Scientists strike gold in gum trees
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Australian researchers have found tiny particles of gold hidden inside the leaves of gum trees, in a discovery they say could help prospectors discover new deposits of the precious metal.
Scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization made the find in the resource-rich Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia, which was the site of a major gold rush in the late 1800s.
Geochemist Mel Lintern said it appeared the trees sucked up the gold particles from 30 meters below the ground through their roots.
“The eucalypt acts as a hydraulic pump — its roots extend tens of meters into the ground and draw up water containing the gold,” he said. “As the gold is likely to be toxic to the plant, it’s moved to the leaves and branches where it can be released or shed to the ground.”
The CSIRO said the leaf particles themselves would not trigger a new gold rush as they measure just a fifth the width of a human hair and are visible only through advanced X-ray imaging.
But scientists could use a technique known as “biogeochemical sampling” to give an indication of the presence of gold beneath the surface.
“By sampling and analyzing vegetation for traces of minerals, we may get an idea of what’s happening below the surface without the need to drill,” Lintern said. “It’s a more targeted way of searching for minerals that reduces costs and impact on the environment.”
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