Gold is a precious metal. It is not common like other metals. It is generally found in mines. It is also found in river-beds.
Gold is found in many parts of the world. It is generally found in
Australia, California in North America and Transvaal in South Africa. In India, gold is chiefly found in Karnataka. The gold-fields of Karnataka are known as the Kolar gold-fields. Gold is also found in the beds of some rivers in India.
Gold is not found in a pure state. It is generally mixed with silver or lead. It is dug out from mines. It is then purified and we get pure gold. In the river-beds, grains of gold are mixed with sand. Sand is washed and we get grains of pure gold.
Gold is a bright and shining metal. It can be beaten into a thin leaf by striking with a hammer. It can also be drawn out into a wire. It can be melted by heating. It does not rust like iron. It is the heaviest of all metals. It can be highly polished. It is not a very hard metal. Hence pure gold is not used for making ornaments or coins. A little silver or copper is mixed with gold to make it hard enough. The mixture is called an alloy.
Gold is useful to us. Ornaments and coins are made of gold. Watches, chains, cups, dishes and many other things are sometimes made of gold. Gold is also used in preparing medicines. It is used as a medium of exchange in international trade. It is used in the famous Ayurvedic medicine called Makaradhwaj. A country with gold mines is rich. Many people work in gold mines. So gold mining is a very useful industry.
