According to estimates by the US National Oceanic Service, the gold from the depths of the oceans is so diluted that there is only one gram of this precious yellow metal for every 100 million metric tons of water.
One study found there is only about one gram of gold for every 100 million metric tons of ocean water in the Atlantic and north Pacific. There is also (undissolved) gold in/on the seafloor. The ocean, however, is deep, meaning that gold deposits are a mile or two underwater.
The San Jose – The Holy Grail of Sunken Treasures (1708) – $17 billion. One of the most precious shipwrecks in the world, the site of which remained unknown for over three centuries, was revealed in photographs by the Colombian army.
How Much Treasure is Down There? The short answer, Sean Fisher says, is $60 billion. Fisher is a shipwreck hunter at Mel Fisher's Treasures in Key West (Sean is Mel's grandson), and he gives this figure based on his company's historical research.
So, what is that ballpark figure? Chami: The value of the ecosystem services of the open ocean is at least in the tens of trillions, if not more. For example, in carbon sequestration alone, starting from 1870 until now, the value of carbon captured at the bottom of the deep ocean is close to $30 trillion.
International Space Station: $150 Billion
The most expensive thing in the world is related to the Universe and it is the International Space Station. The amount which has gone towards its existence in terms of building and designing is $150 billion.
A discoverer who finds a shipwreck pursuant to the law of finds is entitled to the full value of all of the goods that are recovered. Since the owner of the vessel has given up trying to recover the shipwreck, the discoverer is deemed to have full rights to the content.
The San José Called the “holy grail of shipwrecks,” the Spanish galleon San José was carrying a treasure of silver, gold, and emeralds worth billions of dollars today. The galleon sunk after a battle with British ships off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, in 1708.
About 244,000 metric tons of gold has been discovered to date (187,000 metric tons historically produced plus current underground reserves of 57,000 metric tons). Most of that gold has come from just three countries: China, Australia, and South Africa.
Famous shipwrecks in WA
HMAS Sydney II and the German raider HSK Kormoran both sank after a battle on 19 November 1941. It was Australia's worst naval disaster with the loss of the Sydney and all 645 crew. Around 80 German sailors also died.
The Batavia
Australia's most notorious shipwreck is more famous for the extraordinary story of mutiny, madness, massacre and desert island survival than the wreck itself. The Batavia came a cropper on Morning Reef in 1629, then all hell broke loose.
The ship was loaded with an estimated $17 billion worth of gold, silver and jewels when it sank in 1708, and its wreck was only discovered in 2015. The navy used a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to examine the wreck; its precise location is being kept a secret to deter treasure hunters.
So we've estimated that within 4000m of the surface of Earth's crust there is 35 billion tons of gold. With a remaining 87 billion under the ocean.
The best estimates currently available suggest that around 208,874 tonnes of gold has been mined throughout history, of which around two-thirds has been mined since 1950. And since gold is virtually indestructible, this means that almost all of this metal is still around in one form or another.
That's a potential 700 trillion dollars!
The Ocean has 20 million tons of gold in it. That's worth a potential 700 trillion dollars! There has unsurprisingly been a lot of scammers that have sold equipment (and been granted patents) that claim to extract gold this way.
Can I keep pieces or artifacts from a shipwreck? No. The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, which mostly regulates ocean dumping, also covers archaeological removal of submerged cultural resources. It's illegal to disturb a site or take things from it without a permit.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — More than $50 million worth of gold bars, coins and dust that's been described as the greatest lost treasure in U.S. history is about to make its public debut in California after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for more than 150 years.
The largest monetary treasure haul found was on the wreck code named Black Swan, discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007 off of Gibraltar. The salvage team reportedly found 17 tons of coins valued at $500 million; an amount that is both staggering and said to be “unprecedented” in the treasure hunting world.
There is no such thing as "finder's keepers" in Australia. "A lot of people don't realise that if you find anything worth more than $100 you have to hand that in to the police," Preston said. "If you keep or sell it, it's called theft by finding and it's a chargeable offence."
If your find can't be considered a treasure, you are legally required to take it to the police. It will go into their custody and be handled like any other case of lost property. However, if you've got a bonafide treasure trove you're probably in luck.
Buried and hidden treasure may be the stuff of legend and film, but treasure hunters exist – both professionals and hobbyists – and sometimes they do actually find something.
The ISS is the most expensive thing ever made by humans
Calling the International Space Station the 'most expensive man-made object, it noted on its website that the cost of the structure was more than $100 billion. Some other sources also note that it actually took more than $150 billion.
The Most Expensive Item Sold on eBay
The most expensive thing ever sold on eBay is a Gigayacht, which sold for $168 million. Designed by naval architect Frank Mulder, this 405-foot-long yacht was sold to the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2006.