Gold ions in the ground? Interesting research...
In recent decades scientists have been studying strange micro-organisms that move gold and other metals through the soil. These microscopic bacteria and fungi can convert dissolved gold into solid gold, and visa versa. There are several mines where gold nuggets were found to have been manufactured by microbes that converted gold ions dissolved in the soil into metallic gold, precipitated on the face of a growing nugget.
Does this sound hard to believe? If it is true, it means there are gold ions in the soil, and not just a few unmeasurable ions, but enough to make nuggets from.
According to geomicrobiologist Frank Reith, "...the precipitation of gold by micro-organisms, and thus in the biomineralisation of gold, which as recent evidence suggests has led to the formation of some of the world largest gold deposits."
But in addition to micro-organisms precipitating metallic gold, there are microbes that ionize and dissolve gold:
"In soils with high contents of organic matter heterotrophic bacteria and fungi appear to dominate the gold dissolution by excreting amino acids, low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs), cyanide or organic sulfur compounds. These molecules were shown to have the ability to dissolve native gold and act as complexing agents for the resulting gold ions."
Wet soil samples were incubated with these microbes, then gold pellets were added to the soil. After 20-30 days of incubation, up to 3 ppm of gold was found in solution, compared to none measurable in the sterilized soil samples with gold pellets.
Now, how do atoms from a gold pellet get into solution? They have to become ionized first! Thus it cannot be true that buried gold does not form ions. We are talking about small amounts (3ppm), But this is the amount measured in some small sample test areas after a month in the ground. The investigations into mine sites from the real world show that this process can happen on a much larger scale, creating nuggets that are very pure where microbes precipitated the gold (98% and better).
Not all gold nuggets are created by microbes. Many are formed with cooling molten rock masses. The gold formed by microbes is derived from these primary gold sources in the ground. But it has been discovered that there are many nuggets which have a rich outer gold shell, and a lower purity gold in the center. In some cases these were nuggets formed by molten gold cooling, then later, microbes deposited a layer of higher purity gold on the top surfaces.
Because it takes some time for these microbes to ionize buried gold metal and put it in solution with the surrounding soil, it tells us that long time buried gold is different than fresh gold that was recently put in the ground. In addition, there are microbes that will attack the other metals alloyed with gold like silver, copper, platinum, etc. According to these studies, some soil is richer in these gold-eating microbes than other soil, so we can expect some soils to show a greater difference between fresh gold and long time buried gold.
In the case of the other microbes that convert the ions back into gold metal, we will find gold nuggets that have ions around them being converted into metallic gold to precipitate and grow the nugget. These new gold nuggets may have similar halo properties as gold that is decomposing.
Check here to read this article:
http://crcleme.org.au/NewsEvents/New...USIMMReith.pdf
Here are more web pages with information about gold microbes:
Microbes manufacture gold nuggets:
http://www.geotimes.org/sept06/NN_Microbes.html
Electron micrographs of microbes moving gold associated with Au(III) reduction:
http://aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/67/7/3275.pdf
Microbes convert dissolved gold into solid metallic gold:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...0_goldbug.html
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1032376.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0802103513.htm
Report says scientists have ascertained the microbe’s process converts approximately 1% of exposed gold per year.
http://sandersresearch.com/index.php...171&Itemid=102
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev32_3/amazing.htm
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/20...15_283189.html
You will find thousands more reports on microbes that eat gold and other metals if you google for "gold microbe":
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...be&btnG=Search
So what do you think? Do these microbes help to locate long time buried gold and other non-ferrous metals?
Is this a good case for "the halo effect" on long-time buried gold and coins?
