No metal is quite like gold. Because it rarely forms
compounds with other elements, it occurs naturally in
almost pure form, and remains shiny and untarnished for
thousands of years. It was one of the first metals used by
mankind, and some of the world's oldest metal artefacts are
gold. So far, about 150,000 tonnes of gold has been taken
from the ground; a further 2,500 tonnes or so are mined
each year. About a quarter of this is locked up in vaults,
primarily in the USA and Europe, to provide the reserves
against which the world's currencies are valued according to
the Gold Standard. In the past, most gold came from South
Africa, but this required costly, deep mines to be
sunk, such as that at Savuka in Witwatersrand
which is almost 4kml21;i miles deep. In
recentyears, mining companies have begun
towork deposits nearer the surface with
opencast mines in places such as China,
Russia and Australia. The Grasberg gold mine
in Indonesia is now the world's largest. Most
gold is still used for jewellery, but the electronics
industry is consuming increasing amounts for use in
computer and communications technologies.