February 20, 2026 | 09:41 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Geological experts believe that gold nuggets in quartz rocks are formed as a result of the flow of hot fluids. However, this theory remains a mystery because underground fluids can only carry a small amount of gold particles.
The answer to this mystery begins to unfold, partly related to earthquake activities. Research led by Christopher Voisey from Monash University has found that the electric current generated by earthquakes is crucial to the formation of gold nuggets.
The team of scientists focused on the unique properties of quartz rocks, known as piezoelectricity, which is the ability to generate electric voltage when subjected to physical pressure. "During a quake, stress builds up in the quartz and is released, so piezoelectric charges appear and fade," the researchers' report quoted by Earth on February 17, 2026, stated.
To prove this theory, the scientists conducted laboratory experiments by immersing pieces of quartz in a liquid containing dissolved gold. They applied mechanical pressure to the quartz to simulate earthquake shocks, then observed it using a high-resolution microscope. The result was microscopic gold particles that adhered directly to the mineral rock surface.
This electrical mechanism does not replace the classical model of gold formation, but complements it with a logical explanation of the metal accumulation process. Most of the world's largest gold nuggets are found in quartz veins within a geological system known as orogenic gold. This natural formation system has supplied about three-quarters of the total gold mined throughout human civilization's history.
Every time a series of earthquakes occurs, the momentary electric voltage transforms the rock fracture system into a pseudo-electrochemical cell. As the fluid's gold ions dissolve, they capture electrons from the quartz, transforming into solid metal as they grow thicker. This natural explanation provides an answer to the question of why miners often find solid gold nuggets concentrated in one spot in a rock.
Read: Olympic Gold Medals: All You Need to Know About Their Worth and Materials
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