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One of the most precious metals in the world is gold, which is scattered across various places on Earth. Some countries, like the US, have the largest gold reserves globally.
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While we know that gold has to be mined and processed for its modern-day uses, did the yellow metal actually originate from the Earth’s core? Let’s find out.
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A moon-sized object collided with the Earth billions of years ago, according to Yale University and the Southwest Research Institute.
Images: NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook
The object contained gold and platinum elements, which got embedded in the Earth due to the collision.
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Furthermore, a study by the University of Bristol suggests that nearly 200 million years after the Earth was formed, multiple meteorite collisions brought gold to the Earth.
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Another theory suggests that when two neutron stars—or a neutron star and a black hole—merge, causing a kilonova explosion, elements like gold are scattered across space.
Images: NASA/CI lab
In 2017, scientists observed kilonova GW170817 through gravitational waves and light, confirming that neutron star collisions create heavy elements like gold.
Images: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss
NASA believes that these heavy elements, traveling at high speed due to powerful cosmic explosions, eventually became a part of the Earth’s core.
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While a lot of precious metals are locked within Earth’s core beyond our reach, a huge amount of gold is believed to be present in space as well.
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Asteroid 16 Psyche is believed to hold massive amounts of gold and other precious metals, even exceeding Earth’s entire economy in value.
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One of the most precious metals in the world is gold, which is scattered across various places on Earth. Some countries, like the US, have the largest gold reserves globally.
Images: Shutterstock
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