Impacts of Gold Mining

Increased fish population.

Clearer water for drinking.

Water becoming untreatable due to earth and mercury.

Improved river ecosystems.

Skin rashes and allergies.

Children falling sick and many people dying.

Increased energy levels.

Improved digestion.

Gold floats to the top of the pan.

Gold is lighter than most minerals, so it stays on top.

Gold is heavier than most minerals, so it sinks to the bottom.

Gold reacts with water to separate from other minerals.

To extract gold directly from the surface.

To identify and test sites that contain enough gold to be profitable.

To purify gold using chemical processes.

To transport mined gold to refineries.

Heart, lungs, and stomach.

Brain, liver, and kidney.

Eyes, ears, and skin.

Bones, muscles, and joints.

Rivers becoming cleaner naturally.

Ghana becoming a major water exporter.

Most rivers going extinct, leading to water importation.

Increased tourism to polluted areas.

Cornstarch; it is highly flammable.

Oxygen; it causes rapid oxidation of gold.

Flux; it leaves behind too many impurities.

Cyanide; it is a poison and an environmental problem.