Mount Erebus: Volcano that showers gold dust

What do you perceive when you imagine a volcano? Lava, smoke, gas and volcanic bombs, but what if someone tells you a volcano is emitting gold? Hard to believe right, but this is actually the case with Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth, located in Antarctica, which is spewing out around 80 gms of gold worth $6000 (Rs 5 lakh) daily from underneath, as revealed by NASA.

According to the reports, the 12,448-foot tall volcano is spewing out micro crystals of gold as tiny as 20 micrometres, borne in volcanic gas, to as far as 600 miles away. While Antarctica has a total of 138 volcanoes, both active and dormant, Mount Erebus is unique, as it is the tallest and most active volcano in Antarctica.

Scientists clarify the reasons

Scientists connect this gold shower to molten rock rising from deep within the Earth’s interior, carrying gold particles that crystallise in the subzero temperatures of Antarctica. They claimed many volcanoes emit gold in liquid or gas form while Mount Erebus releases it in the form of solid gold dust.

GeologyHub reports that the volcano produces 64 pounds of gold in a year, which can be valued at around $2 million. However, its extraction is not possible because of the unpredictable volcanic eruption.

The continuous volatility and volcanic activities make Mount Erebus a study of interest. The volcano also has an active lava lake in its summit crater since 1972. It is situated near the McMurdo research centre in Ross Island, and the monitoring and study of Erebus are carried out through satellites because of its remote locality and extreme weather conditions.

Mount Erebus disaster

This violent volcano has been continuously volatile while seen erupting when Captain Sir James Clark Ross first came calling their way back in 1841. Mount Erebus made the headline during the 1979 Air New Zealand plane crash, the accident that was blamed on ‘whiteout’, an optical illusion that made it impossible for the pilot to spot the volcano, slaying 257 lives. The horrific incident is referred to as the Mount Erebus disaster.

You might also be interested in – Mount Everest’s growth is speeding up, Ancient ‘river capture’ may be the reason