Posted on 03/11/2025 2:17:05 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Stories about the largest gold nugget ever found or a recent gold discovery by an Australian treasure hunter weighing 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) might make it seem like there is a lot of gold on Earth.
However, the truth is surprising. All the gold ever found could fit into a cube that measures just 23 meters (75 feet) long on each side. This would be the length of a cricket pitch. While the cube may be on the small side (in contrast to our expectations), it would be extremely heavy, weighing eight times more than the Statue of Liberty.
Throughout history, about 212,582 tons of gold have been mined, with a total discovered amount estimated at around 244,000 tons. Since gold is nearly indestructible and can be recycled, almost all of it still exists today.
Each year, around 2,500 to 3,000 tons of gold are mined, according to US Money Reserve. Over 40 percent of that gold comes from the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa. Currently, China is the world’s biggest gold producer, but the single largest mining site is Barrick Gold’s Nevada Gold Mines, which produces around 99,223 kilograms (almost 219,000 pounds) annually.
54,000 tons of gold yet to be mined
Estimating how much gold is left to mine is difficult. While gold makes up about four parts per billion of the Earth’s crust, the exact amount remaining is uncertain.
The World Gold Council (WGC) suggests there are around 54,000 tons of gold still underground, ready to be mined. This figure is less than 30 percent of all the gold that has already been extracted.
Tracking gold supplies worldwide is challenging. The West Coast Placer gold blog notes that gold reserves are not always reported accurately. Over 50 percent of the gold above ground is used in jewelry, making it even harder to keep track of the global gold supply.
Additionally, small-scale gold miners, especially in developing countries, often don’t accurately report the amount they find.
If the estimate of 54,000 tons of gold still in underground reserves is correct, it is not a large amount. A single cargo ship can carry about 25,000 tons. This means all the remaining gold on Earth could fit into fewer than three cargo ships.
World’s mineable gold would run out by 2035
There is still some gold left in the ground in the US and worldwide, but the amount is quite limited. In 2015, Goldman Sachs investment bankers predicted that the world’s mineable gold reserves could be exhausted by 2035.
Some experts even believe that the peak in gold production occurred in 2019 and has been declining since then. Over the last thirty years, the discovery of new gold mines has significantly slowed down.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, many gold miners reported reduced production. The World Gold Council confirmed this drop in its report, “Gold Demand Trends Full Year and Q4 2018,” noting that mine production fell from the record levels seen in the third quarter of that year.
Yeah...not buying at all.
You mean 75.459 X 75.459 feet.
Bkmk
I still can’t believe they got away with her name.
Elon wants to mine asteroids.
We’re going to need a bigger safe deposit box.
And some more stars to go supernova. Then wait.
Onward to the asteroid belt!
Theoretically there is a great deal of gold at the center of the Earth mixed in with the iron core.
But how to get it out?
> This would be the length of a cricket pitch. <
I personally wouldn’t trust any article that talks about a “cricket pitch”. Because as we all know, crickets can barely hold a baseball. They can’t throw it at all.
🤔
Big straw.
I live in El Dorado County California where the gold rush started in 1848.
A learned geologist friend here claims only about 10 % of the gold (750,000 lbs) was mined here so about 90% still in the ground.
3 of my properties had high yield gold mines (all placed gold deposits)
All those mines are still accessible and mined well after the gold rush ended.
Still have a 48” trommel behind my house that in the 25 years I’ve lived here was never run.
Placer not placed mines
I’ve heard it also described before as basically the same size as the base that the Statue of Liberty stands on. That being how much gold is actually on earth.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
Construction of U.S. Bullion Depository, Fort Knox. The Depository measures 105 x 121 feet (32 x 37 meters) and is 42 feet (13 meters) above ...
Do they say how HIGH the box is?
Plenty in seawater, too.
Well If you like that stat then this will blow your mind. You could take all the cars and trucks ever made and put them in a cube less than 3 miles on a side.
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