(bodnarchuk/Getty Images)
Science Alert has a story about the discovery of a huge gold deposit in China. The deposit may contain 1000 metric tons (1,100 US tons) and is thought to be the largest ever found. It's located in the northeast Hunan county of Pingjiang at a depth of around 2 kilometers.
The Geological Bureau of Hunan Province announced the detection of 40 gold veins within a depth of 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in the northeast Hunan county of Pingjiang.
These alone were thought to contain 300 metric tons of gold, with 3D modeling suggesting additional reserves may be found to a depth of 3 kilometers.
"Many drilled rock cores showed visible gold," says bureau prospector Chen Rulin.
Core samples suggest every metric ton of ore could contain as much as 138 grams (nearly 5 ounces) of gold – an extraordinary level of quality considering ore excavated from underground mines is considered high grade if it contains more than 8 grams.
