Where Does Gold Come From? | Earth Science

Summary

The script explores the journey of gold from the Earth's crust to its concentration in streams, highlighting the natural processes that make it accessible to modern prospectors. It details how water, through erosion and sedimentation, has historically sorted and deposited gold, making it a renewable resource. The narrative also touches on the recycling of gold atoms from ancient civilizations to modern jewelry, emphasizing the enduring allure of gold's spectacular color.

Takeaways

• 🌏 Gold is incredibly rare, with only one gram for every thousand tons of the Earth's crust.
• 💧 The process of concentrating gold particles is naturally done by water, as demonstrated in the streams around Jamestown.
• 🔍 Prospectors like Jamestown's rent shock use the properties of water to find gold, mimicking the planetary processes.
• 🌀 Water creates low pressure areas in streams, which help in trapping gold particles behind ridges.
• 👀 Gold prospecting involves looking for the color of gold without touching it, indicating a sophisticated understanding of the natural processes.
• 🏞️ Streams are constantly eroding and depositing, making gold a somewhat renewable resource in these areas.
• 🔬 The script suggests that the stream can replicate natural processes that concentrate gold, making it accessible for humans.
• 🌊 Over millions of years, water has played a crucial role in picking up, transporting, sorting, and concentrating gold.
• 🌌 Gold atoms have a cosmic origin, having traveled from a distant star and impacting the Earth, leaving a golden signature on the landscape.
• 💍 The gold cycle continues as atoms from ancient jewelry become part of modern items like wedding rings or gold bullion.
• ✨ The color and allure of gold remain constant throughout its journey, making it a continuous object of human fascination and value.

Q & A

Why is gold found in such small quantities in the Earth's crust?

Gold is found in small quantities in the Earth's crust because it is a dense and heavy element that tends to sink into the Earth's mantle, making it rare at the surface.

What method does the prospector in Jamestown use to find gold?

The prospector in Jamestown uses the properties of water to concentrate gold particles, similar to the natural processes that have occurred over geological time.

How does the process of erosion help in concentrating gold?

Erosion helps in concentrating gold by constantly eroding, rising, and settling, which can cause gold particles to be deposited on bedrock, making it easier to find.

What is a 'riffle' and how does it relate to gold prospecting?

A 'riffle' is a part of a stream where the water flow is faster, creating crevices and low-pressure areas that can trap gold particles, making it a good place to look for gold.

Why is it important to look for gold in areas where the water flow is slow or turbulent?

Slow or turbulent water flow can create crevices and pressure variations that allow gold particles to settle and be trapped, making these areas more likely to contain gold.

What does the prospector mean by 'the source' of gold?

The 'source' refers to the location where gold originates from, such as a vein in the Earth's crust, which is the ultimate target for prospectors as it can lead to larger deposits of gold.

How does the process of gold transportation and deposition by water contribute to its accessibility?

Water transportation and deposition sort and concentrate gold into areas where it is easier for humans to find and extract, making it a renewable resource in some cases.

What is the significance of the gold atoms' journey from a distant star to the Earth?

The journey of gold atoms from a distant star signifies their ancient origin, having been part of the birth of the solar system and later impacting the Earth, leaving a golden signature on the landscape.

How does the script describe the process of gold being picked up by humans from the landscape?

The script describes this process as a continuation of natural sorting by geology and water, where humans can pluck nuggets from the landscape, highlighting the ongoing cycle of gold.

What is the script's perspective on the recycling of gold from historical artifacts to modern use?

The script suggests that gold is a recyclable resource, with atoms from Egyptian jewelry or Inca trinkets potentially being part of modern wedding rings or gold bullion, illustrating the ongoing cycle of gold use.

Why is gold considered one of Earth's most alluring colors?

Gold is considered alluring due to its spectacular color, rarity, and historical significance, which has driven human fascination and obsession with it throughout history.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Gold Concentration in Nature

This paragraph discusses the rarity of gold in the Earth's crust and the natural processes that concentrate gold particles into visible deposits. It describes how water, specifically in the streams around Jamestown, is used by modern prospectors to mimic the ancient processes of gold concentration. The text explains how water's properties create low-pressure areas in streams, allowing gold to be caught behind ridges. The paragraph also touches on the idea of gold as a renewable resource due to the constant erosion and deposition by water, which can reveal new gold deposits. It concludes with a reflection on the journey of gold atoms from their stellar origins to their presence in the Earth's crust and how they have been cycled through human history.

Keywords

💡Gold

Gold is a precious metal known for its rarity, value, and distinctive yellow color. In the video, gold is the central theme, with its concentration in the Earth's crust being discussed as a result of natural processes. The script mentions how tiny particles of gold are concentrated by water in streams, which is a process that has been mimicked by humans for centuries to extract this valuable resource.

💡Concentration

Concentration refers to the process of increasing the amount of a substance in a given space. In the context of the video, it describes how gold particles are naturally concentrated by water in streams, making it easier for prospectors to find and extract. This process is vital for understanding how gold, which is rare in the Earth's crust, becomes accessible for human use.

💡Jamestown

Jamestown is likely the name of a location where the video's events take place, specifically in the context of gold prospecting. It is mentioned as the area around which streams are being used to concentrate gold particles, illustrating the natural processes that have been harnessed by humans for the extraction of this precious metal.

💡Prospector

A prospector is someone who searches for mineral deposits, particularly gold. In the video, the prospector relies on the properties of water to find gold, just as the original gold seekers did. This term is key to understanding the human aspect of the gold extraction process depicted in the video.

💡Planetary Processes

Planetary processes refer to the natural geological and hydrological activities that occur on Earth. The video script mentions these processes as the means by which gold is brought to the surface and concentrated, making it accessible for humans. This concept is crucial for understanding the natural history of gold and its availability.

💡Debt

In the script, 'debt' is used metaphorically to describe the low-pressure areas in water that help in the concentration of gold particles. It's a term that helps to illustrate the physical dynamics at play in the natural gold concentration process, which is central to the video's theme of how gold is found in nature.

💡Riffle

A riffle is a part of a stream where the water flow is faster and typically characterized by a mix of water and air. In the video, riffles are mentioned as areas where gold can be caught behind ridges, indicating their importance in the natural process of gold concentration.

💡Bedrock

Bedrock refers to the solid rock underlying looser surface materials. In the context of the video, gold is found laying on the bedrock, suggesting that it has been transported and deposited there by natural processes. This term is important for understanding where gold can be located in the natural environment.

💡Renewable Resource

A renewable resource is one that can be replenished naturally over time. The video script describes gold as almost a renewable resource in the context of how it is constantly being eroded, transported, and deposited by water, allowing for the continuous discovery of gold in streams.

💡Cycling

Cycling in the video refers to the ongoing process of gold being mined, used, and then recycled. It emphasizes the持续性 of gold's journey from geological origins to human use and back into the Earth's system, illustrating the concept of a natural cycle that includes human activity.

💡Atoms

Atoms are the basic units of matter, and the video script uses the term to describe the journey of gold from its stellar origins to its presence on Earth. The script mentions atoms from Egyptian jewelry or Inca trinkets potentially being part of modern gold items, highlighting the recycling and continuity of gold's atomic composition throughout history.

Highlights

Only one gram of gold exists for every thousand tons of the Earth's crust, highlighting the rarity of gold in nature.

Natural processes concentrate tiny gold particles into visible deposits, similar to how humans mine gold.

In Jamestown, prospectors like Rent Shock use water's properties to find gold, mimicking planetary processes.

Debt flow creates low pressure areas in water where gold can accumulate.

Gold gets caught behind ridges in streams, forming visible deposits for prospectors to find.

Looking for gold without touching the streambed is a sophisticated technique used by modern prospectors.

Streams naturally replicate the geological processes that concentrate gold deposits.

Erosion and sedimentation in streams can reveal gold deposits on bedrock, making it a renewable resource.

Prospectors look for coarser gold to trace back to the source vein, indicating where the gold originates.

Over millions of years, water has picked up, transported, sorted, and concentrated gold, making it easier for humans to find.

Gold atoms have a rich history, originating from distant stars and impacting Earth during the formation of the solar system.

Gold has been cycled through geology, water, and human civilization, from ancient Egyptian jewelry to modern wedding rings.

The spectacular color of gold remains unchanged throughout its geological and cultural journey.

The process of gold concentration by water is still ongoing, fueling humanity's ongoing fascination with gold.

Gold's journey from the cosmos to Earth's crust is a testament to the enduring allure of this precious metal.

The natural gold concentration process is a complex interplay of geological and hydrological forces.

Understanding the natural processes of gold concentration can inform modern mining techniques and environmental practices.

Transcripts

[Music]

with only one gram of gold for every

thousand tons of the Earth's crust there

had to be a way to concentrate the tiny

particles of gold into the color we see

today and across the surface of the

planet is something that can do just

that

in the streams around Jamestown

prospective rent shock relies on the

properties of water to seek his fortune

just like the original gold respire

nears

in doing so he's mimicking the planetary

processes that finally brought us gold

[Music]

debt from the side that it's just like a

little lot of hair and that creates a

low pressure in water slow gold drops

yes you've got your crevices here you've

got your little pressure areas there

with the riffle

and if it's dancing a little bit if the

goal can work its way down and they will

grab hold of flying gold so it's getting

caught just behind these ridges and then

you just look through this and look for

the color yeah we look we don't put our

fingers oh really so this looks really

simple but actually it is a very

sophisticated we've got going on here

you're the scientist the stream can

replicate naturally this sets up here

yes

constantly eroding constantly rising and

settling every time the water rises and

then starts you can come out here and

find gold laying on the bedrock almost a

renewable resource so we keep shoveling

this stuff in you want to look at the

gold is it course if it's through the

smoother it is the farthest travel then

you want to try and light your way up to

find out where the vein is where the

source is that's what everybody wants

the source of what's feeding this over

millions of years

water picked up gold transported sorted

and concentrated it and then deposited

it in a form that made it easier for us

to find it's a process that's still

happening and drives our continued

obsession with one of Earth's most

alluring colors

this spectacular color has been on quite

a journey these atoms have traveled from

a distant star in time to be there for

the birth of the solar system and then

they hit the earth in an impact it's

left the golden signature on our

landscape and even then it didn't stop

because there was sorting processes

first by geology and then by water until

humans could pluck nuggets like this

from the landscape and still it carries

on because there are atoms from Egyptian

jewelry or Inca trinkets they're almost

certainly part of modern wedding rings

or gold bullion

so the cycling carries on but this

fantastic color stays exactly the same

you