Newmont Mining Corporation: How Gold is Made

gold mining has changed dramatically in the last 150 years in the heady days of the gold rush a person could pan or sluice in a stream for nuggets of gold today mining is a large-scale activity that involves a lot of talented men and women large earth-moving equipment and sophisticated processes but gold isn't as easy to get as it was in the gold rush days quite often deposits mined today contain only microscopic bits of gold invisible to the naked eye so many tons of rock have to be mined and processed to produce gold that you can see in use that's why modern gold mines are typically large it's also why so many people work at the mines mines offer a spectacular array of jobs and opportunities the active life of a mine can range from a few years to more than 50 years workers safety is of the utmost importance and the industry is very strong today we're going to show you an active modern goldmine mine goes through four stages or life cycles first there is exploration of new gold deposits second there is mine planning third there is mining and processing and finally there is reclamation before any actual mining can begin a process known as exploration has to happen geo scientists study the earth and its geological makeup to look for signs of gold deposits geologists are people who study rocks and the earth these people are the ones who helped start the mining process first they study rocks and make maps of a region as they progress they use more complex methods of finding out what is below the surface of the earth using geophysics and geochemistry geologists start creating maps that show their estimate of a potential gold deposit to test the estimate poles are drilled to identify where gold is concentrated after collecting enough samples and data the geologists can generate a 3d model of the ore body this model shows areas within the ground that contain various concentrations of gold with this model geologists and mine engineers can define a mine plan mine planning is a complex and sophisticated process it involves experts in nearly every field every cost is calculated and every detail is evaluated in addition environmental conditions and resources are considered during the exploration and mine planning stage an environmental baseline is taken of the proposed area of the mine this environmental information is used to determine potential impacts to the land develop reclamation plans and prepare permit applications before mining begins permits covering all aspects of the mine must be issued this information is also used to determine the impact on people and the local communities mines take an active role in communicating with local organizations and groups who have a vested interest in the company and the operations the relationship between a mine and a community is very important using the geologic model a blasting plan is developed this plan is used by the drill and blast crews to layout and drill a pattern that will safely and effectively fracture the rock for mining drill rigs drill hundreds of holes in a specific pattern for the blast then the blast crew loads each hole with a blasting agent called ANFO or ammonium nitrate and fuel oil the blast Foreman clears the area sets up roadblocks to ensure worker safety starts the warning siren and calls fire in the hole the blast fractures thousands of tons of material hydraulic shovels and front-end loaders load the rock in the haul trucks these haul trucks hold about 240 tons of ore that's 480 thousand pounds that's as heavy as 200 cars or is rock that contains a concentration of a valuable mineral in this case gold that can be mined at a profit because the geologists studied the rock before the blast they know which areas of the blasted material contain high or low grade ore while our material may look similar the concentrations or grade of or within the material are different the people who work in the assay lab determine these differences by subjecting or samples to various tests high-grade ore has more gold particles than low-grade ore grade is used to determine how the ore will be mined and processed ores can also vary in chemical makeup these factors also play a big part in determining how the ore is processed so that's why each block of ore in a mine is referred to by its grade Rock not containing sufficient concentrations of gold is referred to as waste rock each block is mined out separately and delivered by haul trucks to a specific area of the mine site for processing or placement in a waste rock facility if the ore is low-grade then it goes to a leach pad if it is high-grade then it goes to a mill autoclave roaster or other processing facility a leach pad is a large pile of low-grade ore carefully constructed on top of a specially designed liner that looks like a giant thick sheet of black plastic this impermeable liner and the deep layers of other dense materials on which it lays prevent the leaching solution from entering the ground below a long network of hoses drips a weak cyanide solution onto the or the gold in the ore is dissolved by the cyanide solution and trickles down to the bottom of the pad the solution collects in a man-made reservoir and is then pumped through a series of tanks containing carbon particles the dissolved gold sticks to the carbon particles which are later separated from the gold in a stripping process the resulting gold solution moves on to another process stage high-grade ore is sent to either a mill autoclave or roaster the mill grinds the ore into a fine sand to prepare it for the final processing stages that turn the scattered invisible gold particles and to solve it masses of gold that you can see some gold or needs more processing before it can go through these final stages which include a form of carbon leaching similar to that used for the lower grade or from the leach pads this is the case for ore that has sulfites in the rock making it untreatable in the mill the roaster removes the sulfides so the ore can be effectively processed through carbon leaching process facilities like a roaster generate tremendous Heat water that is circulated through the plant to help control temperatures often generates large amounts of steam like you see here an autoclave is used to remove sulfides from certain types of ore the auras first wet ground and then put through the autoclave where high heat and pressure are applied eventually all processed or ends up in a solution called a slurry which moves through a series of tanks containing a mixture of weak cyanide solution and carbon the gold bonds to the carbon which is separated from the slurry the carbon now loaded with gold is further processed to remove the gold and put it into solution the gold solution is then sent through a circuit where the gold is recovered through an electrochemical process similar to the process used to make chrome-plated car parts the recovered gold is then melted in a furnace at 2100 degrees Fahrenheit and pour it into molds to form gold bars however these bars called door a bars are a mixture of about 85% gold and 15% silver they are sent to a European refinery to be refined into pure gold bullion areas that are no longer needed for mining are reclaimed when possible this reclamation is done concurrently or while mining continues nearby after mining ends the entire mined site is reclaimed or returned to a natural-looking appearance so that after a few years it will be difficult to tell that any mining took place at all Gold is a vital important metal around 70% of gold demand is for jewelry 11% is for industrial use in fields such as dentistry and electronics and 13% is used for gold bars and gold coins that institutions and individuals use for investment gold is used for all sorts of medical and technological applications almost all electronic consumer items like mobile phones computers and flat-screen televisions contain a small amount of gold which is critical to the reliable and efficient function of the equipment the chips and contacts found in a car's anti-lock braking system all contain gold as do the electronics controlling the inflation of car airbags in the event of a crash smoke detectors routinely used in millions of households to protect against fire contain a gold alloy placed between layers of another metal it's fair to say that without the use of gold all these products would be much less efficient and reliable than they are now mining is a business that needs the dedicated minds and hands of thousands of people each person on a mine site holds an important job that is crucial to the mining process without this skilled group of hard-working people mining just wouldn't work as you have just seen mining involves many steps every part of the process is important in producing gold and the final product is well worth the hard work thank you for watching this brief presentation on how gold is produced we hope you take the time to learn more about mining and its opportunities

Channel: Newmont Corporation

Views: 159,974

Rating: 4.661098 out of 5

Keywords: Newmont, Newmont Mining, Newmont Mining Corporation, gold mining, gold, copper mining, copper, silver mining, silver, sustainability, sustainable mining, mining sustainability, gold company, gold mine, gold mines, Mining (Industry), Mine

Id: 2ERb87Zphhc

Length: 15min 15sec (915 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 29 2014

Reddit Comments

[u/zaures]

Gold isn't "made".

[u/dbu8554]

Got tired of hearing about all the jobs and stuff at mines.

[u/VolvoKoloradikal]

Man, mining geology is so much easier than what we have to do in Oil haha