system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Can you trace where specific gold was mined?

I knew a guy who worked for the Kennecott copper mine, and during his time there he snuck some gold out and took it home. He said he is unable to do anything with it or sell it because it has a specific DNA and can be traced back to the mine and he would be in deep crap. 

Is he meaning that it has specific minerals and compounds in the ore itself that when looked at, you can locate the geographical region it was mined based on those properties?
gpt
Assuming there are trace elements in the gold that are specific to the area it was mined, yes it can absolutely be linked to a location. Depending on the elements and their distribution it could be linked to a specific mine shaft or deposit, a mine site, or a geographical area.

Theoretically, if its 100% pure gold, then no. But in reality there will be contaminants in it.