This active volcano in Antarctica is spewing real gold dust
FILE-Image of Mount Erebus Volcano, Ross Island, Antarctica. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)
Antarctica, which is home to hundreds of active volcanoes, has one on the continent that spews real gold dust with a monetary value.
Mount Erebus, one of the most intense and southernmost active volcanoes on Earth, is estimated to release roughly 80 grams of gold daily, worth about $6,000, according to IFL Science.
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Scientists discovered that its gusts of gas are loaded with tiny crystals of metallic gold.
Gold dust from Mount Erebus can travel far and wide with researchers finding traces of gold in the air up to 621 miles from the volcano.
The volcano sits above a thin slice of crust, allowing molten rock to easily rise from Earth’s interior.
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According to NASA, it regularly emits plumes of gas and steam and sometimes expels rock (bombs) in strombolian eruptions.
Mount Erebus overlooks the McMurdo research station on Ross Island and has a lava lake in the summit crater that’s remained active since 1972.
Because the volcano is in a remote location, researchers monitor it using satellites, the Smithsonian Institute.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C.