The Hidden Gold: Earth's Core Holds More Than Surface Deposits
There’s More Gold Inside Earth Than On Its Surface
News 18
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Most of Earth's gold is not found in mines or rivers but is buried deep within the planet's core, with over 99% of it trapped thousands of kilometers below the surface. If accessible, this gold could cover the entire Earth in a layer about half a meter thick, highlighting the rarity of surface gold.
- 01Over 99% of Earth's gold is located in its core.
- 02The core's gold could theoretically cover the Earth in a half-meter layer.
- 03Gold sank to the core during Earth's molten formation.
- 04Most surface gold came from asteroid impacts billions of years ago.
- 05Current mining yields only a tiny fraction of the gold that exists underground.
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Scientists estimate that more than 99% of Earth's gold is located deep within its core, the super-hot center of the planet, thousands of kilometers beneath the surface. This vast amount of gold, if accessible, could cover the entire Earth in a layer about half a meter thick. The reason for this concentration lies in Earth's formation; during its molten phase, heavy elements like gold sank towards the center, leaving only a small fraction in the crust. Most of the gold mined today is believed to have originated from asteroid impacts that occurred billions of years ago, which brought smaller amounts of gold to the surface. Despite ongoing mining efforts, what we extract is merely a tiny trace of what lies beneath. Studies of volcanic rocks and deep Earth materials suggest that gold slowly seeps upward from the mantle, but the core remains unreachable due to extreme heat and pressure. This revelation underscores the irony that while societies have built economies and fought wars over gold, the majority of it remains locked away deep inside the Earth.
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