Phys.org  September 2, 2024 Gold nuggets occur predominantly in quartz veins, and the current paradigm posits that gold precipitates from dilute (<1 mg kg−1 gold), hot, water ± carbon dioxide-rich fluids owing to changes in temperature, pressure and/or fluid chemistry. However, the widespread occurrence of large gold nuggets is at odds with the dilute nature of these fluids and the chemical inertness of quartz. Using quartz deformation experiments and piezoelectric modelling researchers in Australia investigated if piezoelectric discharge from quartz could explain the ubiquitous gold–quartz association and the formation of gold nuggets. They found that stress on quartz crystals could generate enough voltage to […]