- Mount Erebus in Antarctica spews out specks of crystallised gold
- Gold dust from the volcano found more than 600 miles away
- Mount Erebus is believed to be the southernmost active volcano in the world
The world’s tallest active volcano is currently spewing out thousands of dollars’ worth of gold dust every day – but don’t rush to get there to find your fortune as it is in the frozen lands of Antarctica.
Mount Erebus, which is 12,448ft high, regularly spews out pockets of gas that contains crystallised gold. It is estimated that about 80 grams are emitted each day, which would be worth $6,000 – if anyone could get their hands on it. The particles fly out as dust in and have been found more than 600 miles away from Mount Erebus, carried such long distances on the wind.
The volcano is one of only two known active volcanoes in Antarctica – the other is Deception Island – and is believed to be the southernmost active volcanic in the world. It is located on Ross Island, close to the McMurdo research station. There are believed to be 138 volcanoes in Antarctica, some of which are completely under the ice sheet.
Mount Erebus has been continually active for more than 50 years and due to its remote location and the extreme cold in the region – the average temperature in April is between -38 and -47 degrees Celsius – is mostly monitored via satellites. It isn’t just gold that the volcano emits, there is gas, steam and, occasionally, rocks too, in what is known as strombolian eruptions, which are moderate eruptions.
The volcano is also known for having a lava lake in its inner summit crater, which has been there for at least 50 years – something that is relatively rare in volcanoes.
