Where Does the Entirety of Earth's Gold Come from

Two theories on the origin of gold are taught in our schools. One involves the explosion of supernova stars and the resulting nuclear fusion creating atoms of gold,while the other, the collision of neutron stars that results in a gamma-ray burst, which is one of the most powerful explosions possible.

When a star that is bigger than our sun dies (at least 5 times), a huge explosion occurs. The core of the star is extremely hot which creates outward pressure. Gravity exerts force from the outside in. These forces balance, which is how the star stays together. When the star starts to fade, the inside force decreases and gravity causes the star to collapse. This rapid decrease in pressure then creates a force in the opposite direction and the surface of the stare explodes. Note the reaction when a building collapses.

A different type of supernova is when two stars orbit and one is about the size of Earth and also a white star. White stars are what is left after a star burns out. If the white star hits another or sucks too much matter from another star, the white star can also explode.For great information on supernovas, see https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/supernova/en/

The other main theory involves neutron star collisions that result in a gamma-ray burst. Neutron stars are ultra-dense stellar corpses. The collision causes matter to be spread. This is referred to as the r-process. 

The sun cannot make gold. It can only be created when stars explode in a supernova or when neutron stars collide. This is the level of energy required to synthesize gold.In nuclear astrophysics, the rapid neutron-capture process, also known as the r-process, is a set of nuclear reactions that is responsible for the creation of approximately half of the atomic nuclei heavier than iron; the "heavy elements" (gold, etc), with the other half produced by the p-process and s-process. For a deeper dive into this subject, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-process

The other main theory involves neutron star collisions that result in a gamma-ray burst. Neutron stars are ultra-dense stellar corpses. The collision causes matter to be spread. It is thought that black holes are formed when this kind of burst occurs. Lasting mere seconds, gamma-ray bursts produce as much energy as the sun will emit during its entire 10-billion-year life. The nuclear energy combines lighter atoms into heavier ones. Gold was actually detected at a gamma ray burst in August 2017 when such an event happened. 

For even more information, see https://www.space.com/gamma-ray-burst.html

Gold has been found in craters on Earth. It is thought that meteors delivered the gold from outer space. In addition, gold is found in higher concentrations in the outer crust than scientists would expect - this lends to the theory that gold has been delivered to Earth by asteroids. When the Earth formed, the heavier elements like gold and iron sank toward the core. Then, about 4 billion years ago, Earth was bombarded by asteroids. These impacts stirred the deeper layers of the planet and forced some gold into the mantle and crust. 

Scientists also believe that asteroids have crashed into the Earth's crust and left gold behind. Scientists say gold is actually ten times more common in the planet’s crust than they would expect it to be if it came here when the earth was still forming and molten hot. Hence, the belief that more gold came to Earth after Earth's formation. 

If it were not for stars exploding, there would be no gold on Earth.

So, as many gold lovers would say, "It is heavenly."

Image by beate bachmann from Pixabay