Unbelievable facts
Australian scientists have discovered gold on the surface of eucalyptus leaves. They found that microscopic gold particles are absorbed from underground ore deposits.
The roots of a eucalyptus tree can go more than 40 meters deep in search of water.
Geochemists from the Department of Earth Science and Resource Engineering at the CSIRO Science Agency in Australia found that trees grown on gold deposits have a concentration of gold particles on the surface There were 40 times more leaves than trees that grew on normal soil.
Eucalyptus leaves and gold
Scientists compared the leaves of eucalyptus trees in gold mining sites in Western Australia with the leaves of trees 800 meters away. They also grew eucalyptus trees in greenhouses with soil injected with gold particles and using ordinary soil.
It was found that tree leaves selectively preserved microscopic gold particles, the average size of which was about 8 micrometers (1 micrometer equals one millionth of a meter). The researchers believe that the particles came from the ground through the root system of trees.
“Gold is possibly toxic to plants and travels to edges (leaves) or specific areas within cells to reduce the harmful chemical reaction,” explained study author Melvin Lintern (Melvyn Lintern).
Where does gold on Earth come from?
This does not mean that it will now be possible to fill your wallet with eucalyptus leaves. The average concentration of gold in the leaves was only 46 particles per billion, less than 0.000005 per cent of the weight of each leaf.
However, for novice gold miners, eucalyptus trees can suggest gold deposits, especially smaller ones, which may go unnoticed during large-scale drilling.
Gold mining
Gold has long been associated with wealth and power. The Egyptians considered bright yellow metal to be divine and indestructible, and personified it with the Sun.
In the periodic table, gold is represented by the symbol Au (from the Latin “aurum” — “shining dawn”).
Throughout history, about 161,000 tons of gold have been mined. That would barely fill two Olympic swimming pools. More than half of this has been mined in the past 50 years.
How to clean gold at home?
Gold mining leaders:
China – 370 tons
Australia — 250 tons
USA — 230 tons
Russia — 205 tons
South Africa -170 tons
Peru — 165 tons
Canada — 102 tons
Indonesia — 95 tons
Uzbekistan – 90 tons
Ghana — 89 tons