Gold Prospecting

Gold is a rare element in the earth s crust. Abundances vary from 0.001 to 0.006 ppm (g/tonne). How rare gold really is, in comparison with other elements, may be concluded from Table 5.2. 

Gold occurs mostly native as pure gold. The alloy electrum, gold and silver, is not uncommon. Important gold compounds in ores are tellurides of the type (Ag,Au)Te2-They weather easily and the metal is set free. When it occurs in nature the heavy gold is concentrated in some parts of the sediment as gold sand. 

Within the different types there are many subgroups, as illustrated in Table 5.3. 

Gold in complex sulfide ores Gold is impregnated in sulfides of copper, lead or zinc Many deposits, mined for Cu, Pb and Zn are of this type. Gold is an important by-product 

Country Reserves Tonnes Reserve base Tonnes 

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The 510 soil samples were collected in four small grids over known gold prospects at Ohakuri, Wharepapa, Wharepapa NE and Pukemoremore North. 

Gold prospecting in the sixteenth century, as depicted in Agricola s De re metaUica... 

Skanes, M., Kerr, A. and Sylvester, P.J. (2004) The VBE-2 Gold Prospect, Northern Labrador Geology, Petrology and Mineral Geochemistry Report 04-1, Current Research Newfoundland Department of Mines and Energy, Geological Survey, pp. 43-61. 

Bayse, C.A. (2001) Interaction of Dihydrogen with Gold (I) Hydride Prospects for Matrix-Isolation Studies. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 105, 5902-5905. 

Mesozoic volcanic rocks and coeval intrusive complexes within the Quesnel geotectonic terrain of central British Columbia host several major porphyry copper-gold mines. Exploration for new deposits in this region has been met with limited success, because prospective bedrock is mantled by Late Pleistocene glacial sediment (e.g.,till) and Late Olig-ocene to Pleistocene plateau basalt. 

The swimmer s back injury his prospects for a gold medal... 

CROWN MINERALS 2002. Mesothermal gold in New Zealand GIS data package and prospectivity modelling. Crown Minerals, Ministry of Economic Development and Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences. 

Alchemy fell into disrepute in Europe in the Middle Ages because of its obscure symbolism, introduction of irrelevant religious ideas and superstitions, and preoccupation with perfectibility that led to belief in the possibility of the transmutation of metals (as opposed to chemical change). The prospect of changing base metals such as lead into gold attracted all... 

In conclusion, it seems that the greatest prospects in the field of gold chemistry for practical or industrial applications lie in the fields of nanoparticles, catalysis or optoelectronic devices. However, this is very difficult to predict because new compounds and new areas of research always appear in surprising ways in gold chemistry. Thirty years ago no one could have imagined the tremendous development of gold chemistry that has taken place in both basic and applied research. 

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