Leaves of these trees

Money doesn’t grow on trees, or at least that’s what our parents thought, according to research conducted in Australia. Gold found growing on eucalyptus leavesYes, you read it like this, I pray on trees.

According to a group of researchers who They published their study. In the magazine Nature CommunicationsGold particles have been discovered in tree leaves, an indicator that allows this. Determine the presence of buried mineral deposits nearby.

These findings are the result of analyses conducted in 2013 by a group led by Melvin Lintern, of Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. They studied eucalyptus trees in the laboratory and in their natural environment, and their evidence was intended to suggest that A new way to identify gold deposits Buried in hard-to-reach places without the need for invasive excavations in the ground.

Extracting gold from trees

The identification process was carried out as follows: First, eucalyptus trees found in the Fredo gold deposit, in Western Australia, were analysed. An area with higher than average concentrations of gold.This was not affected by mining.

Fanous and his team They collected the leaves that grew on the site. And increasingly from remote locations. Samples were extracted and studied for gold particles, which were generally low, but concentrations increased in leaves of trees near the site.

To find the particles, the research team used CSIRO’s Maia detector, which allowed them to obtain X-ray images at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, and Ultra-small particle analysis In high resolution.

The particles found were about one-fifth the thickness of a human hair, and according to Dr. Lintern’s estimates, the amount of gold extracted by the plants was so small that even with 500 trees on the gold deposits barely Enough material will be produced for a wedding ring.

According to the researcher, this phenomenon occurs because the eucalyptus tree acts as a… hydraulic pump Its roots extend to approximately 35 metres underground. From where they extract the water that contains gold.

However, this process has a drawback, since Gold is potentially toxic to plants.This substance is transferred to the leaves and branches where it can be released or fall to the ground.

Benefits of Discovery

At the moment, although this system is not capable of starting a new gold rush, it could serve as a new opportunity for mining exploration. The leaves or soil underneath could help. Discovery of mineral deposits buried tens of meters undergroundIn sediments up to 60 million years old.

That’s not all, Dr. Lintern also points out that the blades can be used with other tools to achieve this. Developing more profitable and respected exploration techniques With the environment.