Gold in the mantle: A global assessment of abundance and redistribution processes

We have compiled whole-rock analyses in mantle rocks to investigate the abundance of gold in the lithospheric mantle, and how this distribution can be modified. We show that while gold is heterogeneously distributed in peridotites from the upper mantle, the concentrations in most geographical regions cluster around the global median value of 1.2 ppb. This means Au concentration in the modern lithospheric mantle is similar to estimates for the...