Eucalyptus trees, or gum trees as they are commonly known, have a hidden talent beyond their well-documented medicinal and industrial applications. It turns out that these ubiquitous trees can actually… contain gold within their leaves! While this may sound like a legend, scientific evidence has proven this phenomenon to be rooted in fact.
Eucalyptus Trees and Their Ability to Draw Gold from the Earth
A study published by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) sent shockwaves through the scientific community and the geological investment sector. The researchers discovered that eucalyptus trees can absorb tiny particles of gold from deep within the earth through their roots, which then accumulate in the leaves, bark, and branches.
This is made possible by the eucalyptus tree’s root system, which can extend up to 40 meters deep—a depth where natural gold veins are found. As the trees draw water and nutrients to sustain themselves, they inadvertently pull up minuscule gold particles. Under a microscope, scientists detected traces of gold within the leaf tissue—a discovery that presents a novel approach to mineral exploration.
Why Do Eucalyptus Trees Absorb Gold?
Eucalyptus trees don’t intentionally seek out gold, but their harsh and nutrient-deficient environment forces them to extract water and minerals from deeper soil layers. While gold has no biological value to the trees, it comes packaged with other valuable minerals, and the trees cannot selectively absorb only certain elements.
In fact, gold can even be detrimental to the trees’ health if it accumulates in large quantities. As a self-preservation mechanism, the trees will expel some of the gold into their leaves and branches, where it can be easily shed, thus naturally “detoxifying” the plant.
What Does This Discovery Mean?
The presence of gold in eucalyptus leaves doesn’t mean you can start plucking leaves to sell—the gold content is extremely low, averaging a few parts per trillion (ppt). However, this discovery holds immense potential for the mining industry.
Instead of costly exploratory drilling, companies can now use vegetation sampling to detect signs of subsurface minerals. Eucalyptus trees have become natural, eco-friendly “biological gold detectors,” offering a more cost-effective method of mineral exploration compared to traditional techniques.
Can We Extract Gold by Concentrating Eucalyptus Leaves?
Eucalyptus leaves (and those of some other plants like ferns and grasses) may contain tiny gold particles (nano or micrometre-sized) due to the trees’ absorption of gold-laden water from the soil. However, the gold content is minuscule, measured in parts per trillion (ppt) or parts per billion (ppb).
According to a 2013 study by CSIRO, the amount of gold found in leaf tissue was approximately 40-80 parts per billion (ppb). This means that for every trillion micrograms of leaf tissue, you would only extract around 40-80 micrograms of gold.
Consequently, it would take 12 to 25 tons of leaves to yield just one gram of gold—and that’s assuming the leaves were sourced from an area with underlying gold deposits. Not all eucalyptus trees will have gold in their leaves, and even if they grow above a gold vein, collecting and processing the leaves for gold would be impractical.
Can Eucalyptus Trees Change the Way We Find Gold?
The story of gold-bearing eucalyptus leaves is more than just a natural curiosity. It underscores the vast secrets nature holds, which science continues to unravel daily. With this unique ability, eucalyptus trees are not just useful in medicine and forestry but may also become invaluable allies in the quest for underground mineral resources.
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