The world's southernmost volcano spews gold dust. How much gold is worth each day?

An active volcano in Antarctica not only spews ash like other volcanoes, but also spews gold dust. Scientists have calculated the total amount of gold that this volcano releases into the air every day.

There is a saying that Antarctica is the land of ice and fire, which is not wrong. This place is very cold, covered with ice with very low temperatures, but there are also many volcanoes with hot lava 'lakes' inside. A 2017 study found 138 volcanoes in the western region of Antarctica alone.

However, in modern history, there are only 3 active volcanoes here , one of the most intense volcanoes is Erebus volcano . This is the highest active volcano in Antarctica (3,794 meters), also the farthest active volcano south of the Earth.

Erebus also has another strange feature: Scientists discovered that the gases it spewed were full of very small gold crystals, under 20 micrometers. They estimate that every day, this volcano spews a total of about 80 grams of gold , worth about 6,500 US dollars (more than 160 million VND), according to science site IFL Science .

Erebus volcano. (Photo: polarman/ Shutterstock).

Why does Mount Erebus spew gold dust?

British volcanologist Tamsin Mather explained to Metro that the magma (molten rock) of Mount Erebus has 'unusual chemical reactions'.

Ms Mather said: 'Erebus is one of the few volcanoes that has a continuously active lava lake inside the crater and it spews gas 24/7. In the gases it spews are small particles of many metals, including gold, not just gold… Each volcano has slightly different chemical properties/reactions and there are a few Fires other than Erebus also spit out gold (dust).

Satellite image of Erebus volcano. (Photo: Planet Observer/ UIG/ REX/ Shutterstock).

But the golden dust that Mount Erebus spewed flew far away . Antarctic researchers have discovered gold in the air around the volcano, up to 1,000km from the mountain. Because the gold dust is so small and flies over such a wide area, no one can collect it (even if they are allowed).