G7/8 Cycle A - 1: Geology: Gold

Dense and lustrous, gold is a precious metal. It is categorized with the Group 11 (Ib) chemical elements in the periodic table. Its chemical symbol is Au. No substance has been more avidly sought throughout history than gold.

People in hard hats working underground is what often comes to mind when thinking about how gold is mined. Yet mining the ore is just one stage in a long and complex gold mining process. Long before any gold can be extracted, significant exploration and development needs to take place, both to determine, as accurately as possible, the size of the deposit as well as how to extract and process the ore efficiently, safely and responsibly. On average, it takes between 10-20 years before a gold mine is even ready to produce material that can be refined.

With a value of about $1,864 per ounce as of September 25, up from an average price of just over $1,500 in early January, even a little gold...