Gold occurrences and history of gold exploration in Scotland by Dr Taija Torvela

This online talk by Dr Taija Torvela takes you on a 200-year journey on gold exploration in Scotland. Gold occurrences in Scotland are widespread and have been well known for centuries. Most gold was found in stream sediments but some gold and silver were also extracted as by-products from mining of other ores, particularly lead. The NW Highlands even experienced its very own "gold rush" in 1869, following the spread of the news that gold had been found in stream sediments near Helmsdale. However, it seems no serious exploration for gold took place: despite some enthusiastic advocates for gold exploration in Scotland the overall consensus in the 19th century was that Scottish gold occurrences were too small to be worth the effort when the deposits in the colonies were much richer and very profitable. Economically potentially viable hard-rock sources for gold were not found until renewed exploration activity in the late 20th century, driven partly by exploration companies and partly by the British Geological Survey, eventually leading into the opening of Scotland's first gold mine near Tyndrum in 2020.