Study: Earthquakes may have caused the formation of gold nuggets

However, the mechanism by which these golden nuggets are formed has remained a mystery to the scientific community to this day.

Hydrothermal fluids responsible for carrying gold through the Earth's crust typically have very low concentrations of the metal (~1 ppm), while the local concentration of gold in quartz can exceed 50%, sometimes producing blocks weighing hundreds of kilograms; this represents a long-unsolved paradox for scientists.

According to Monash University geologist Dr Chris Voysey, lead author of the study, the standard explanation is that when hot, water-rich fluids cool or undergo chemical changes, the gold separates and becomes trapped in quartz veins.

“While this theory is widely accepted, it does not fully explain the formation of large gold masses, especially given that the concentration of gold in these fluids is very low,” he said.

Instead, Dr. Voysey and his colleagues wanted to test a new theory: The cyclical nature of earthquakes may play a role in the accumulation of gold within quartz orogenic veins. This is possible through a mechanism called piezoelectricity — the ability of some solid materials, such as quartz crystals, to generate an electric charge when subjected to pressure, as happens during an earthquake.

To test this hypothesis, Dr. Voisy and his team simulated earthquake conditions in the laboratory and discovered that pressure on quartz could generate enough voltage to electrochemically deposit gold on its surface.

Quartz is the only common mineral on Earth that forms crystals that lack a center of symmetry. The study shows that the eccentric nature of quartz, when deformed under stress, produces an electrical voltage across the crystal that is directly proportional to the mechanical force applied.

“The results were astonishing,” study co-author Professor Andy Tomkins, also of Monash University, said in a statement.

“The stressed quartz not only electrochemically deposited gold on its surface, but also formed and accumulated gold nanoparticles. Remarkably, the gold had a tendency to deposit on existing gold grains rather than forming new ones,” he added.

As the study points out, gold is a conductor while quartz is an insulator, and once some gold is deposited, it becomes a focal point for further growth, effectively “coating” the gold grains with more gold.

“Our discovery provides a plausible explanation for the formation of large gold nuggets in quartz veins,” said Dr. Voisy, who likens quartz to a natural battery and gold to an electrode that slowly accumulates with each earthquake.

This new understanding of gold mass formation not only sheds light on a long-standing geological mystery, but also highlights the interrelationship between Earth's physical and chemical processes, the authors say.

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