A volcano in Antarctica is spewing gold crystals worth Rs 5 lakh every day

Mt Erebus is located on Antarctica's Ross Island (Image credit: NASA Earth)

It’s raining gold in Antarctica. According to a recent report in IFL Science, Mount Erebus, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, spews around 80 grams of gold into the frigid air of Antarctica daily. This amounts to $6,000 worth of gold being blown into the atmosphere every day, say experts.

About Erebus

A 2017 study found that Antarctica is home to 138 volcanoes, with only eight to nine of them being classified as active. Of these, Mount Erebus is the most well-known. It is believed that the volcano was erupting when Captain Sir James Clark Ross first discovered it in 1841.

Erebus, so named after the dark region of Hades in Greek mythology, is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It is located on Ross Island and stands 12,448 feet tall. In the freezing temperatures of Antarctica, this active volcano provides a rare bit of warmth.

Besides the fact that it spits out gold dust, another remarkable feature of the volcano is the lava lake within its summit crater. The lava lake is visible as a reddish tinge in satellite photos. Mt Erebus is one among only a handful of volcanos globally that have such a lava lake.

Gold on the mountain

The volcano doesn’t just spew out tiny crystals of gold – it also ejects gas and steam. In the past, it has also been known to pump out partially molten rocks known as “volcanic bombs.”

“The volcano sits above a thin slice of crust, so molten rock more easily rises up from Earth’s interior. It regularly emits plumes of gas and steam, and occasionally spits out rock (bombs),” says NASA.

But its most intriguing aspect, of course, is the tiny gold crystals that are ejected into the air every day. The gold crystals, no larger than 20 micrometers, collectively amount of $6,000 (Rs 5 lakh approximately) of gold being spewed into the air every day.

The gold dust travels far after being ejected – scientists have found traces of gold in ambient air up to 1,000 kilometers from the volcano, according to IFL Science.