In the 6,000 years a little over 125,000 tonnes of gold was extracted. But this story is clearly divided into two eras: before and after the race for gold in California in 1848. Some calculations indicate that up to that time, nearly 10,000 tons of gold have been unearthed since the dawn of time. In this way, over 90% of the world gold has been produced since 1848.
figure Gold via phongpo
The beginning of gold mining by the Egyptians around 2000 BC (in areas that are now Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia), it is considered that did not produce more 1 tonne per year. Maybe 5-10 were manufactured during the Roman Empire (mainly from Spain, Portugal and Africa), but in the darkness of the Middle Ages (500-1400 AD) production from the mountains Central Europe, probably fell to less than one tonne. Throughout this period he was also the gold is mined and worked in South America, where the art of jewelry has reached a very high level.
Since the mid-15th century Gold Coast in West Africa (now known as Ghana) have become an important source of gold, may provide 8.5 tons per year. In the early 16th century Spanish conquest of Mexico and Peru have opened an additional source of gold. For nearly 17 centuries, from 1910 to 1912 tonnes per year were provided by the Gold Coast and in South America as well. Gold was discovered in Brazil in the mid - 16th century, but production does not seem important until the early 18th century, began a major supply comes from Russia, and an annual world production increased to 25 tons. In 1847, a year before the gold rush in California, Russian production has represented from 1930 to 1935 tonnes of the global total of about 75 tons. Gold rushes, and later discoveries in South Africa has radically changed the image of Russian production, but continues to grow, reaching about 60 tons in 1914.
The turning point in the history of gold mining came with the discovery in Sutter's Mill in the American River in January 1848, which launched a new era gold. Now gold mining has taken an entirely different dimension. California has increased, reaching 77 tons in 1851 (Golden Age, Australia) and peaked in 1853 at 93 tons. Australian gold rush to find the place, who have not reached a climax in 1856 with 95 tons. Global production at this time is spent at 280 tons in 1852 and further to nearly 300 tonnes of Australia has prospered.
Production has been raised to a higher level in 1886 with the discovery of gold in the huge pool of coral Witwatesrand of South Africa. Gold was first recognized in the eastern Transvaal in 1873, but initially it was evident that the Witwatersrand deposits have been completely different order. South Africa ousted the United States, the world's premier in 1898, a position held almost without interruption until today. In 1884, the first year of their recordings, in South Africa is the source of about 40% of all gold ever produced. The most productive year in 1970, when more than 1,000 tons mined, which represents more than three-quarters of the western world production.
Although South Africa's gold mining start-up, two other gold rushes up. In 1893, gold was found in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, since then, more than 1,300 tons have been extracted in the form of Kalgoorlie's Golden Mile "alone. Australian production peaked in 1903 at 119 tons, has not yet reached the level of 1988. In 1896, the alluvial deposits in the Yukon Territory in Canada, to open the Gold Rush, which has 75 tons over the next three years. At the turn of the century, world production has averaged 400 tonnes per year.
For most of the twentieth century, gold mining was in decline in many countries. There was a brief revival after the rise in the price of gold at the end of 1930, 1940, U.S. production of 155 tons, and the following year, Canadian production reached 172 tons, a record that was up 'in 1991. But it was the dramatic increase in prices of 1980, the industry experienced another transformation. old mines have been reactivated, and research activity has exploded.
World production of the West in 1980 has almost doubled from 962 tonnes in 1980 to about 1744 tons ten years later. A new era of gold rushes up, with prospectors swarming alluvial deposits in various countries such as Brazil, Venezuela and the Philippines. Serra Pelada in Brazil has been one of the richest gold deposits ever found, which gives 13 tons in 1983 alone.
Application of new technologies in mining, milling recovery and contributed to the growth. They have allowed the development of deposits that were deemed unprofitable, particularly in Nevada, USA, over 60% of the U.S. in late 1980, Western Australia.
Canadian production over the next three years, has increased the price of gold, 51.6 tonnes in 1980 to 175.3 tonnes in the peak in 1991. The industry is more traditional, mines, and not mine. The most important new discoveries in the Hemlo area in northern Ontario, the three mines produce about 35 tons per year.
Possibilities for the future of the mine are encouraging, particularly low-grade epithermal deposits of the Pacific "Rim" fire in the greenstone belt of South America, sub-Saharan Africa (including Ghana), the CIS republics such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Although the industry has faced serious challenges in the early 1990s, a discount to gold and stricter controls on the environment, prices rose after 1993 provided a new incentive. Exceed a period of rapid growth, but with less output of South Africa, world production should remain stable.
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