How long can gold last? I don't mean monetarily, but the metal itself, how long can it last?

Question

I watched a History Channel program called "Life After People" & it said that the gold in government vaults are still around & intact millions of years after human extinction. Earlier in the show, it said that our paper & electronic records wouldn't last for even 1000 years, leaving our written history & knowledge to possible oblivion.
Now, if gold can last millions of years, and words & pictures can be engraved on gold, is it possible to leave behind our record on "gold plates" in the worst case scenario of human extinction? (I know it sounds like Mormon Church & Moroni... :) )

Answer 1

Gold is an element and cannot be separated any further. Water is not an element and can be separated into hydrogen and oxygen. So gold will not deteriorate any further and nothing will combine with gold naturally to make it something else. Gold was created in super novae and so has been around for billions of years.

Answer 2

From a geological perspective. This does not take into account certain chemical reactions involving oxygen. If the Gold was not mined and refined.



The oldest rocks dated on earth have an age of 3.8 Billion years while the earth is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old. Through erosion, sedimentary build up, subduction and other geological processes the land is constantly being created and destroyed. If the gold is on the ocean floor it will have a maximum life of 180 million years. The ocean floors are being created at divergent plate boundaries and t hey are destroyed in subduction zones. They are destroyed by being pushed back into the center of the earth where they are melted and will eventually be deposited back in a new location. The oldest rocks on the sea floor are 180 million years old.

If the gold is on dry land it will last until a chemical process breaks/ transforms it or until it is washed into the sea where it will wait millions of years to be subducted and destroyed or deposited back on dry land to wait longer. Currently the oldest rocks on land are 3.8 billion years old. In other words they will generally not surive longer than 3.8 Billion years.

Answer 3

You'd have to worry more about the ground underneath being stable throughout the life of the archive. Centered in the Canadian shield or one of a dozen others would be the only suitable locations

Answer 4

Until gold meets the ultimate monster "aqua-regia" 3HCL : 1 HNO3 solution

Answer 5

Gold is extremely long-lasting and nearly inert to changes, so yes it is a great way to preserve records. Billions of years is my guess.

Answer 6

I suspect we could put words and pictures on gold plates; but I'm not sure who (or what) would ever see them.



The Pioneer and Voyager space probes have gold-plated discs.