Does gold come from outer space?

[jakeXT]

The idea that gold came from outer space sounds like science fiction, but it has become well-established - it's pretty much received opinion in the field of earth sciences. How did this bizarre theory take hold, and is it here to stay?

For the chieftains of pre-Columbian America, the dazzling yellow stuff they found glinting at the bottom of streams or buried in the rocky ground captured the power of the sun god. They dressed themselves in battle armour wrought from the enchanted metal, believing it would protect them.

They were sadly deceived.

Gold, an unusually soft metal, wasn't any match for the steel of the Spanish. But the Native Americans may well have been right in believing the element was otherworldly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22904141

[Xipe Totec]

1. All heavy elements come from outer space

Created in the forge of supernovae.

[jakeXT]

2. I remember hearing years ago that a supernova was not enough

For many years, scientists had theorized that the heavy elements of the periodic table, such as gold, platinum, lead and uranium, had their origin in supernova explosions. But an astronomical observation in June has produced evidence that such metals come from something even more exotic: the collisions of ultra-dense objects called neutron stars.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-07-17/national/40627392_1_neutron-supernova-binary-stars

[Xipe Totec]

3. You are technically correct...

The best kind of correct.

[Nitram]

7. That's a bit misleading, Xipe...

...because this theory posits that gold in the earth's crust came to earth in meteorites after the earth had formed. But there was also gold that originated from supernovae present in the earth when it first formed and cooled. I think the original article would interpret "come from outer space" to refer to meteorites and comets that brought material to the earth after the earth had formed.

[Xipe Totec]

12. Perhaps, but no more so than the title of the article

What the title should say is that gold in the Earth's crust arrived recently.

But that would be boring.

Instead, they claim that gold comes from outer space, implying that there was no gold when the Earth formed.

[sakabatou]

13. Yup

[LuvNewcastle]

4. Gold is the Sun's tears and silver is the tears of the Moon.

Everybody knows that.

[Art_from_Ark]

14. And men are from Mars,

women are from Venus

[Victor_c3]

5. Interesting read

I'm a chemist (actually more of an overpaid lab technician) and I work exclusively with precious metals. I love anything that relates to the history of gold and whatnot.

[darkangel218]

6. Okay, i have a question

Since diamonds are allotropes of carbon, are they still considered metals?

And how old do you think the average ( found in regular jewelry store) diamond is? They say diamonds are millions of years old. But is that valid for all diamonds?

Thanks

[Nitram]

8. Neither carbon nor diamonds

are metals.

[jakeXT]

9. only in astronomy (lol)

[darkangel218]

11. I know carbon is not a metal.

Just wondering why diamond are considered "metals"

[Victor_c3]

10. I can't really tell you much about diamonds

As was mentioned below, diamonds are carbon and aren't considered metals.

All of the precious metal I work with ends up being sold and distributed as bullion and collector coin products. Jewelry isn't something that is produced where I work.