The Gold Series: Unearthing the World’s Supply (Part 2 of 5)

The Gold Series Part 2: Unearthing the World’s Gold Supply

This infographic, part two in our 2014 Gold Series, covers the full supply picture behind the yellow metal.Within the planet’s crust, there is only 1 gram of gold for every 250 tonnes (550,000 lbs) of earth.

Gold’s rarity means that finding economic deposits is extremely difficult. To understand how gold mining and supply work, we must first unearth how deposits form.

Over time, gold dissolves in hot water deep in the crust under immense pressure. It is then transported and deposited upwards as the water travels up cracks and fissures towards the surface. Generally, the major deposit types include: placer, volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), epithermal, porphyry, carlin-type, and orogenic deposits.

Check out Part 3 of The 2014 Gold Series on rising demand in Asia.

Presented by: Goldcorp

Also made possible by: Falco Pacific, Balmoral Resources, Brazil Resources, Eastmain Resources, and Brixton Metals.