartz is the only common mineral with piezoelectric properties because it has no center of symmetry in its crystal structure, so it can generate an electric potential when it is distorted. This means that when quartz is subjected to stress such as that which occurs during an earthquake.

“The standard explanation is that gold precipitated from hot, water-rich fluids as they flowed through cracks in the Earth’s crust,” Monash University’s Dr Chis Voisey said in a statement, as reported by IFL Science.

“When these fluids cool or undergo chemical changes, the gold separates and becomes trapped in quartz veins.”

In experiments conducted by the research team, quartz crystals were placed in a gold solution and shaken at a frequency similar to the frequency of small earthquakes.

These findings provide clues that the piezoelectric properties of quartz may influence the distribution and concentration of gold, allowing the formation of extremely pure gold veins.

This theory offers a new explanation that could possibly explain anomalies in gold discoveries, especially how very pure gold can be concentrated within quartz veins, which often occur in locations with high seismic activity.

This is an example of how new understanding of the physical properties of minerals can change our view of complex geological processes.

(wbs)