Huge volcano in Antarctica spews gold into the air: what's wrong with it
Deep in the ice of Antarctica, where the eternal winter reigns, many interesting phenomena are taking place. One of them is associated with one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, Erebus.
It turned out that in addition to ash and gas, Erebus emits a significant amount of gold into the atmosphere. IFLScience has more details about this.
Despite the incredibly low temperatures, volcanic activity also persists in Antarctica. In the west of the continent alone, scientists have discovered 138 volcanoes, of which about 8-9 remain active.
Recent studies of ice cores have even revealed that in the distant past, during the last ice age, the continent was even destroyed by giant volcanic eruptions.
One of the most popular volcanoes in Antarctica is Mount Erebus. It is the most active on the planet, and its maximum height is 3794 meters.
Satellite image of Mount Erebus.
Source: nasa.gov
In the photo you can see a satellite image of this geological giant breaking through the clouds.
Lava Lake Erebusu has been boiling since at least 1972. The volcano regularly spews columns of gas and steam. And during past eruptions, it has been recorded that it has also ejected boulders of partially molten rock, known as "volcanic bombs."
The most surprising fact about Erebus, however, is that scientists have discovered that the gas erupting from the volcano is filled with tiny particles of gold.
Erebus volcano in Antarctica.
Source: google.com
Each of them is no more than 20 micrometers in size, but in total, the mountain spews out approximately 80 grams of the precious metal, which is worth about $6,000 per day.
In addition, gold dust is scattered for hundreds of kilometers around the volcano. Antarctic researchers have found traces of the precious metal in the surrounding air at a distance of 1000 kilometers from Erebus.
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