To: goldsheet who wrote (80407 ) 12/31/2001 11:40:30 PM From: E. Charters Respond to They say 50% of all gold has been mined since the last 100 years. 80 years have mined 1000 tons per year. in the last 20 we have mined 2000 tons per year. (And sold 4000 per year) So 100,000 tons appear to have been mined in the modern age. That would make it 200,000 tons in all time. But the Peruvians mined almost 7 million ounces per year for 300 years. (71,700 tons) So the figure may have to be adjusted upwards as the ancients were not that less productive than us given their heavy emphasis on placers. Truly, an unknown amount was mined in Southern China as they exploited placers in SE China, Borneo and Malaysia with a large population for 4 thousand years! At .025 ounce of gold, per day per man for one million people, working 3 months of the year, the Chinese produce 154,000 tons in all time. (The Peruvian population mined gold exclusively for 3 months per year in placers. That is 12 million people. The figure is not exagerrated.) It may be then, that in ancient times were mined perhaps 350,000 tons, and in modern times about 100,000 tons. 450,000 tons is 13 billion ounces Troy.
