Mineral Resources and Society Nevada’s New Bonanza
D. D. TRENT
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF THE BIGGEST gold-mining boom in U.S. history. The bonanza is the Carlin Trend, a 50 by 5 kilometer (80 by 8 mi) line of enormous low-grade gold deposits in north-central Nevada. In 2002 the Trend poured its 50 millionth ounce of gold since its discovery in 1962, making it the third location in the world to achieve that milestone. About 20 major mines and several smaller ones, most of them open-pit cyanide heap-leach operations, were mining the Trend in the early twenty-first century. The Trend is a valuable asset to Nevada’s economy, producing nearly 4 million ounces of gold per year, contributing $1.8 billion to Nevada’s economy. It is estimated that there are another 50 million ounces of gold reserves and resources on the Carlin Trend. The Gold Quarry Mine, the largest of Newmont Gold Company’s several openpit mines, is representative of the large mines on the Carlin Trend (◆ Figure 1). Newmont began operations on the Trend in 1965, and the combined 2001 production of its three open-pit mines exceeded 1.5 million ounces. The cost of
Our entire society rests upon—and is dependent upon—our water, our land, our forests, and our minerals. How we use these resources influences our health, security, economy, and well-being. John F. Kennedy, February 23, 1961
Newmont’s Gold Quarry Mine, Carlin, Nevada. Shown are the open pit and mill and concentrator works in the distance.
◆ FIGU R E 1