The 3,794-meter-high Erebus volcano in Antarctica erupts daily, spewing yellow dust and various gases.
Erebus volcano on Ross Island, Antarctica. Photo: EOS
Scientists have discovered that Erebus, the highest active volcano in Antarctica, is erupting with golden dust particles along with gas. In fact, American geologists first discovered this in 1991. Recent research has yielded consistent results with the 1991 findings. Both then and now, experts have found gold in the gas emitted from the volcano as well as in the surrounding snow, Interesting Engineering reported on April 19th.
Scientists estimate that the daily gold eruption amounts to approximately 80 grams, worth $6,000. Philip Kyle, a researcher at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, explains that this gold likely originates from volcanic rock. When lava from the 3,794-meter-high volcano erupts, hot gases carry some of the gold dust into the air. Erebus erupts gold dust measuring 0.1-20 micrometers in the gas and 60 micrometers in the surrounding snow. Erebus is one of 138 active volcanoes in Antarctica, located on Ross Island. It is one of only two active volcanoes in the region that erupt gold dust daily.
Researcher Conor Bacon at the Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York says the volcano has been erupting continuously since 1972. According to Bacon, Erebus has a lava lake in a crater at its summit. Such lava lakes are quite rare due to the specific conditions required to ensure the surface never freezes.
Bacon speculated that the Erebus volcano and the island have a limited number of permanent monitoring devices, primarily seismometers to detect seismic activity associated with the volcano. Occasionally, researchers will deploy a more extensive network of equipment to conduct surveys, but such operations often present enormous transportation challenges compared to other, more accessible volcanoes around the world .
An Khang (According to Interesting Engineering )
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