Gold

For ages 7-14. Unlike other metals, such as copper or lead, gold is prized for its beauty and scarcity rather than its usefulness. As a metal, it is too soft to use for tools or weapons, and is used mainly as money, in jewellery, and in electronics as a conductor of electricity. This colourfully illustrated new book describes both the basics of this dazzling metal and our fascination with it throughout history. Topics include: how gold is formed; lode or vein deposits underground and placer deposits in water or dry creek beds; a day in the life of a prospector; gold in history including ancient Egyptian jewellery and alchemists who tried to turn lead into gold in the Middle Ages; the great gold rushes in California, Nevada, the Klondike, Australia, South Africa, and other parts of the world; gold mining methods such as open pit, underground, and hardrock mining; how gold ore is refined; the damage done to the environment by gold mining, such as changing the landscape and wildlife habitats, and waste rock and water pollution from the refining process.Edwards, Ron is the author of 'Gold', published 2004 under ISBN 9780778714453 and ISBN 0778714454.