Gold mining

Gold mining is the extraction of <a href="/facts/Gold/1znknojp">gold</a> by <a href="/facts/Mining/g6uDIFab">mining</a>.
Historically, gold mining from <a href="/facts/Alluvium/Bo78QRlp">alluvial</a> deposits used manual separation processes, such as <a href="/facts/Gold_panning/ytbo4Y58">gold panning</a>. The expansion of gold mining to <a href="/facts/Ore/kgc9DssX">ores</a> that are below the surface has led to more complex extraction processes such as pit mining and <a href="/facts/Gold_cyanidation/cfLm9oBQ">gold cyanidation</a>. In the 20th and 21st centuries, large corporations produce the vast majority of the gold mined. However, as a result of the increasing value of gold, there are also millions of small, <a href="/facts/Artisanal_mining/slgBnQfL">artisanal miners</a> in many parts of the <a href="/facts/Global_South/TtdsSbKh">Global South</a>.

As with all mining, <a href="/facts/Mining/g6uDIFab">human rights</a> and <a href="/facts/Environmental_effects_of_mining/wKxxBpIM">environmental issues</a> are important issues in the gold <a href="/facts/Mining_industry/g6uDIFab">mining industry</a>, and can result in <a href="/facts/Environmental_conflict/goRWfTLl">environmental conflict</a>. In mines with less regulation, health and safety risks are much higher.

Gold mining open-in-new

Gold mining