As many other chemistry elements, the gold appeared in nature due to a nuclear fusion. When the solar system was formed, 15 billion years ago, kernels of the atoms hydrogen and helium, the simplest elements, have combined in the highest temperatures, originating complex elements like gold. In planet heart the gold appeared in the form of atoms that were hosted by structures of other minerals. But the amount is very small. To give an idea: at the planet’s surface, only 5 in each billion of atoms are gold. Gold deposits appeared millions of years ago due to geological processes which modified heart’s surface. As result, nowadays we can find and extract gold from subterranean mines (up to 1,5km depth), very near the surface (50m) or even from a river. When a rock containing gold is found, it must go through a special chemical treatment so it’s possible to separate gold from the other elements.
In order to find new gold deposits, geologists need several sorts of information: satellite images, geological cracks, the presence of certain minerals and rocks which may indicate the presence of a deposit. Then is necessary to collect geographical information of the region, rocks, soil and sediments samples which may contain the metal.
