The gold mining industry is an important
economic contributor by numerous countries around the world. Gold has
been mined on every continent with the exception of Antarctica, but the
top producing countries are China, the United States and Australia.
Other countries with high production include China, Russia, Peru and
Canada. New mining efforts are taking place in places such as Ghana,
Chile, Africa, Latin America and Asia
The gold mining industry has a long and rich history that dates back to
the first millennium.Mining gold can be dangerous, costly and time
consuming. It is estimated that more than 4.97 billion ounces has been
extracted since the beginning of civilization. The first known mine was
in the Kolar Gold Fields as early as the 2nd and 3rd century. Gold was
mined in this area by the royalty of South India in the 11the century,
by the Vijayanagar Empire from 1336 to 1560 and by the British. Today,
there are hundreds of gold mines located throughout the world and
thousands of people who earn a living working in the mines. The largest
are most productive mines are Barrick Gold, Goldcorp, AngloGold Ashanti
and Newmont Mining Corporation.
The gold mining industry uses a
variety of techniques to extract and produce gold. The size and
complexity of the mining operation will determine which method is used
to extract the gold. The first technique is called panning, which is a
manual technique. Gold hunters submerge pans that are filled with gravel
or sand into water and shake it, which separates the gold from the
other material because it settles to the bottom. Another technique is to
use a metal detector, which detects deposits of gold below the surface.
The next technique is sluicing, which uses box with channels set in the
bottom that allow the gold to settle. This is a method commonly used in
small mines and streams. Dredging is a technique that uses small
machines that float on water. Finally, mining techniques include hard
rock mining, byproduct mining and gold ore processing.
Today, the gold mining industry
plays an important role in the global economy because this precious
metal is used in a number of quickly developing technologies. This
includes gold coated electrical connectors used in computers and home
appliances, weather satellites with gold plated shields, laser
technology that uses gold coatings. It is also important in modern
medicine, which uses gold in different procedures that include the
treatment of cancer, viruses, bacterial diseases and even allergies.
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