Where is Gold Found? The top producers of precious metals worldwide
Gold is a universally known metal that influences all of our lives, but all of us have at some time or another wondered where gold is from. After all, It doesn't just magically appear as a ring on your finger, or as a bullon bar in a vault somewhere. Gold needs to be found and taken from the ground before it can be turned into such treasures.
The top source of gold in the world over the last 120 years has been The Witwatersrand basin in South Africa. Also known as "The Rand", it supplied 40% of the world's gold during that period. A large portion of the world's unmined gold is thought to remain there, with some scientists suggesting the portion is up to one third.
Where do we find gold? Primarily China, USA, South Africa, and Australia.After South Africa, the next biggest producer of gold has been the US. Especially the state of Nevada which is the top producer within the US, but also states such as California, Alaska, and Colorado.
Next in line after the USA is Australia, the 3rd largest gold producing nation on earth. The initial discovery of gold was in New South Wales near the town of Ophir and these days is mostly mined in the Goldfields Esperance and Pilbara areas (in Western Australia), and at Bendigo (Victoria province).The hugest open-air mine in the Land Down Under is the "Super-Pit" gold mine near the town of Kalgoorie a settlement in the Goldfields Esperance area, and stretches over 8 square kilometers. It is an incredible thing to view from above.
The above three countries have been the biggest gold producing nations over the last century. But if we examine only the current year's gold production, then China has become the biggest gold-producing country, taking South Africa's number one status in 2007. Other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia actually have more extensive gold reserves than China. But the cheaper cost of workers and of production in China, as well as increases in the degree of foreign investment in China,have propelled China's production rate ahead of the other more naturally abundant countries.
Where is gold found? Find more detailed answers to that question and others at
The Gold Market blog.
