A remote volcano shoots what is described as 'gold dust' into the sky on a daily basis.
According to LADBIBLE, the volcano in question is actually the second-tallest in Antarctica. Mount Erebus, which is the world's southernmost active volcano, was first discovered in 1841. Over 130 years later, in 1972, Mount Erebus became active once again. The volcano is one of 138 found on the continent, although only two are known to be active.
Mount Erebus is particularly intriguing, because scientists have discovered it is not only gas, steam and rocks were are expelled from the volcano. While Mount Erebus is covered in snow and ice, a molten lava lake exists inside the structure. The result is a regular releases of gas and steam, which is loaded with tiny crystals of metallic gold. Often, the gold dust particles are just 20 micrometers in diameter.
Such a size certainly sounds small, but throughout a day, the volcano pumps out approximately 80g of gold specks, which is worth roughly $6,000. The gold is carried by the gas out of the lava lake and to the surface. Once there, the gold crystallizes. The particles then travel through the air. Notably, gold dust has been detected over 620 miles from the volcano.
Thousands of Dollars Worth of Gold Dust Gets Sent Into the Air Each Day by Volcano
Mount Erebus is a very calm volcano, as far as things go. According to Philip Kyle, from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the gold is only able to form in the calm eruption. In volcanoes with more erratic eruptions, like those often seen on social media, the environment is such that gold cannot form. The violent, and unpredictable nature of those eruptions make such a phenomenon impossible.
Mount Erebus is really a very unique structure. It stands at 12,448 feet tall, and has spewed 'volcanic bombs,' of partially molten rock in the past. Such is rare, but it has happened. Moreover, the molten lake, which remains scorching hot within the otherwise frozen volcano, is a rarity as well.
Perhaps one of these days, an effective strategy for harvesting the gold dust will come to fruition, and folks will quickly become quite wealthy as a result.
