Anybody have any idea the total volume of gold that has been mined and in circulation? i've heard that it is only about 100 foot cubed.

Going by a nearly 10 year old chemistry textbook that I have taht says there is 30,000 tonnes in the federal reserve vaults in New york, and that gold apparently has a density of 19.3 tonnes per cubic metre, then I make it that at least 1554.4 cubic metres of gold has been mined, though its probably twice that once you add up all the jewellery in circulation etc.
But given that theres a billion cubic metres in a cubic kilometre, thats not really much volume at all.

1554.4 cubic meters makes a 11.6x11.6x11.6m (35x35x35ft) cube.

http://www.ldolphin.org/Gold.html

Thanks for that, i have a mate here who cannot believe how small a cube would fit it all in. I guessed 100 foot cube

I suppose that's most of what's available in the crust.

There should be a lot more down in the mantle & core.

Slotty, I think the guesstimates are about right from what I recall reading somewhere, which stated that the volume of gold mined, if made into a cube, would be about the same size as a tennis court.

Let's all google up some sources, this is a good one.

Its bizzare to think that all the gold in the world including all jewellery and electrical jionts etc will fit into such a tiny cube

A great deal more gold is in seawater, I forget the exact concentration. Its just that nobody can work out how to extract it.

guthrie,

Sorce?

I also remember reading that there is about a gramme or thereabouts in a cubic mile of seawater, but i have hundreds of books and have'nt a clue which one

Fine, I'll do it for you:
http://www.goldfever.com/gold_sea.htm
There is the possibility of mining cold by suing biological-precipitation of gold out of water.

cheers again fetus! so they reckon 3.3 billion ounces (Hmmm? Which billion? UK or US? Does'nt state which. ) fits in a 55 foot cube.