Precious Metals: Mining Locations

Precious metals are found throughout the world. Typically valued as a commodity, their price is also influenced by supply and demand.

The following precious metals are extremely valuable and are mined in the following areas:

• Platinum – This extremely rare metal is mined in Columbia and in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Ontario, Canada is associated with a large platinum arsenide deposit in the nearby Sudbury Basin. There is also a reserve in the Bushveld Complex of Gauteng, South Africa. Smaller mines are located in the Absaroka Range in Montana and Tamil Nadu, India.
• Rhodium – Very valuable, this is the world’s most rare element. Main mine sources are the Ural Mountains, South Africa and Sunbury, Ontario.
• Gold – Known mainly for jewelry, gold is used in a variety of high-production items and is often considered a valuable investment. Gold mines are found Johannesburg, South Africa, South Dakota, Alaska, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Australia and Russia.
• Iridium – Considered the world’s least abundant resource, the largest iridium mines are in South Africa, Russia and Canada. Smaller reserves may be found in Colombia and the U.S.
• Osmium – This metal is mined in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, Norilsk, Russia and Sudbury, Canada.
• Palladium – Found in Ethiopia, Australia, the Ural Mountains in Russia, Sudbury Basin in Ontario, the Stillwater Igneous Complex of Montana and South America, palladium is highly valued.
• Rhenium – One of the rarest elements, rhenium is found in Chile and Russia.
• Ruthenium – This metal is mined in Russia, Canada, South Africa and South America.
• Germanium – Found mostly in the U.S., Russia and China, this metal is produced from sphalerite.
• Beryllium – This metal is mined in three countries: Kazakhstan, the U.S. and China.
• Silver – Used for thousands of years, silver is used in several industries. Silver is mined in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, China, Chile, Australia, Serbia, Porland, Canada and Argentina.
• Gallium – This metal doesn’t exist in a free form and is extracted from bauxite or sphalerite.
• Indium – This soft metal is found in China, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Bolivia.
• Tellurium – Primary producers of this metal include the U.S., Japan, Canada and Peru.
• Mercury – This toxic substance is used in a variety of products. Many mines have been closed, but China and Kyrgyzstan are primary producers in today’s market.
• Bismuth – Native producers include Bolivia, China and Australia; however, China, Mexico and Belgium also produce bismuth.

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