The strain imparted by an earthquake can generate voltages in quartz veins that stimulate the mineralization of gold.

When these seismic events stir and squeeze quartz veins deep underground, the mineral creates an electric field that gold particles clump to, forming gigantic golden nuggets. Geologists have known that earthquakes can produce bits of gold on quartz.

Interestingly enough, earthquakes have the ability to cause quartz to form large gold nuggets, a fact that has been well-known among scientists for decades. What has managed to elude them for just as long is how exactly earthquakes help gold emerge from quartz.