Extracting all the gold from Earth's mantle: scientists have discovered an endless gold vein.

The Earth contains significantly more gold than lead. However, it has long been a mystery how gold reaches the surface of our planet, as gold atoms tend to remain deep underground, reports Earth.com.

An international team of researchers has announced a discovery that could solve this age-old puzzle. They presented a model demonstrating how molten rock, or magma, can transport gold from the Earth's mantle to higher levels.

The Earth's mantle is characterized by extremely high pressure and heat. Gold atoms primarily remain trapped there, yet people have been mining gold at the surface for centuries.

Scientists were curious about the mechanism that might push gold atoms upward. The researchers examined processes such as partial melting and volatile liquids, but the exact cause of gold's movement remained unclear until now.

It is well-known that gold forms chemical bonds with other elements with difficulty. This is still true under typical conditions, but something unique occurs in certain high-temperature areas beneath active volcanoes.

The key discovery relates to sulfur in a specific chemical state. A newly identified complex of gold and trisulfide appears to effectively capture and transport gold.

This complex forms when sulfur-rich liquid interacts with mantle rock under pressures found approximately 50-80 km underground. It helps keep gold dissolved rather than adhering to solid mantle material.

Once the complex is formed, gold becomes more mobile in the molten regions of the Earth's interior. Subsequently, the liquid and melt can carry it upward, where it may ultimately be found closer to the surface.

Subduction zones play a significant role in this entire process, occurring when one tectonic plate slides beneath another. In these areas, water and sulfur are released from the descending plate, facilitating chemical reactions below.

The molten rock beneath volcanoes in subduction zones contains more of these dissolved components. The new model suggests that this environment is ideal for forming the gold and trisulfide complex.

"All these active volcanoes form above or in the environment of the subduction zone," said study co-author Adam Simon.

The modeling results confirmed that sulfur alters the chemical state of gold just enough to pull it from deeper regions. As the magma rises, gold-rich liquids escape to the surface, leaving the valuable metal in veins.

It is worth noting that scientists have determined how gold is formed in the universe. Seven years ago, researchers found that gold is created through the merger of neutron stars, but it now appears that not everything aligns.