An international group of geologists, including researchers from the University of Michigan, came close to unraveling the mystery of the formation of gold deposits on Earth.
According to a new theory, sulfur plays a key role in this process. It is known that gold is one of the rarest metals on our planet. However, most of it is concentrated in the depths of the Earth, in the mantle. For a long time, scientists have wondered how this precious metal migrates from the depths to the surface and concentrates in deposits accessible to exploitation.
New research has shown that at the high temperatures and pressures characteristic of subduction zones (regions where one tectonic plate slides under another), sulfur forms special compounds with gold. These compounds make the gold more mobile and facilitate its migration into the magma, which then rises to the surface and cools, forming gold veins.
“Our results help to better understand why gold-rich deposits form in some subduction zones,” said Adam Simon, a professor of Earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan.
This discovery is of major importance to the mining industry. Understanding the mechanisms of formation of gold deposits will help geologists more precisely identify promising areas for exploration and increase the efficiency of gold mining.
