Volcanoes, and Meteorites, and Gold, Oh My!

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/volcanoes/theadvantages.shtml

I don't want to be Captain Obvious, or an idiot who was the only one who did not know, but I'll risk it. I learned something about the forming of precious gems and precious metals today. I was googling for how diamond mines were formed, and then how gold mines were formed. My mind was thinking about crystal caves, actually, and what might be inside of them, but I learned that precious gems and precious metals form mostly near these high impact, high heat, and high pressure locations. I knew about 'pressure', as in diamond-forming, but not tied to volcanoes, meteorites, earthquakes, or tectonic plates. It makes sense, but I just never thought, "Oh, we should go look there, about 100 feet down!", or any sort of narrowing down idea like that.
http://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/ [article says diamonds are NOT usually from coal]


http://oncirculation.com/2013/04/17/earthquakes-and-the-formation-of-gold-deposits/
<--gold is often found in quartz
**Edit add:>>
<-- a diamond mine [weird!] -- also below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hole

Volcanic Pipes - Kimberlite Pipes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_pipe#Kimberlite_pipes

I just wanted to mention all this in with crafting and New Britannia. I find it interesting, with what we do know about the 'world' in SOTA. Am I the only one who hadn't really thought about these locations in the formation of precious gems and precious metals? I hope not.

 

Now that you bring it up.. I have thought about what kind of stone and gems would have formed around that volcano in the concept art. I did a little research myself specifically to identify what kind of volcano shown and what would be there. I found it interesting to discover that there are 3 major types of volcanos that corrospond to heat ranged.. and each one producing different stones and gems. I'd look it up again but I'm on a laptop now at the library and it'd be a pain. maybe I'll go back and post wiki links when I get home in a few hours.

For awhile now I've thought how cool it would be if precious resources in games where located in logical locations.. I've just never thought to bring it up before for some reason so I'm really glad that you did.

 

Great post. We were ready for this thread.

The way gold forms suggests something like electroplating - many metals form with quartzes giving them color and different properties. Lithium is one of my faves.

Anyway, that would be a cool place to see a special resource, growing on the tips of crystals deep in a dark dungeon cave.

I will again bring up Moldavite. And I think it would be amazing if there was a volcano eruption as an in game event.

 

Ok now that I'm home.. I don't remember how I got to the information I was refering to specifically but there's all sorts of stuff that's easy to look up.

Different types of lavas having different compositions and tempratures.. and forming different rocks and gems when cooled. Obsidian for example is formed from felsic lava which can erupt as cool 650C which cools rapidly resulting in little crystal growth. But there are also different types of felsic lava depending on composiion. Obsidian is commongly found in the margins of rhyolite flows.

The type of volcano in the concept art we've all seen is a cone volcano. There are also shield and caldera types. There are are also combinations or complex types and it just gets interesting from there.

 

It's so funny (and kind of cool) that I'm on the same page with Stephen and Gina this week for PotA ideas with this Thread. I just now got to watch the video. Stupid troubles this afternoon kept me from the livestream. Anyway, it made me smile to be in sync. Great to see them being friendly and talented again, as always.

 

heheh I can't think of a broadcast where your name doesn't come up at some point. I don't get to even watch live anymore.. I'm stuck with a monthly data limit. I have to go the library to watch. *sigh* Now I really want to see this week's. Hopefully I'll get to it before Monday.

 

*blush* (My ISP has recently set limits for us too -- I hate that!)

I post 5 - 10 questions ahead of time on the GooglePlus Hangout for Gina/FireLotus ahead of time normally, (couldn't this time for stupid reasons) and it's just my blessing that she usually picks at least one of them to ask for me. Stephen was overtly sweet to me with mentioning when it came to the crystal cave, when really the Team was already planning that for some Point of Interest.

Back to this Thread subject, vjek brought it up to me that scientists are lately saying things like: gold is only formed during supernova, in space, and not originally formed on earth. "Berger’s calculations show that the neutron-star origin can account for all the gold in the universe." That's something vjek pointed out. So, I looked up what he was saying (which was completely different than I initially was finding about 'how gold is formed', 'how diamonds are formed'), and I just see what vjek pointed out as more theories -- unproven hypothesis, subjective, akin to parallel universes, the String theory, and the cat-in-the-box question, to name a few -- these theories get floated around by excited people as new facts, and jump off to make 'definitive' statements about things like how gold wasn't originally formed on earth. I don't buy that.

For one thing, vjek pointed out: "they actually put forth the theory that solar wind triggers earthquakes that are ready by initiating neutron flux cascade", "it being a measured spike in neutron activity (which would be necessary to create gold in an earthquake). it's not confirmation, it's just circumstantial evidence". I don't consider such things 'evidence' at all -- more like coincidence, that is being put forth as evidence.

What I was replying was: "http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907132044.htm <-- this article is talking about those meteoric bombardings coming toward earth happening as the earth's core was forming. Possible, of course. I just don't see why if it can form elsewhere, it cannot form here in the first place. Why *must* it come from space?" While vjek said, "physics!", I replied "Theories".

Some of the theories and speculation just make me decide that those who think themselves geniuses may be fools. Theories someone wants the credit for and money/funding to come up with the genius idea. I've watched enough 'scientific' programs on the Science Channel, History, Discovery, Documentary Channel and so forth to hear some really elaborate and -- frankly I don't know what else to call it but concocted -- ideas that don't even make common sense, let alone genius speculation. I wasn't there, and don't know...but if precious metals and precious gems are often found all together (i.e. in the same sort of locations and near each other), but gold can 'only be formed out in space', then none of it was formed on earth, and that sounds stupid and unbelievable to me.

 

I'm thinking of this ⇑ as an entrance example in SOTA of an unmined cave (pretend that's not just pebbles and grass on the ground -- haha). Imagine this piece of old lava tube has just had the opening broken loose from a mountain, for example, and there is still snow dripping.
Here's a gold vein: ⇒
Here's a some gold as it is usually found, in quartz: ⇓
And an article about different kinds of 'diamond', some called 'crystal', and differences explained:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond ⇐

Here are some diamonds -- crystals -- different types 'in the rough': ⇓

Here is a valuable diamond stone ready to be made into a magnifient gem (or ruined) by a jeweller: