Certain bacteria produce tiny gold nuggets by digesting toxic metals

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I am sceptical. Sorry doesn't make sense, or even sound possible really.
Like how do they fuse the gold together, regardless of size? Hmmmmm
But hey, I don't have a big shiny microscope or lab coat. Nor do I own a big gold mine.

Will be interesting to see how this 'pans' out. :D
 
I got told that it was a form of life that used gold as a globin to oxygenate their bodies, similar to plant life that uses manganese, squid and octopus that use copper, and us that use iron. These little creatures are colonial in nature, similar to ants, and when they die, the rest of 'em remove their bodies and place them in cavities or porosities in the soil or rock near to the colony.

Their exoskeleton decomposes, only leaving traces of gold molecules which build up over time and frequency...

Ion Idriess wrote a short story about something similar that created nuggets of tin out of a particular rock, which he encouraged by feeding these insects with - making for himself the ideal situation. Anyway, one night he got on the rum to celebrate his cushy situation and decided to give his little workers a drink...of the demon rum...

Needless to say, It didn't turn out well.
 
Gold clumps together as nuggets because of mass concentrations through epithermal venting.
Gold gets smaller and released because its host gets broken down and weathered.

Very simple and well explained process that makes sense.

Nano bugs making nuggets sounds great. FOR A KIDS BOOK
And for a mine that needs a lot of financial investment for the next 15 years.

If it doesn't male sense, then it probably isn't sensible.

Very creative ideas though. Good to see that there was rum involved. That makes it all legit. :D
 
LC76 said:
A quick Google search will lead you to discover that it's not a new theory and has been proven.
For example https://blog.nationalgeographic.org...discover-how-bacteria-changes-ions-into-gold/

But keep reading your kids books Hayyouinau they're still educational ;)

Oh, that is right. Because its on the internet or someone published it means it is fact now, not theory.
And WHAT exactly has been PROVEN as you stated? That bacteria is what has formed our gold nuggets. :D :D

Well make sure you bury your nuggets now and don't forget to water them heaps day and night.

Let us know how you go.

Sensationalised science seems to be all that is. Maybe you should do more research yourself on the matter. And yes the idea has been around for a while.
But its not what is made out to be. Far from it. And no one has proven that bacteria is what makes our nuggets grow.

Good discussion, but please don't say this has been proven. And what has been proven is not what the original post is talking about. Or this John fella and his nugget growing pond. :D :D Which by the way is just nonsense.
 
Gold nuggets may form in-situ as well due to precipitation of gold in solution in ground water into or onto certain mineral types. The more you think about it the more sense it makes. :Y:

http://www.pmav.org.au/stories-a-reports/triangle-gold

It was actually proven quite a number of years ago that bacteria can deposit gold. Who'd have thunk that humans would have so much iron in our blood? It's really not that hard to understand or believe.
 
Then I read some where that this may be attributed to Gold Nuggets
precipitating out of the matrix in the Salt flats in WA.
I also think it was mentioned in The Gold Prospectors Australia series
some where.
It is an interesting topic. :Y:
 
The article and what bacteria does with dissolved gold is in the ION level. And they are just eating and excreting whatever is in the water anyways. In it goes, dissolved gold, and out it goes, dissolved gold. At ION level. There aren't even any photos of this PROVEN gold. Because its a theory and the its too small to even see.

Well I have read a lot of scientist who are upset with this sensationalising of something and turning it into something it isn't. For headlines.

I will have to research about Gold nuggets forming in-situ as you said HEATHO.
The more I think about it, the less it makes sense. But I am no no no geologist or scientist. I just read my kids books.
I don't think it would form gold nuggets. How would gold precipitate out of solution into nuggets without extreme heat? Even if the right minerals are around to precipate the dissolved gold out, which in itself would have to be high concentrates, I don't see a gold nugget forming any other way than through epithermal venting. Which is the way geologists have explained it.

There is a good video about it, I will post it up. It is from an Australian Geologist or something.
 
I hope this doesn't end up in a s@#t fight. O:) ... There are sooo many theories about this and things that Heatho has said as well... One day We may learn the Facts about this Gold forming Bacteria... And How we can extract all the Gold held in Sea water and Beach Sands Too... Till then, I don't think we should get too excited about it... :lol:

LW...
 
Heatho said:
Gold can be extracted from gold ions in sea water as well, though the costs are extremely prohibitive due to the time and energy needed. It's all very interesting science.

We are talking over time scales of many millions of years. We are also talking supergene mineral deposits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saprolite

Yeah I have seen an article about that. And it was a very costly exercise. There is even AU in our hair too.

All very interesting. Regardless, I like it when its in the form of 'mine'. lol
 
Gold aggregates because of ionic attraction...surely.

And who determines what hypothesis becomes theory, and who pontificates on what theory becomes fact - I reckon we should consider how factual a few of the 19th century ideas were in the natural world, and how ridiculous they sound now before we come to any conclusions - eh...

Besides, isn't the submolecular world a whole new code of football - which we really don't have a clue about - when it comes to the Universe?
 
Gold Chloride already contains gold...so not really sure what the big deal is.

So it is NOT creating gold at all. The gold is ALREADY there.
 

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