How Gold Reaches Earth’s Surface

A University of Michigan-led research team has modeled a new process explaining how gold deposits form. The study reveals that a specific sulfur ion, under high pressure and temperature deep within the Earth, bonds with gold, creating a mobile complex that rises to the surface via magma in subduction zones. This complex, a gold-trisulfur compound, is key to transporting gold from the mantle. The findings improve understanding of gold deposit formation, particularly in volcanically active regions along the Pacific Ring of Fire. This research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers a robust thermodynamic model confirmed through laboratory experiments. The model's implications are significant for gold exploration.