Is Gold From Earth or Space? Exploring the Origins and Evolution of this Precious Metal

Gold is a dense and heat-conductive metal, as well as highly malleable, being the most ductile element. Its appeal lies in its visual allure, workability, and resistance to tarnishing, making it historically captivating. But where does gold come from?

Cosmic Origins of Gold

According to ZME Science, the ancient Aztecs metaphorically associated gold with "the sweat of the sun," a concept rooted in legend but symbolically accurate. Surprisingly, the gold adorning our jewelry originates from celestial sources-formed during stellar explosions and asteroid collisions.

Gold's origins lies in the cataclysms of stars and asteroids, gradually enriching planet Earth. Early stars, born after the Big Bang, fused elements to create heavier substances like carbon, oxygen, and iron, progressing towards gold. However, gold requires an extreme event: the supernova explosion of massive stars at the end of their life cycle.

Supernovae release colossal energy, ejecting outer layers into space, forming nebulae that birth new stars and planets. In these nebulae, elements, including gold, undergo neutron capture, wherein protons and neutrons combine to form heavier elements. This iterative process produces gold, dispersed into the cosmos alongside other debris from the explosion.

Approximately 50 billion tons of gold exist in the universe, with a staggering one ounce per 150 billion tons of Earth-an awe-inspiring testament to the cosmic origins of this precious metal.

Today, gold stands as one of the most prized and precious metals, characterized by its rarity. Among the 118 elements discovered and classified by humans, gold holds a significant place. Displaying a lustrous, warm yellow hue, pure gold is both malleable and soft. However, its softness prevents practical everyday usage in its pure form.

To enhance its durability, Crisscut Magazine shares that gold is combined with a blend of metals like silver, copper, platinum, palladium, and zinc. While jewelry remains its foremost application, gold finds utility in various sectors such as finance, electronics, computing, dentistry, medicine, aerospace, glass production, and as markers of achievement and status.

Formation of Gold Beneath Earth's Surface

Gold, originating both in celestial bodies and within the Earth's crust, emerges through distinct processes. According to Chards, gold's formation transpires via hydrothermal processes, wherein heated fluids traverse rocks, leaving behind mineral deposits. These fluids often harbor gold and precipitate it within fissures or crevices of adjacent rocks.

Additionally, placer deposits contribute to gold's origin. These deposits materialize when water dislodges gold from its source, transporting it and eventually depositing it in areas with slower water movement, such as riverbeds.

In Earth's early stages, molten iron descended to its core, carrying away the majority of precious metals like gold and platinum. As ZME Science explains, the core houses a significant reservoir of these valuable elements, sufficient to blanket the planet's surface with a four-meter-thick layer of precious metals.

The ascent of molten rock, or magma, towards the surface allows it to gather and concentrate elements like gold. Upon cooling and solidification, the magma transforms into rock, often granite, and veins of this rock may harbor gold.