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Events/Invention · 1887

Cyanide process for gold developed in Scotland

Invention, 1887, United Kingdom.

What happened

USGS says the process of concentrating gold with cyanide was developed in Scotland in 1887 and was used almost immediately on the Witwatersrand. The Johannesburg timeline records the MacArthur-Forrest process arriving there in May 1890, as surface diggings began to run out.1,2,3

Why it matters

USGS says heap leaching with cyanide was proposed in 1969 as a way to treat low-grade ores.1,2,3

Story cards

Around the same time

  1. Fraser River gold rush

    The rush led Britain to create the Colony of British Columbia in 1858, partly from fear of American annexation. The legislature dates this to 2 August and Parks Canada to 19 November (proclamation by Governor James Douglas).4,5,6

  2. George Carmack born

    George Carmack born (date from Wikidata).7

  3. Holtermann reef gold specimen unearthed

    The photographs form part of the Holtermann Collection of goldfield life.8,9

  4. Homestake Mine: inception

    Homestake Mine: inception.10

  5. Gold found on the Witwatersrand

    It created the largest gold field known and Johannesburg.11,12

  6. Cripple Creek gold rush

    Cripple Creek was the last great Colorado gold camp and its mine is still the state's only large gold mine.13,14

  7. Klondike Gold Rush begins

    Klondike Gold Rush begins.15

  8. Nome gold rush

    The NPS describes the Nome strikes as the end of the American gold rush trail.16,17

Open the full timeline

Where next

People

InspiredJohn Stewart MacArthurHis 1890 demonstration lifted recovery from complex ores from about 45 to 98 per cent.18Discovered byRobert Wardrop ForrestA Glasgow doctor who helped crack refractory gold ore.18Discovered byWilliam ForrestThe process carries his name beside MacArthur's.18

Mines

Located inWitwatersrand main reef mines, 1886 to 1887The MacArthur-Forrest process reached the Witwatersrand in May 1890.1

Events

ExamplesBaia Mare cyanide spillCyanide came into gold mining in 1887. In 2000 a dam breach at Baia Mare released cyanide.19Came out ofWitwatersrand gold rushCyanide reached the Rand in May 1890, as the surface diggings began to run out.1

Sources

  1. Cyanide hazards to plants and animals from gold mining and related water issues (publication page) US Geological Survey
  2. Johannesburg Timeline 1800-1991 South African History Online
  3. Scotland (item Q22), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  4. Fort Langley National Historic Site: History Parks Canada
  5. 1858: The Mainland of British Columbia Becomes a Crown Colony Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
  6. Fort Langley National Historic Site (item Q1282806), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  7. Wikidata item Q720659 (George Carmack)
  8. The Holtermann Collection State Library of New South Wales
  9. Hill End (item Q14202724), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  10. Wikidata item Q2351504 (Homestake Mine: inception)
  11. Discovery of the Gold in 1884 South African History Online
  12. Johannesburg (item Q34647), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  13. Cripple Creek Colorado Encyclopedia
  14. Cripple Creek (item Q117605), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  15. Wikidata item Q631489 (Klondike Gold Rush begins)
  16. Cape Nome Mining District Discovery Sites National Historic Landmark US National Park Service
  17. Nome Gold Rush (item Q7048516), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  18. MacArthur papers: John Stewart MacArthur Balliol College Archives, Oxford
  19. Cyanide Spill at Baia Mare, Romania: UNEP/OCHA Assessment Mission report UNEP / UN OCHA via ReliefWeb

Pictures on this page: Jsmacarthur-X-007r.jpg, Elliott & Fry according to verso jsmacarthur-X-007v on flickr (Public domain).

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Pictures: Pangkalpinang. Mijn 3b. Een reeks koelies bezig met het transporteeren van grond, Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Timna in de Negevwoestijn; rotspartij "de zuilen van Salomo", Poll, Willem van de / Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Mijnramp Bois du Caizier, Marcinelle, België. Schacht, Rossem, Wim van / Anefo / Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0); NASA's ASTER Shows Brazilian City After Dam Disaster, NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (Public domain (NASA media, no copyright)).