Why some places have more gold deposits?

Gold is a precious metal that is highly sought after ever since man came to know of its existence. Over time, it has come to play a crucial role in the economy and is believed to be the most stable commodity one can invest it. The belief that 80 per cent of the gold mother lode has yet to be tapped still has many people spending their entire lives prospecting for gold. There are several companies that do so as well. However, gold is not something that is easily found in all places. There are a few areas that have a strong concentration and here is why.

You may have heard of gold prospectors who wade into river beds and use pans to find gold. Streams that are placed close to volcanic beds, tectonic plates and areas that have undergone a great deal of erosion have better chances of containing gold. The reason for this is that gold has a very high level of activation, which means that it needs very high temperatures for various elements to react and form gold. These high temperatures are provided by volcanic activity that takes place near the earth’s core. With the movement of the plates, this gold gets carried to the surface and often finds an outlet through river beds. Since gold is by far the heaviest metal among silver, copper and bronze, it tends to stand out when a person pans water for gold.

In rivers, one of the best places to look for gold is often in nooks and corners or around bends where the river turns. These form small eddies which tend to store more gold considering that the weight of the precious metal will not allow it to flow into the mail river. Areas that have deposits of granite are also good producers of gold since metals like silver, platinum and gold tend to form and then fill fissures that are created when hard materials like granite are formed. They manifest themselves as streaks of yellow. Empty river beds are another area gold is found in plenty. Considering its weight, there is a tendency for it to sink just below the surface of the residue and a bit of dredging is needed to coax it out of the ground.

Looking for gold needs a lot of patience coupled with a good amount of research. The presence of gold can now be easily detected with a variety of the technical instruments that have been developed.