Does Gold Grow on Trees?

Does Gold Grow on Trees?

Some of us still don't believe in this statement. But, it's true! 

In one perspective, this may be impossible, but this is biology. All of God's creations in nature can be explained in biology. 

In our minds, gold may not grow, especially on trees. However, in biology, it is explained that small particles of gold on tree leaves indicate ore deposits underneath. Scientists have said that trees growing on deeply buried gold ore deposits produce higher than normal concentrations of the shimmering element. 

In this case, the gold in question is the result of trees, simply trees that contain gold. the tree here is the eucalyptus tree. Australian researchers have found that microscopic gold particles from underground ore deposits are present in tree leaves. 

Scientists studying how plants transport materials over long distances find eucalyptus trees interesting for two reasons. First, eucalyptus trees are or can be very tall, they are commonly over 60 meters, and the tallest living example is 100.5 meters tall. Second, the leaves are concentrated at the top of the tree. in the eucalyptus tree's transpiration process, the leaves must supply food to all parts of the tree, including the underground root system which has a large surface, and the roots must supply water to the leaves. It could be argued that any theory of how plants transport food and water must explain how transport can occur over very long distances through the tiny channels of the transport system. For example, sugar must flow through a tube no wider than a human hair. 

Recently, Australian scientists, CSIRO, discovered that the transport process of eucalyptus trees is different from other trees, it is said that the roots of eucalyptus trees growing on rocks containing gold will only take up a small amount of water. That means, there is no need to take up a lot of water, eucalyptus trees can live well.

The systematic sampling of eucalyptus leaves for gold opens up a new way to find gold deposits in the remote Australian outback. The fact that eucalyptus roots can penetrate up to 40 meters underground in search of water makes it particularly useful as a gold prospector. This could save drilling costs for mining companies in rugged terrain that is difficult to explore. Likely, this method could also be applied to search for other minerals such as copper and zinc.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Perkins, Sid. 2013. “Gold in Trees May Hint at Buried Treasure.” Science.org. Accessed on 2 February 2024. https://www.science.org/content/article/gold-trees-may-hint-buried-treasure

Vergano, Dan. 2013. “Gold Grows on Eucalyptus Trees.” Nationalgeographic.com. Accessed on 2 February 2024. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/131022-gold-eucalyptus-leaves-mining-geology-science

Jones, Mary, Richard Fosbery, Dennis Taylor, and Jennifer Gregory. Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology Coursebook with Digital Access (2 Years) 5ed. Cambridge University Press, 2020. Accessed on 2 February 2024.