Your knees could be covered in gold underground
Our planet's core holds way more gold than we ever thought possible
eighteen inches deep
Take a position: what's actually doing the work here?
One of these is closer than the rest. Commit before you find out.
- Our planet's core holds way more gold than we ever thought possible
- This means the gold we mine today shouldn't actually be here.
- While we know the gold is there, we have no way to get it.
If you could teleport to the center of the Earth and bring all the gold back to the surface, every person on the planet could be a billionaire. There is enough gold locked inside Earth's core to cover the entire land surface of the globe in a shimmering layer 1.5 feet thick.
The gold is there because of a planetary sinking spell. When the Earth was a molten ball of fire, heavy metals like iron and nickel sank toward the center. Gold, which is chemically attracted to iron, hitched a ride and settled 1,800 miles below our feet.
This means the gold we mine today shouldn't actually be here. The surface should be completely stripped of precious metals. The rings on your fingers only exist because of a massive meteorite bombardment that happened about 200 million years after the Earth formed, essentially re-seeding the crust with a fresh delivery of space gold.
Two questions. Prove you actually read it.
Get both right and this discovery is certified: +50 XP toward your next rank. No account needed.
100 questions that make people say “wait, what?”
Get the complete Ultimate Trivia Pack instantly. It is free right now, works on mobile, and is printable.
Discussion (0)
No account needed. Drop your name, say what surprised you.
Loading…