What Is Gold Ore?

Gold ore is a concentration of gold in rock, particles or flakes in water. Gold ore is only technically considered to be ore if it is feasible to mine it for extraction of the precious metal content.

History

The California Gold Rush began in 1848 and started a flood of prospectors mining and panning for gold ore. By the time the Gold Rush ended around 1855, hundreds of thousands of people had ventured West to seek wealth by prospecting for gold.

Function

Gold is a rare precious metal needed for use in electronics and desired for use in jewelry. Mining for gold ore extracts valuable metals from rock. Modern methods of extracting gold involve leaching using cyanide.

Types

According to miningbasics.com, gold ore is found in various concentrations in rock, gold particles and flakes. Flecks have also been found in streams.

Geography

In the United States, gold-bearing ore has most commonly been found in the Western states, including California, Alaska, Arizona, Montana,and South Dakota. Other countries, such as South Africa, also have significant gold deposits.

Considerations

Before striking out to mine for gold, know that gold mining is expensive, time consuming and risky. If and when you do find gold, recovering the gold from the ore can be dangerous.

References

• Prospecting & Mining Basics

Resources

• Arizona Gold Prospectors
• historichwy49.com