Giant gold nuggets formed in quartz veins could be the result of earthquakes and electricity, say researchers at Australia’s Monash University.

How exactly gold nuggets form has had scientists scratching their heads for many years.

Often found nestled within quartz veins, gold flakes will sometimes clump together to form very large nuggets. Indeed, the 78kg ‘Welcome Stranger’, found in Australia in 1869, is often considered the biggest gold nugget ever found.

However, how these nuggets form has remained a mystery – a mystery that new research led by Chris Voisey from Australia’s Monash University School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment has helped solve.

“The standard explanation is that gold precipitates from hot, water-rich fluids as they flow through cracks in the Earth’s crust,” said Voisey. “As these fluids cool or undergo chemical changes, gold separates out and becomes trapped in quartz veins.

“While this theory is widely accepted, it doesn't fully explain the formation of large...