Which of the following is an example of a natural resource as an asset?

Gold is an example of a natural resource as an asset because it is a physical commodity obtained from the earth that can be mined and used in its raw form or transformed into other products. Natural resources are typically categorized as long-term assets that are used in the production of goods and services, and gold fits this definition because it has intrinsic value and widespread utility.

In contrast, patents, buildings, and software are all considered intangible or tangible assets that do not qualify as natural resources. Patents represent legal protections for inventions, buildings are physical structures built by humans and are not naturally occurring, and software is a set of instructions created to perform tasks on computers, which also does not come from natural processes. This distinction helps clarify why gold is categorized as a natural resource asset in accounting.