It is thought that the vast majority of gold on earth is near the core, precisely because of it's density.A small amount makes it's way closer to the surface due to volcanic activity, and plate tectonics would likely play a role as well. But put a nugget or coin on the surface in most soils, and it is going to sink over time, like lead shot and bullets.
I'm not sure if Hal watched his Folsom point just lay on the surface without moving for Lord knows how many millennia. But doesn't it seem strange that particular patch of Wyoming prairie remained static for all those many centuries, and that there was neither any erosion or addition of soil to the strata from 10-12,000 years of prairie plant growth since some early human left it there?
Unlike Hal, I wasn't there watching and knowing without a doubt that Folsom point remained motionless on the surface. But Hal must have been watching it, otherwise, how would he be so certain?
Lloyd's observations of the legal maneuvers by scientists for the mining companies are interesting. One thing that occurs to me is that the EPA and government have pretty deep pockets to litigate these matters. The scientists and lawyers for the mining companies must have made a pretty convincing argument in order to stave off the popular idea that lead in all forms is going to be the destroyer of life on this planet.
