By The European Times | Created at 2026-07-18 16:47:08 | Updated at 2026-08-02 01:30:31
2 weeks ago
Scientists have recorded a unique phenomenon at a volcano in Antarctica, which is spewing microscopic crystals of pure gold into the atmosphere every day, reports Indian Defense Review.
The Erebus volcano is the southernmost active volcano on Earth, located on Ross Island, about 1,350 kilometers from the South Pole. Its main feature is a permanent lava lake. In addition to lava and volcanic gases, the mountain spews something that has never been seen anywhere else on the planet: tiny crystals of pure elemental gold. According to a study published in 1991 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the volcano spews approximately 80 grams of gold dust every day. The smallest particles can travel up to 1,000 kilometers from the crater and possibly further.
Scientists have also found traces of gold in the eruptions of other volcanoes – Kilauea in Hawaii, Etna in Italy, Augustine in Alaska and El Chichon in Mexico. According to available data, the magma rising from the Earth’s interior contains many elements – copper, silver, mercury, arsenic, selenium, sulfur and gold. They form various compounds. The researchers explain that the gold does not evaporate directly, since its boiling point is significantly higher than the temperature of volcanic processes. Instead, it is believed that the metal is transported in volatile compounds with chlorine or sulfur, which remain stable in hot volcanic gases. Crystals have been found in snow, gases and even in the atmosphere.
A team of geochemists, led by Kimberly Meeker from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, analyzed samples of snow around the crater, gases above the lava lake and air in the Antarctic troposphere up to 1,000 kilometers from the volcano. According to the article, microscopic particles of pure gold were found in all three groups of samples. Under an electron microscope, they turned out to be not shapeless grains, but transparent crystals with an almost perfect geometric shape – some measuring up to 60 micrometers.
Interestingly, the Erebus volcano is far from a leader in gold production. It is believed that Kilauea produces 500–800 grams of gold per day, and Etna up to 2.4 kilograms per day. But only the Erebus volcano produces crystalline elemental gold. Why this happens remains unclear. The main question that scientists have not yet found an answer to is how the gold is separated from the compounds that transport it through the volcanic system. One theory is that the gold leaves the lava in volatile chlorine-containing compounds that crystallize upon cooling before settling on the Antarctic ice. However, the researchers recognize a weakness in this theory: the gas contains too little gold to explain the formation of such perfect crystals in the air.
According to ScienceAlert, volcanologist Philip Kyle, one of the research team members, subsequently proposed an alternative theory: the gold gradually formed in the crust on the surface of the lava lake and then rose into the air along with the gases.
Illustrative photo: pexels-james-lee-932763-33295463
