Gold raises questions about its distribution on our planet. Estimates vary, but one thing is certain: gold is far more abundant in Earth's core than in the crust. According to data compiled by the U.S ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Gold is a heavy metal and one of Earth's rarer elements, formed in space when neutron stars ...

When earthquakes squeeze quartz crystals, the mineral generates electricity that attracts gold particles. Pierre Longnus via Getty Images Earthquakes may help prospectors strike gold: When these ...

The solid inner core at the center of the Earth, surrounded by the outer core, mantle and crust. Here’s why: While it is well known that a material must be at or below its freezing temperature to be ...

Gold has always been a hot commodity. But these days, finding a nugget isn’t too tricky: Much of the world’s gold is mined from natural veins of quartz, a glassy mineral that streaks through large ...

Ancient impacts brought gold and other precious metals to our planet, and a magma ocean produced with these impacts' heat trapped those metals and kept them safe. When you purchase through links on ...

Earthquakes may cause gold nuggets to form in quartz by generating an electric field that attracts gold dissolved in fluid forced up from deep underground. Enormous gold nuggets are often associated ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Gold and other ...

A new study has found that such heavy metals may have formed through eruptions on a rare type of star called a magnetar. Even if early Earth had water and oxygen, the planet would still have needed ...