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What is it and where is it formed?
Gold is a valuable, yellow
metal. Gold is usually in
metamorphic rock but
sometimes is found in
sedimentary ones, too. It is
found in underground
veins of rock where the inside of the
Earth heats the water that flows through the rock.
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How and where is it mined?
Gold is mined using
placer
mining,
open pit, and
hard rock mining. Gold is found
in veins of rock and at the bottom of rivers and streams.
It can be found as small nuggets or flakes, but sometimes it
is in gold ore. You can’t see the gold in gold ore.
The ore is crushed until it is like sand. There is a
long chemical process that separates the gold from the ore.
Gold is mined in: South Africa, The United States
[Nevada, California], Australia, Canada, and China. |
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What is it used for? Gold is used in jewelry, money,
computers, TVs, dentistry, and electronics. |
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Interesting!
If you look really closely at gold jewelry, it will show
what kind of gold is in it. If it says 24k [24 carats], it means that it is
pure gold. If it says 18k, 14k, or 10k, it means that some other metal has been
added to the gold. Other metals are added to gold so that it is harder. |
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Vein of gold |
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Mineral Characteristic |
What the
mineralogists say |
Kid's Guide: What it REALLY
means! |
| Chemical Symbol |
Au |
Gold
is an element in the
Periodic Table of Elements. That means that it is
pure with nothing else mixed in it. |
| Color |
Bright yellow |
Gold
is a bright yellow color. |
| Streak |
Golden yellow |
If
you crush gold, its dust will always be yellow. |
| Transparency |
Opaque |
You
can’t see through gold. |
| Luster |
Metallic |
It
is a shiny metal. |
| Cleavage |
None |
If
it is broken, it doesn’t split cleanly. |
| Fracture |
Jagged |
If
it is shattered or broken, the small pieces are pointy
and sharp. |
| Magnetism |
None |
Will
not attract, or be attracted to, a magnet. |
| Hardness |
2.5
– 3 |
It
is soft and can be shaped easily. |
| Specific gravity |
15 –
19 |
It
is a very, very heavy metal. |
| Crystal Shape |
Cubic, usually found in
nuggets or small grains. |
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Gold Rushes
occurred when lots of people found out that gold
was found somewhere and everyone traveled to that place to find some, too.
Thousands of people might go to an area where gold was found, hoping to get
lucky and find some.
Click here to visit our Gold Rush page. |
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Links:
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Citations:
Canipe, Steve.
vein.jpg. 04/05/2003. Pics4Learning. 20 Dec 2005. <http://pics.tech4learning.com>.
Fuller, Sue.
Rocks & Minerals. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
“Gold.” 21
Oct. 2005. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photogold.html>.
“Gold.” 21
Oct. 2005. <http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/gemstone/gold/gold.htm>.
“Gold.”
World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.
Pellant,
Chris. Rocks and Minerals.
New York:
Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
Zim, Herbert
S. Rocks and minerals: a guide to familiar minerals, gems,
ores and rocks.
New York:
Golden Press, 1957. |
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