The year 1690 is considered the beginning of the first gold rush. It was called Brazilian. Then 400,000 prospectors and more than half a million slaves went in search of gold. More than three hundred years have passed since that moment. The process of extracting this metal has become much larger and more difficult.
The gold mine is a huge quarry, the width and depth of which vary in size. It should be noted that these objects are significantly inferior in size to the places of extraction of other minerals. For example, the dimensions of a mine in Nevada are one and a half kilometers wide and about five hundred meters deep. And the place of the quarry, where coal is mined many times more. But this does not make the work any less dangerous. As the depth of searches increases, the risk of collapse increases. To prevent this from happening, all the tunnels are reinforced with a metal mesh. The length of the bolts with which it is attached to the rock can be up to 2.5 meters.
Preparatory work
A few dreamy prospectors no longer work in the mines. Now this business is entrusted to highly educated specialists who have been studying all the subtleties of this work for more than one year. In addition, the place itself does not look like a Klondike at all. It is a black, dirty space, and the gold contained in the rock can only be seen under a microscope. That is why, before starting work, laboratory tests are carried out to determine if there is enough metal here.
Mining
In order to deliver the rock with gold to the workshops for its extraction, about 200 tons of stones are exploded. Huge machines are used for clearing and loading. Each of them will be able to lift at least 10-15 tons at a time. Interestingly, there is only 5 g of gold for every ton of debris. But to get them, you need to crush the stones.
They are loaded onto a conveyor and passed through the millstones. Water is added to the crushed rock. The result is a dark slurry. Perhaps that is why the saying appeared: "Where there is dirt, there is money." Then cyanide is added to it. After - coals. The latter absorb gold and chemical. Then the last stage is carried out, at which the concentration of gold is significantly increased. But the way it passes is carefully hidden in order to prevent the influx of low-quality metals.
After that, the solution of coal, cyanide and gold enters the tanks. Steel electrodes are immersed in them, which attract the metal to themselves, leaving unnecessary impurities. This process is called electrolysis. With the help of sulfuric acid, the rods are destroyed. Only gold remains. It is also poured into molds. And only then does it take on a familiar look. But now their purity is only 90%. They will be re-cleaned before being sold.
