8-Year-Old Boy's Mountain Hike and Plant Identification May Lead to Gold Mine Discovery: Official Response
Recently, an 8-year-old boy in Daying Town, Zhuanghe City, Dalian, Liaoning Province, while hiking and foraging for wild vegetables with his family, boldly judged that "there is gold under this mountain" based on his knowledge of plants and rock features. His father used his phone and an AI assistant to take pictures for identification, and the results showed that it was indeed *Arnica tangutica* (Ask-jute grass), and the AI suggested that this plant is often associated with gold mines.
The two continued to explore and discovered glittering rocks containing mica, which further validated the boy's guess.
It is understood that *Arnica tangutica* is known as "natural gold-seeking grass." Its root system can secrete organic acids to lower soil pH, activate poorly soluble gold ions, and enrich and absorb them. Many places with gold mines are prone to large areas of *Arnica tangutica*.
[Image of *Arnica tangutica*]
To verify the truth, Mr. Sun reported the discovery to the natural resources department. Experts stated that the video indeed showed *Arnica tangutica* and mica. Combining multiple geological features, they judged that the mountain range "highly likely contains gold," but the final conclusion must be based on professional chemical analysis.
Experts also pointed out that Dalian has excellent mineral conditions. The video indeed shows *Arnica tangutica* and mica. Combining the dominant community of *Arnica tangutica*, black mica, and silicified limonite-altered rocks, the triple clues suggest that the area "highly likely contains gold."
In an interview with the media, the Mineral Resources Management Office of the Zhuanghe City Natural Resources Bureau responded that it had received relevant clues and stated that, from the regional geological background, Zhuanghe City has great potential for gold mineralization. Multiple townships have gold mineralization distribution. Historically, regional geological surveys have identified more than 200 mineralization points, and Daying Town also has the potential for gold formation.
[Image of Mica]