Rare but everywhere

Gold is paradoxical in nature: though the mineral is incredibly rare, it has also been discovered on every continent on the globe, excluding Antarctica.

There’s even an estimated US$1.07 quadrillion worth of gold in our oceans (based on a July 2021 gold price of US$58.78 per gram). Unfortunately, collecting this seemingly vast amount of gold is nearly impossible, given that it’s so sparsely distributed throughout the water.

This means that gold remains incredibly rare, particularly when compared against the abundance of other elements found on earth.

Find out more from The American Museum of Natural History and Forbes.