Synchrotron Data - Lintern 1814 (Oct 2009) - Ionic and metallic gold associated with in situ root tubules

Calcrete is an important sampling medium for gold exploration. There is a strong correlation between Au and calcrete (principally calcium carbonate) which is remarkable given the accepted disparate chemistries of the elements concerned, and that calcrete accumulation is a result of a drying climate. Evidence of plant roots are preserved as
hollow tubules in calcrete. The experiment will investigate links between the observed trace gold and microfine root tubules. A positive result will provide direct evidence for the role of plants in gold deposition and will have widespread implications for those studying mineral exploration, climatology, soil pedology and Australian plants.