Answering The Question, Where Is Gold Found
Where is gold found : The allure of gold is so strong, in fact, that many a person has lived and died for its acquisition. But where is gold found? Read on to find the answer…
Gold is found is all over the world. Rich deposits of gold have been found in locations all across the map. From the famous gold mines of South Africa to the Black Hills of America, deposits are not uncommon in very differing regions. They are, however, considered rare overall. While many locations are known for having some deposits, massive finds are few and far between.
Some of the earliest known gold mines were operated by the Egyptians and found within the Nile Valley. These mines helped produce some of the longest-lasting works of art known to man. The riches of the pharaohs’ tombs are heavily gilded in gold and some are even solid in nature. Out of this culture, a worldwide interest in gold started to develop.
The World’s Leading Gold Producing Country’s (2006):
Country | % Of World Production |
South Africa | 10% |
Australia | 10% |
USA | 10% |
Other Latin America | 10% |
Africa Minus South Africa | 9 % |
China | 9% |
Peru | 8% |
Russia | 7% |
Other Asia | 7% |
Indonesia | 7% |
Canada | 5% |
CIS Minus Russia | 5% |
Other Countries | 1% |
The World’s Largest Gold Mining Company’s (2002)
Company Name | Country | Gold Produced (In Metric Tons) |
AngloGold Ltd | South Africa | 217 |
Barrick Gold Corp | Canada | 190 |
Newmount Gold Co. | United States | 168 |
Gold Fields Ltd | South Africa | 117 |
Rio Tinto Ltd | United Kingdom | 111 |
Placer Dome Inc | Canada | 86 |
Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Co | United States | 82 |
Normandy Mining Ltd. | Australia | 76 |
Harmony Gold Mining Co. | South Africa | 71 |
Ashanti Gold Fields Ltd. | Ghana | 49 |
Cia. De Minas Buenaventura | Peru | 32 |
Durban Roodeport Deep Ltd. | South Africa | 32 |
Kinross Gold Corp. | Canada | 29 |
WMC Ltd | Australia | 26 |
Gold In the USA
The question of where is gold found in America can be answered in a number of different states. From the Black Hills of South Dakota, mined by the legendary William Hearst himself, to the California and Alaska rushes, gold has been found in a number of locations within the continental United States.
The allure of gold was so strong in centuries before the American gold rushes, that Spanish conquistadors were led to go after some very inhospitable territory in search of its sources. From the early residents of Puerto Rico to the Aztecs of Mexico, gold was a part of their society and the very thing that reeled the conquerors in.
World’s Largest Deposit Where Gold Is Found
The world’s biggest deposit of gold known at this time is located in the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa. The National Geographic estimates that nearly 40 percent of the gold mined during recorded history has come in the last 120 years alone from this single spot. It is estimated that even though much of the gold from this former lakebed has been mined, that still enough remains to keep mining operations busy for years to come.
Gold deposits themselves actually have formed in a variety of different environments. They have been found in ancient, inactive volcanoes, in lake or riverbeds, within sandstone deposits found in rocky mountain outcroppings and more. The most common spot to find out where does gold come from is within fault lines and zones that are generally considered inactive.
Where Is Gold Found In Recycling
Where is gold found ? Gold is also found above the ground, in the last 2 decades the gold recycling industry has exploded with the relative high cost of conventional mining and the rise in gold prices. Some items that are commonly recycled for their gold and precious metal content are:
- Jewelry – for gold, silver, platinum and palladium
- Dental Gold
- Computer / Electronic circuitry
- Gold sweeps
- Grindings and castings
- Chemical catalysts
- Sludge from gold plating
- Industrial gold bearing material
Now that we have covered the different places you can find gold you may be intereseted in reading about the historic prices of gold on our gold history graphs post.
We Buy Gold, Platinum And Silver In Any Condition Canada Wide.
If you’re thinking of selling your unwanted gold, platinum or silver remember we buy gold and precious metals Canada wide including:
Ontario On, British Columbia BC, Alberta AB, Saskatchewan SK, Manitoba MB, Quebec QC, Nova Scotia NS, New Brunswick NB, Newfoundland and Labrador NL, Prince Edward Island PEI, Yukon YT, Nunavut and the North West Territories NT
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