Rare volcano spits out real gold

An active volcano in Antarctica not only erupts material like other volcanoes, but also spews gold dust into the atmosphere every day, according to IFL Science.

Rare volcano spits out real gold Picture 1 Rare volcano spits out real gold Picture 1

Erebus is an active volcano in Antarctica, located on the east coast of Ross Island and 3,794 m above sea level.

Scientists discovered that the gas emitted by the volcano every day contains about 80 grams of crystallized gold - all crystals smaller than 20 micrometers - and is worth about 6,000 USD, according to science site IFL Science .

The presence of this expensive dust was recorded nearly 1,000 km away from the volcano.

However, the US Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA said gold dust is just one of many things spewed from Erebus because it regularly releases gas and steam, and sometimes even rocks.

Through this, British volcanologist Tamsin Mather explained to Metro that the magma (molten rock) of Mount Erebus has 'unusual chemical reactions'.

'Erebus is one of the few volcanoes that has a continuously active lava lake inside the crater and spews gas 24/7. The gases it spews contain small particles of metals, including gold, not just gold. Each volcano has different chemical properties/reactions. A few volcanoes outside Erebus also spew gold (dust),' she shared.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Conor Bacon of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia University, New York) told Live Science: 'These things are actually quite rare, because it requires some very specific conditions to ensuring the volcano's surface never freezes."

In the context of Antarctica being geographically isolated and lacking monitoring tools, scientists are still trying to study the shape of volcanoes here and the events that can activate dormant volcanoes. ".