That makes a little more sense. The original quote suggests that a single very large lump of gold was created, not a very large number of separate gold atoms.
This raises the question of why gold tends to be found near other gold on Earth.
This raises the question of why gold tends to be found near other gold on Earth.
When you spin a combination of stuff that is "loose enough" at sufficient speeds, the centrifugal force acts on the constituent masses differently. As a result similar masses coalesce.
This is the same principle used to separate and concentrate (enrich) all kinds of stuff in centrifuges.
Like attracts?
[0] https://www.quora.com/Why-is-gold-frequently-located-in-quar...
Gold at earth's surface tends to be found in deposits where water with gold particles in it was flowing through a crack for an extended period of time.
Over time some of the gold is deposited on the sides of the crack, essentially concentrating it through evaporation and deposition.
These cracks then become what miners call 'veins'. Other metals and minerals have similar stories.
TLDR: water from deep in the earth carries gold particles upward. Cracks form consistent flows which concentrate deposits over time.
I didn't know that fact about U, thanks.
This is why mining asteroids for siderophiles (like gold, but also platinum group elements) has been a staple of space advocacy.