Q&A

Can silver be mined from asteroids?

Can silver be mined from asteroids?

The Psyche 16 asteroid is believed to contain massive quantities of nickel-iron metal ore. As well too, a small portion of the extracted material would also be precious metals (silver, gold, platinum, palladium, and other most rare precious metals). Rare is silver only mining operations.

How much gold is there on earth?

Their latest figure for all the gold in the world is 171,300 tonnes – which is almost exactly the same as the amount in our super-villain’s imaginary cube. A cube made of 171,300 tonnes would be about 20.7m (68ft) on each side.

How much gold is in a galaxy?

If you multiply those mergers over the Milky Way’s entire history, it indicates there should be roughly 100 million Earths worth of gold in our galaxy.

Is there any gold left to be mined?

But it’s also a finite resource, and there will eventually come a stage when there is none left to be mined. Experts talk about the concept of peak gold – when we have mined the most we ever can in any one year. Some believe we may have already reached that point.

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Will we ever run out of gold?

So we will never run out of gold, even when we can no longer mine it. A large amount of gold is used in electronic products that are widely viewed as disposable, such as mobile phones.

Is there really gold in the ground?

While gold in the ground may be hard to quantify, it’s not the only source. There is also gold on the moon. However, the costs associated with mining it and transporting it back to earth are significantly higher than the value of the gold. “Whilst it exists, it would never be economically meaningful to mine it,” says space expert Sinead O’Sullivan.

Why is the price of gold rising?

Price rises have actually been driven by the pandemic as investors view gold as a safer asset in times of economic uncertainty. While gold in the ground may be hard to quantify, it’s not the only source. There is also gold on the moon.