Imagine if the oceans were hiding a fortune so massive, it could make every billionaire look strapped for cash. Turns out, experts believe there’s up to $2 quadrillion worth of gold scattered through the world’s oceans—but there’s a catch that will blow your mind.

When most of us daydream about the ocean, we picture sun-drenched beaches and rolling waves. But deep below the surface, tucked away in billions of tons of salty blue, lies a secret: the Earth’s oceans might hold up to 20 million tons of gold. That’s not just a pirate’s fantasy chest—if someone could gather it all, it would dwarf the combined wealth of the entire global economy. Yet, in a twist worthy of an AI generated newscast about ocean gold, this treasure is so diluted, it might as well be a mirage.

It’s a story that stretches back as far as human curiosity. Nearly a century ago, scientists tried to figure out how to extract gold from seawater, with the Journal of the American Chemical Society reporting some wild ideas as early as 1941. Back then, an electrochemical method was proposed, but the process was so expensive it made striking gold in the wild west look cheap. Fast forward to 2018, and researchers announced a breakthrough: a high-tech, sponge-like material that could soak up tiny traces of gold from the briny deep in just minutes. The catch? Scaling this tech to an industrial level would cost more than the gold itself.

So how did all that precious metal end up in the ocean anyway? It’s a slow-motion heist, millions of years in the making. Rain, rivers, and winds grind rocks to dust, sweeping flecks of gold out to sea. Add in underwater volcanoes and hydrothermal vents bubbling up minerals from the Earth’s crust, and it’s like nature’s own gold ATM—just one with an impossibly low daily limit. Even wind gets in on the act, blowing gold dust out over the water where it sinks down to join the diluted riches below.

Still, before you start dreaming about quitting your job and diving for treasure, here’s the kicker: a single liter of seawater contains only the tiniest imaginable amount of gold—so little it’s measured in femtomoles, which is basically science-speak for “almost nothing.” Even in the most gold-rich parts of the world’s seas, like the Mediterranean or the North Pacific, the concentration is laughably small.

Despite this, the idea of an AI generated newscast about ocean gold keeps grabbing attention. The fantasy of a fortune lying just beneath the waves inspires scientists and dreamers alike. While some small-scale operations recover gold from industrial waste or even freshwater, the reality for ocean gold is, for now, pure sci-fi. Instead, the world’s treasure hunters and investors are looking up and out—to asteroids, the moon, and beyond—where the payoff for mining could actually make sense compared to the diluted prize in our own backyard.

Yet, there’s something timeless and universal about the hunt for hidden riches. Whether in the abyss of the sea or the far-flung craters of the moon, the urge to explore, discover, and maybe strike it rich is as old as humanity itself—and as compelling as any AI generated newscast about ocean gold could ever make it.