EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY OF GOLD

2. Occurrence of gold

Fathi Habashi
Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
Fathi.Habashi@arul.ulaval.ca

 Major gold deposits are in the Republic of

South Africa, Russia, Canada, USA and
Australia.
 Ocean water contains 1 ppb gold; gold
from this source is estimated at 64 x 109
tons but uneconomical to extract.

1
Alluvial or placer deposits

 These are formed by mechanical

processes from the weathering and
disintegration of mineral-bearing rocks and
veins. followed by the transportation and
concentration of the freed gold particle by
the action of running water

2
Weathering and disintegration of mineral-bearing rocks

and veins

Transportation and concentration of the freed gold

particle by the action of running water

3
 Metallic and nonmetallic minerals which are highly
resistant to weathering become separated from their
more easily weathered parent rock.
 The main agents which bring about the
disintegration are variations in temperature, the
expansion of water on freezing, erosion due to the
movement of water, and the sandblasting action of
the wind.
 The best conditions for the concentration of gold in
auriferous gravels are when the river gradient is
moderate, under balanced conditions of erosion and
deposition.
 Both gold and silver occur alone but usually
together as an alloy known as electrum.

Auriferous gravel

4
Gold nugget

Gold in quartz veins

 Gold may occur in

quartz veins

5
Microscopic particles embedded in
pyrite or arsenopyrite

 Sometimes the gold particles are so small that

they cannot be seen by microscopic methods.
 To a minor extent, gold occurs as the mineral
calaverite, which is a gold telluride, AuTe2.
 Gold is also a by-product of copper and nickel
refining since it occurs associated with the
sulfide minerals of both metals.