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NSW has natural deposits of metallic minerals including gold, copper, silver, lead, zinc and other rarer minerals. Major gold and copper producers in NSW are situated around Orange, Parkes, Cobar and West Wyalong. Silver, lead and zinc continue to be mined at Broken Hill and also at Cobar, for both domestic and export markets.
Metallic minerals have diverse and often vital uses in everyday life, including in electronics, industrial applications, medicine and dentistry and in the making of arts objects and jewellery.
For detailed information about the formation of metallic minerals please visit the Australian Mines Atlas website.
Metalliferous is defined as a substance which bears or produces metal.
In 2010-11, NSW gold production was valued at $1.3 billion.
Most gold mined in Australia today cannot be seen in the rock. It is very fine grained and mostly has a concentration of less than 5 grams in every tonne of rock mined. Primary gold deposits are formed from gold-bearing fluids at sites where the chemistry and physical characteristics permit gold deposition. Primary deposits are often modified by weathering, but secondary deposits are formed only after the complete breakdown of the host rock has occurred. Liberated gold is concentrated in alluvial (placer) deposits.
NSW is currently Australia’s second largest gold producing state, with significant production coming from Cadia Valley Operations near Orange, Northparkes Mines near Parkes and Cowal gold mine near West Wyalong.
Gold has long been a medium of exchange and investment. It is widely used to produce coins such as the Australian Nugget. Governments of most countries include holdings of gold as part of their monetary reserves. Financial institutions and individuals also use gold as a store of wealth.
The main uses of gold are jewellery, dentistry and for artistic purposes. In jewellery, gold is often mixed with other metals to produce alloys of different colours. White gold is an alloy of gold with silver, palladium, nickel and copper. Yellow, green and red golds are produced by alloying gold with copper and silver in different proportions. The gold content of jewellery is expressed as a number of carats - pure gold is said to be 24 carat gold; 18 carat gold contains 18/24 or 75% pure gold.
High electrical conductivity, malleability and ductility favour the use of gold in electronic and computer circuitry, radar equipment and satellites. Because of gold's heat reflecting properties it was used as a film coating on the lunar module, the vehicle which first landed people on the moon. An important and growing use is in the mechanism and circuitry of safety air bags in motor vehicles.
Gold had a significant historical role in Australia, which had its first gold rush in 1851 after the mineral was found near Bathurst in New South Wales. The Bathurst gold rush was followed by discoveries in Victoria. Gold fever drew tens of thousands of immigrants from many parts of the world to the Australian colonies. Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria became sites of major rushes. Later, in the early 1890s, great finds were at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
 Gold
In 2010-11, NSW copper production was valued at $1.4 billion.
Copper was one of the earliest metals used by humans, with evidence of it being used for tools and weaponry as early as 7000BCE. Copper today ranks as the third highest metal consumed after iron and aluminium thanks to its properties of high ductility and malleability and its resistance to corrosion.
NSW is considered one of the lowest-cost copper producing regions in the world. Copper is used extensively in power generation and transmission, telecommunications, electrical products and in electronics.
NSW silver production in 2010-11 was valued at $59 million.
Most of NSW silver production occurs as a by-product of the mining of other metals, particularly the base metals lead and zinc.
Silver was one of the earliest metals used in the manufacturing of coinage, being adopted by the Romans in this way by the year 269BCE. In 1966, the Australian 50 cent round coin was the last locally produced coin to contain silver (80%), along with copper (20%).
Silver is crucial to solar energy production. It is used in 90% of all crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, the most common solar cells. Silver is also used on large silver-coated mirrors which reflect and concentrate solar energy onto collectors that are used to run power generators. Silver is also used in energy efficient windows, electrical appliances, prescription eyeglasses, medical equipment as well as the more traditional products of silverware and jewellery.
In 2010-11, NSW lead production was valued at $184 million.
Lead has been used for well over 7000 years, notably as a building material, as well as for pipes and ammunition.
Lead is currently used extensively in building construction, batteries, medicinal products, x-ray shielding and laboratory equipment for nuclear medicine. It is also a very effective sound insulation material and is used as a non corrosive lining in the manufacture of shipping containers.
Australia is a world-leader in the production of lead.
In 2010-11, NSW zinc production was valued at $239 million.
Zinc has been used for over 2000 years as a component of brass (zinc-copper alloy), but is now most widely used as an anti-rust coating for iron and steel in construction, motor vehicle bodies and roof sheeting.
Zinc is also an essential mineral in sustaining all human, animal and plant life. Its healing properties have been known for over 2000 years and zinc is still used in modern pharmaceuticals to treat a range of medical conditions. Zinc is also significant in the manufacture of skin products, plastics and rubber tyres.
Mineral explorers have discovered significant deposits of rarer metallic minerals - nickel, cobalt and scandium - around Young, Nyngan and Condobolin in western NSW.
Nickel is used for making a vast array of modern products such as stainless steel, coinage, rechargeable batteries, “smart wire” in robotics, magnets, ship propellers and pipelines.
Cobalt belongs to the metallic element of the iron group and is very resistant to corrosion and damage, even at high temperature. Cobalt 60, a radioactive isotope, is used in high energy radiation, which in medicine is used to destroy cancerous tissue. In industry, it is used to detect flaws in metal parts. Cobalt is also used in the manufacture of jet engines and gas turbine parts, as pigment in pottery, glass enamels and paint and in substances that promote the drying in paints, varnishes and printing inks.
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