A repost from 2022. CSIRO discovered that eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia draw up gold particles from the earth via their root system and depositing it in their leaves and branches. Searching for gold-bearing gum leaves is providing a cost-effective and more environmentally-friendly approach to pinpointing gold deposits beneath the surface.
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An environmentally-friendly way of starting one of the most polluting activities known to man.
Earthworks estimates that, to produce enough raw gold to make a single ring, 20 tons of rock and soil are dislodged and discarded. Much of this waste carries with it mercury and cyanide, which are used to extract the gold from the rock. The resulting erosion clogs streams and rivers and can eventually taint marine ecosystems far downstream of the mine site. Exposing the deep earth to air and water also causes chemical reactions that produce sulfuric acid, which can leak into drainage systems. Air quality is also compromised by gold mining, which releases hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury every year.
