If treasures were ranked based on being the most impossible to reap, the golden bounty inside Mount Erebus near the icy South Pole would surely rank priceless.
A cataclysmic explosion in Antarctica some 7,000 to 18,000 years ago opened up a caldera, or crater, in what today is the longest-lasting active volcano. It towers prominently on Ross Island, 2,500 miles south of New Zealand. We speak of Mount Erebus. Named after the son of the Greek god of chaos, Erebus was god of the darkest reaches of the Earth—a fitting reference. His match is found in caves across this icy mount, through which escape from icy chimneys deadly, heated volcanic gasses.
Rumors grow like weeds. And rumors growing of molten gold from volcanos isn’t novel. Such inspired conquistador Friar Blas del Castillo’s secret venture in 1522, seeing him lowered into the bell-shaped caldera of Masaya Volcano, dubbed the “gateway to hell,” in Nicaragua to collect lava. His foray eventually was found out by Governor Rodrigo Contreras and stirred quite a fuss. Alas, it was all for naught and proved just a rumor. Gold it wasn’t.
But how would a foray to Mount Erebus fare?
Getting to Erebus may prove harder than to the hellish gateway in Nicaragua and hardly more hospitable. At time of writing, it is a spatial -71 degrees Fahrenheit on Mount Erebus. One who is not killed by the heat in the volcano’s caldera might just as well freeze to death on the Antarctic surface. Scientists have noted that Mount Erebus, although not currently erupting violently, is also known to build up gas and project massive chunks of molten rock called “lava bombs” into the air occasionally to explode on landing. Such hazards still plague researchers. So, we see, a gold panning excursion to Mount Erebus might not be as easy as it first sounds.
It is possible to travel to Mount Erebus. McMurdo Station—Antarctica’s largest town, of 1 square mile and about 100 buildings—sits at the volcano’s feet. Flights are limited, though, and most travelers actually sail there from either New Zealand or South America. McMurdo Station was built by the U.S. Navy but serves as a supply hub for researchers. It’s not self-sustaining but rather depends on a massive yearly shipment of canned and dried goods. Remote indeed. An excursion to Mount Erebus is looking a lot less likely for most people who aren’t already Antarctic scientists or members of the U.S. Navy.
But say you persist anyway. Undeterred, you forge into the caldera; it might prove just a pipe dream after all. Gold is indeed present. Inside molten material within magma chambers deep underground, gold concentrations of one part per million are brought up by boiling subterranean waters to form deposits in the vents. It’s sparse to say the least. Microscopic gold bits crystalize on cooler crusts. Gas pumps the tiny particles, only 0.1 to 80 micrometers wide, into the air. You might breathe it in. The gold “plumes” then land a few feet away on the shore of the lava lake.
Good luck collecting it.
It’s starting to look like just another tale of money growing on trees. Collecting gold from Mount Erebus may prove just as plausible as the Greek myth it’s named after, but it’s still fascinating to consider.
So much for Mount Erebus: golden rumors abound, but hardly worth their weight in gold.
