Not hundred pounds of gold, a hundred pounds of quartz, with gold streaks. Basically water trapped under heat and pressure dissolves gold atoms out of the surr

Not hundred pounds of gold, a hundred pounds of quartz, with gold streaks. Basically water trapped under heat and pressure dissolves gold atoms out of the surrounding minerals (along with lots of silica) which then precipitates out as the water turns to quartz over time. Very common in the western US because of the farallan plate sliding under the American plate, pulling in seawater as it does, eventually resulting in hydrothermal vents. Usually the actual amount of gold present isn’t enough to bother with extraction, better to leave it as a cool rock. A great and thrilling find for anyone who likes to pick up rocks to be sure, but nothing life altering.