Active volcano in Antarctica spewing $6,000 worth of gold dust every day
- An active volcano in Antarctica spews gold constantly
- Scientists have estimated it released $6,000 in gold dust daily
- The flecks have been found some 600 miles away
Published on Apr 26, 2024 at 7:32 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Apr 30, 2024 at 6:00 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
While money doesn’t grow on trees, it seems gold does spew from an active volcano in Antarctica.
Yes, you are reading that right – one of Earth’s most active volcanoes spews $6,000 in gold dust on the daily.
Mount Erebus is located in Antarctica – it was discovered by Sir James Clark Ross in January of 1841 and named after one of his ships.
And one fact about it will get you in the flow.
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The active volcano releases specks of crystallized gold among the usual gas, steam, and rock you’d expect.
These are spewed into the Antarctic air daily – and some of the tiny glittering flecks get further than you might think.
In fact, some of its luxurious alternative lava was found over 966km (600m) away from Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth.
Aside from spitting gold, Mount Erebus is notable for being the highest active volcano in Antarctica out of 138, with a summit reaching 3794.1504m (12,448 ft).
Per stats from 2017, nine of them are reportedly active.
Mount Erebus is one of three volcanoes forming Ross Island and providing heat amid the frozen landscape.
And it’s a beautiful vista that is part of the inspiration behind this 262-foot concept yacht that was inspired by an active volcano.
“Erebus…has been continuously erupting since at least 1972,” Conor Bacon of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York, said in an interview with Live Science.
Scientists still study the glittering peak via the Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory and also hunt for extreme forms of life.
Satellite surveillance has recovered a lake of lava that’s been bubbling since 1972, per IFL Science.
And, as well as the Au, it also spews partially molten rock aka ‘volcanic bombs’, gas, and steam.
Some of the things the Koenigsegg Gemera runs on – fuel from a volcano.
Scientists have calculated that the volcano spews around 80 grams of gold a day, equivalent to around $6,000 per day.
In other volcano news, a futuristic $10 billion driverless city is being built near an active Japanese volcano – and it’s almost ready for residents to move in.
Some of the images in this article were created using AI.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
