Gold :: science

specie specious was discovered around three hundred0 BC to 1200 BC. Gold probably was found on the ground and consumptiond by prehistoric man as a tool. Highly sophisticated specious art objects and jewelry discovered by archaeologists in the Royal Tombs at Ur, in what is now Southern Iraq, realize back to around 3000 BC. Similarly, luckysmiths of the Chavin purification in Peru were making ornaments by hammering and embossing gold by 1200 BC. Where and abundance in nature Since gold is twain durable and carefully guarded, most of the gold that has been taken from the Earth til now exists. Much of it has been buried again in underground vaults, where it is held in political relation monetary reserves. In 1990 the bullion reserves of the free world were estimated to extreme some 43,000 tons. Of this, the United States held 11 percent. Gold reserves of South Africa were estimated at some 20,000 tons. Despite the prevalence of antihoarding laws, another 50,000 tons were beli eved to be in camera held. People are willing to take enormous risks and short- destination financial losses to hoard gold against the possibility of fiscal inflation . The stay put of the worlds accumulated gold was held in official stocks by central banks or was industrially employed or lost. Today gold may be bought and sold on many markets. The largest is in London, England. Others exist in some(prenominal) nations of continental Europe, in the Middle East, and in Asia. Past and Current use Gold probably was found on the ground and used by prehistoric man as a tool. Highly sophisticated gold art objects and jewelry discovered by archaeologists in the Royal Tombs at Ur, in what is now Southern Iraq, date back to around 3000 BC. Similarly, goldsmiths of the Chavin civilization in Peru were making ornaments by hammering and embossing gold by 1200 BC. Gold is usually alloyed in jewelry to give it more strength, and the term carat describes the amount of gold present (24 carats is pure gold). It is estimated that all the gold in the world, so far refined, could be placed in a single cube 60 ft. on a side. It is metallic, with a yellowness color when in a mass, but when finely divided it may be black, ruby, or purple. It is the most malleable and ductile metal 1 ounce (28 g) of gold can be beaten out to 300 square feet.