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5 miles long
15 miles long
50 miles long
Correct!
Gold is very ductile. Thin gold wires are used in many everyday objects, including computers and other electronic equipment.
Definition: precious metal used in jewelry, coins, and industry
Chemical symbol: Au (from the Latin "aurum", meaning "glowing dawn")
Color: golden yellow in its pure state
Properties: extremely dense, malleable, metallic luster, soft, excellent conductor of electricity and heat.
World's leading producers of gold: Republic of South Africa, Australia, and the United States
One ounce of gold can be drawn into a thin gold wire that's:
Most of the yearly gold supply is used for:
financial transactions
jewelry
medical and dental procedures
Correct!
About 78 percent of the yearly gold supply is made into jewelry. Gold is an ideal metal for jewelry because of its shine, color, and resistance to corrosion. However, pure gold is too soft for jewelry, so it's often mixed with stronger metals.
In recent years, a "green gold" movement has emerged, which advocates for:
mixing gold with barium to create gold with a greenish hue
the use of emeralds rather than gold as currency
ecological and mining practices
Correct!
The toxic chemicals used to extract gold from the rocks can be devastating if it leaks into the environment. "Green gold" is produced from cleaner mining practices that prevent toxins from reaching groundwater.
Most gold is found as "nuggets," or solid lumps of gold, in riverbeds and streambeds.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Gold nuggets are solid lumps of gold, but they are very rare—making up less than two percent of all native gold ever mined. Most gold is extracted from underground mines.
Gold is always golden yellow.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Pure gold is the only metal that is yellow. When mixed with other metals, the color of gold changes. It can be white, yellow, blue, purple, pink, and brown!
White gold and platinum are terms for the same metal.
Fact
OR
Fiction
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Fiction
White gold and platinum are both silvery metals, but they are very different. Platinum is a pure metallic element. White gold is an alloy of the elements gold, silver, and palladium.
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Gold has a unique combination of physical and chemical properties. This yellow metal is highly reflective, an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, very dense yet soft, and malleable.
„
Jim Webster, Earth scientist