What is Gold?
Native gold is a dense metallic element mineral, valued for its colour, malleability, crystal forms and role in hydrothermal and placer deposits.
Mineralogy and structure
Reference formula: Au. Gold is a native element with a cubic close-packed structure. Natural specimens commonly contain silver or copper, so fineness and locality are important parts of the description. Gold belongs to the native elements and has a cubic crystal system. Typical hardness is 2.5–3 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 15–19.3.
Colour and appearance
Typical colours include golden yellow, yellow, silver-yellow. The usual cubic, dodecahedral, dendritic, massive habit and metallic lustre are useful descriptive features, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Formation and localities
Gold forms in or is associated with hydrothermal quartz veins, metamorphic shear zones, epithermal systems and placer deposits. Important documented localities include Australia, South Africa, Canada, the United States, Russia, Ghana and Brazil.
Collecting and care
Soft and easily scratched; handle nuggets and wires carefully and keep provenance with the specimen.
