ABSTRACT
Since before recorded time, gold has been mined, collected from alluvial deposits, or separated from the ores of silver, copper, and other metals (Merchant 1998). Gold is the first metal mentioned in the Old Testament in Genesis 2:11 (Petralia 1996). One gold mine in Saudi Arabia has been mined for more than 3000 years (Kirkemo et al. 2001). Artisans of ancient civilizations used gold lavishly in decorating tombs and temples, and gold objects made more than 5000 years ago have been found in Egypt (Kirkemo et al. 2001). Among the most productive gold fields in ancient times were those in Egypt, where in the deep mines the slave laborers were maltreated, and in Asia Minor near the River Pactolus, the source of Croesus’ wealth. The Romans obtained much of their gold from Transylvania (Rose 1948). The gold in the Aztec and Inca treasuries of Mexico and Peru was plundered by the Conquistadors during their explorations of the New World, melted and cast into coins and bars, destroying priceless artifacts of Indian culture (Kirkemo et al. 2001). Slaves were used to mine gold in Brazil from 1690 to 1850 (Lacerda 1997). From 1850 to 1860, gold production in the United States and Australia was at its peak. In the 1890s, the placers (gold-bearing gravels or sand which has eroded from the surrounding mountains) of the Canadian Klondike and Alaska were prominent gold producers. By 1927, the Transvaal (Republic of South Africa) had been the richest gold field in the world for many years, although there were important gold fields on every continent and in most countries (Rose 1948). Major population shifts resulted as gold discoveries were documented in Chile in 1545; in Brazil between 1696 and the 1970s; in Siberia between 1744 and 1866; in the United States in 1799 (North Carolina), 1847 (California), 1858 (Colorado), 1859 (Nevada), 1862 (Idaho), 1864 (Montana), and 1884 (Alaska); in Canada between 1857 and 1896; in Australia between 1850 and 1893; in New Zealand from 1862 to 1865; and in South Africa between 1873 and 1886 (Nriagu and Wong 1997).
