GOLD Online Resources

Part of the Gold exhibition.

From the American Museum of Natural History:

OLogy
ology.amnh.org
Explore the Museum's website for kids for information and activities on geology, natural resources, archaeology, and more. Check out the features titled Earth: Our World in Motion, Archaeology: Clues from the Past, and What's This?.
Science Explorations Web Quests
teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorations/webquests.htm
Go on this virtual trip to the Museum to learn more about gold and investigate other precious minerals and metals from the Earth.

Science:

Archimedes: The Golden Crown
math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Crown/CrownIntro.html
A math-based reference that investigates the truth and tall tales behind Archimedes' uncovering of a fraudulent gold crown in 1 B.C.
Chemicool: Interactive Periodic Table of Elements
www.chemicool.com/
The graphic base of this website is the periodic table. Click on any element to see its physical and chemical properties.
The Educator's Reference Desk: Mineral Identification Lab
https://eduref.org/lessons/science/glg0201
This lesson plan has students grades 6-12 use the Amethyst Galleries' database web site (no real minerals necessary) to identify minerals based on properties such as streak, hardness, and color. Using what they have learned, students must then identify the difference between gold and pyrite.
New York Mineralogical Club: New York City Mineral Specimens
http://www.dukelabs.com/ImageGalleries/NYC_Minerals/NYCmins.html
The New York Mineralogical Club has put its collection online. Students may be surprised to find what specimens have been unearthed from the crystalline bedrock underlying this urban landscape.

Cultural:

Anistoriton: Oldest gold found in Varna, Bulgaria
www.anistor.co.hol.gr/english/enback/o033.htm
Varna's place in early history (4500-4000 BCE) is explored with these ancient gold discoveries from a Bulgarian cemetery. Beautiful photos.
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Timeline of Art History
www.metmuseum.org/toah/
The Met's award-winning website has plenty of resources about gold and other precious metals the world over. Search for "gold."
New York Times: The Cost of Gold
www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2005/10/25/international/20051025_GOLD_FEATURE.html
www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2005/10/24/international/20051024_GOLD_FEATURE.html
These terrific interactives explore the current-day state and consequences of gold and gold mining around the world, explaining why it takes 30 tons of rock to extract an ounce of gold.
No Dirty Gold
www.nodirtygold.org/
This advocacy campaign is a joint effort between Earthworks and Oxfam America. Its goal is to alert consumers and retailers to the environmental, economic, and social issues of gold mining.
PBS: Archives of the West 1848-1856
www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/three/
Explore photography, journal entries, and other documents of California gold rush prospector William Swain.
PBS Frontline: Peru-The Curse of Inca Gold
www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/peru404
This site accompanies the 2005 PBS production on the Yanacocha gold mine in Peru, which is operated by Newmont Mining Corporation, the largest gold mining company in the world. The site contains articles on the history and the environmental costs of gold mining and links to resources on both gold and Peru.
United States Geological Survey: Gold
pubs.usgs.gov/gip/prospect1/goldgip.html
This article provides a history of gold as well as information about mining locations in the United States.
World Gold Council
www.gold.org
This website, funded by gold mining companies, covers industrial uses of gold as well its use in the ancient world, gold production throughout history, and jewelry-making methods. The site also includes a chronology of the role of gold in the international monetary system.