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Gold Rush


            
            
             Necklaces, rings, bracelets, pendants, ear rings, basically any kind of jewelry imaginable can be made out of gold. Gold is a desirable metal as well as an international symbol of wealth. This article made me remember in 3rd grade about how in the early times of pharaohs and the pyramids, Egyptians used gold to decorate the crowns of rulers, tombstones, and other special ornaments. It seems unusual that until recently, gold was the measure of value for all other things. I had no idea that prior to 1933, valuable US Coins were still made of gold. In addition, the concept of paper money was to be used as receipts that could be exchanged for governmental gold and silver. .
             The rapid colonization of the west, in my opinion, was solely due to the '49 gold rush. People thought that they could go out west get rich quick and be on their merry way. The greed for gold and wealth totally ruined the foothills of California in the past and now Nevada's land is being raped of its serenity and natural habitat. Old methods of mining obviously ruined the land as everyone was digging into it. However the methods they used back in the back weren't nearly as dangerous and toxic to the environment as the methods we use today. I would think that in this age of booming technology and having already sent a man on the moon that we could find a smarter, more atmosphere-friendly way to mind gold efficiently than using cyanide. One teaspoon of 2% cyanide solution can kill person, and before people knew it was a hazard, drainage laced with the material was left to break down in open ponds and other bodies of water. Sulfuric acid also is formed from the gold ore being exposed to water and air. The acid then draws arsenic, lead and mercury out of the piles of ore, just to name a few heavy metals. .
             If mining continuities at this rate, it is going to become an even bigger threat to the lives of plants and animals in the area.


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