Mennica Skarbowa S.A.

Author of the entry: Mennica Skarbowa
Date of entry: June 30, 2021

Scientists have made a sensational discovery! "Fool's gold" trapped in pyrite is more valuable than we previously thought. Will this have a significant impact on the gold market?

The increase in the price of gold is largely driven by the steadily growing demand for this precious metal in relation to limited mining capacity. In recent years, the rate of discovery of new gold deposits has been declining as ore quality deteriorates. This trend is noticeable on a global scale. Perhaps the breakthrough discovery by scientists from the University of Western Australia and China University of Geosciences will be the solution to this difficult situation.

In the scientific journal Geologia, specialists from the above-mentioned universities published an in-depth analysis of research that provides a better understanding of the location of gold minerals trapped in pyrite.

"Fool's gold" is an "invisible" type of gold that has not been identified before and can only be observed using an atomic probe. Interestingly, the more distorted the shape, the more gold is trapped in the defects. The royal metal is found in nanodefects called dislocations, which are a hundred thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. Therefore, a special technique is needed to monitor them—atomic probe tomography.

These are only preliminary studies, but they already seem to be revolutionizing the gold market at this stage. The discovery may prove to be groundbreaking not only because of the method of obtaining the royal metal, but also because of the very possibility of finding it in pyrite. It is worth noting that this method of extraction may be more environmentally friendly. The gold rush continues!