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GOLD AND SILVER

MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE PHILIPPINES

BY: ANADON AND GILIG

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Introduction to Gold and its uses Next
 Introduction to Gold and its uses Next

GOLD
Gold has been known and highly valued from earliest times because of its beauty and resistance to corrosion. It is also
easier to work than all other metals, being the most ductile and malleable. In addition, gold is easier to obtain in pure
form than the other metals. Because of these characteristics and its relative rarity, gold has been used as currency
and as a basis for international monetary transactions.

Because of these characteristics and its relative rarity, gold has been used as currency and as a basis for international
monetary transactions. The unit used in weighing gold is the troy ounce; 1 troy ounce is equivalent to 31.1 grams.

Despite its wide global distribution, gold is a rare metal, being 75th in order of abundance among the
elements in the earth’s crust. It is almost always associated with varying amounts of silver.

Despite its wide global distribution, gold is a rare metal, being 75th in order of abundance among the
elements in the earth’s crust. It is almost always associated with varying amounts of silver.

The naturally occurring gold-silver alloy is called electrum.

 Introduction to Gold and its uses Next

Did you know that Scientists believe all the on

Earth formed in supernovae and neutron star collisions
that occurred before the solar system formed?
 Introduction to Gold and its uses Next

ORES OF GOLD
Calaverite
Calaverite, or gold telluride, is
an uncommon telluride of gold,
a metallic mineral with the
chemical formula AuTe2.
Gold also occurs in telluride (tellurium-bearing) minerals such as
calaverite and sylvanite along with silver, and in the mineral nagyagite
along with lead, antimony, and sulfur. It occurs with mercury as gold
amalgam. It may be occasionally present in the sulfide minerals pyrite,
galena and sphalerite.

Sylvanite
Seawater also contains gold of up to 9 billion metric
Sylvanite or silver gold
tons, but its recovery is yet to be economically
telluride, chemical formula
feasible!! (Ag,Au)Te 2, is the most
common telluride of gold.
 Introduction to Gold and its uses Next

In 50 BC the Romans began

issuing a gold coin called the
USES OF GOLD
The major portion of the gold produced is used in coinage and jewelry, in
Aureus which it is alloyed with other metals to give it the necessary hardness

Green gold used in jewelry contains copper and silver; white gold contains
zinc and nickel, or platinum metals. Gold is also used in the form of gold
leaf in the arts of gilding and lettering. Purple of Cassius, a precipitate of
finely divided gold and stannic hydroxide formed by the interaction of
auric chloride and stannous chloride, is used in coloring ruby glass.

Gold is used in printed circuit

Chlorauric acid is used in photography for toning silver images. Potassium
boards, cell phones, computer
gold cyanide is used in electrogilding. Gold is also used in dentistry.
chips (CPU), connectors and
Radioisotopes of gold are used in biological research and in the treatment
fingers.
of cancer.
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Gold and its History in the Philippines Next
 Gold and its History in the Philippines Next

HISTORICAL SUMMARY
Gold mining is an important activity in the Philippines that dates back long before the establishment of the Spanish settlements in the
country in the 1500’s. The most well recorded indications of this activity in early times are the crude tunnels and stopes in Baguio and
Masbate where 14th century Chinese artifacts have been found (Philippine Mining Yearbook, 1939 in Balce, 1978). This is substantiated by
reports of Spanish expeditions in the 1570’s which noted extensive gold placer mining in Paracale, Masbate, Baguio, Surigao and Cagayan
de Oro (Ingersoll, 1939 in Balce, 1978).

Pre-Colonial Pre-War Post-War

In the pre-colonial times, gold mining The arrival of the Americans in the late The mining industry in the Philippines
activities were confined to primitive 19th century introduced systematic experienced its first gold boom in the
excavation of high-grade surface exploration and modern mining 1930s, with the Baguio District
outcrops or panning of placer deposits methods in the Philippines. producing PHP189,000,000 worth of
along river deltas by the Igorots, a tribe Infrastructure improvements, such as gold by 1938, equivalent to 2,700,000
in the Baguio Mineral District. These Benguet Road, accelerated gold mining ounces. Several gold mines, including
early miners have been acknowledged, in the Baguio District, while new Benguet Consolidated and Baguio
even until today as the best in their technologies like dredging, flotation, Gold, were operational during this
craft. and cyanidation enabled large-scale period. The industry continued to
extraction across the archipelago. This thrive until the outbreak of war in 1941,
led to the formation of Benguet when 41 mines were producing over
Consolidated Mining Corporation in 30,000 kg of gold annually, with a total
1903, with production starting in 1906. milling capacity of 14,310 tons of ore
per day.
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Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GOLD RESERVES
Estimates of gold ore reserves, as of 1996 amounted to 162.8
million metric tons with a weighted average grade ranging from
0.05 – 20.00 % g Au / MT. Positive ore reserves constituted 76.9
million MT with a weighted average grade ranging from 0.05 –
20.00 % g Au / MT. Probable ore reserves totaled 56.9 million MT
with a weighted average grade ranging from 1.22 – 17.00 % g Au
/ MT. Possible ore reserves were reported to be 29.0 million MT
with a weighted average grade ranging from 1.16 – 22.39 % g Au /
MT.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GENERAL OCCURRENCE AND

DISTRIBUTION
Gold and silver deposits in the Philippines are widely
distributed within the archipelago (Figure beside).
These are primarily related to magmatism, which
characterizes several arc systems that evolved since
the Late Cretaceous to the present. Mitchell and
Leach (1991) noted the apparent relationship of
mineralization to the Philippine Fault. However, any
such relationship appear to be indirect, as most
orebodies and major prospects are not situated at the
main fault trace, but rather, along or within tensional
splays oblique to the Philippine fault zone (Quebral,
1994).

Two major magmatic arcs, the

Western Luzon and Eastern Philippine
arcs, are the most prolific gold
producers in the country.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GENERAL OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION

The Philippines' main gold-producing areas include one gold province and three gold districts. The gold
districts are the Baguio-Mankayan district in Luzon, the Camarines Norte district in southeastern Luzon,
and the Masbate district in Masbate Island. The Eastern Mindanao Gold Province, comprising the
Surigao, Central, and Masara gold districts, is the country's primary gold province, making these regions
the key epithermal gold-producing areas.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GENERAL OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION

The Baguio-Mankayan Gold District in the Philippines is a
highly productive and geologically diverse region,
renowned for its rich gold deposits. The Baguio Gold
District, one of the oldest and richest in the Asia-Pacific,
features numerous low-sulfidation epithermal gold veins
and porphyry copper-gold deposits. Most mines, such as
Acupan and Sto. Tomas II, have ceased operations, except
for a few like Acupan and Mankayan. Geologically, the area
is characterized by a mix of schistose rocks, volcanics,
limestone, and intrusive bodies, with mineralization largely
occurring along fault systems. The Mankayan Gold District
lies on a regional anticline and features a complex of
intrusive rocks and various volcanic and sedimentary
layers, with mineralization linked to Late Miocene to Early
Pliocene magmatic activities. Both districts have been
shaped by significant tectonic and magmatic events,
resulting in rich mineral deposits.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GENERAL OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION

The Camarines Norte Gold District is a geologically rich
area in the Philippines, known for its dense concentration
of gold deposits, including numerous mesothermal and
epithermal gold veins, placer deposits, and prospects. The
district, initially developed for alluvial gold mining along the
Malaguit River, features significant mineralization
associated with Middle Miocene porphyry rocks and
younger epithermal veins, linked to complex geological
formations like the Paracale Granodiorite and the Universal
Formation. Its structural fabric is shaped by thrust faults,
fractures, and the Philippine Fault, making it a significant
gold mining region with diverse mineral resources,
including iron, copper-molybdenum, and minor uranium,
though most deposits are currently non-operational.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GENERAL OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION

The Masbate Gold District, located in northeastern and
central Masbate Island, is notable for its significant gold
deposits, including the Aroroy deposit, which contributed
12% of the Philippines' gold production before World War II,
and the former major Atlas Consolidated gold operation.
Key deposits include Aroroy, Atlas (Capsay, Main, Colorado,
Balate), Paracale Royale, and Indo-Pacific, all of which were
not operational as of 2003. The district’s geology features
pre-Tertiary granodiorite overthrusted by ophiolitic
complex and is overlain by the Sambulawan Clastic
Formation. It includes various plutons, with gold
mineralization associated with Middle-Late Miocene
hydrothermally altered andesites. Major structural features
include a northwest-trending fault believed to be related
to the Philippine Fault, and younger west-southwest faults
cutting through the area.
Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

GENERAL OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION

 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

CLASSIFICATION OF DEPOSITS
Philippine gold deposits may be genetically divided into two groups, namely, primary-hypogene
gold-silver deposits, and secondary-supergene deposits. Primary-hypogene gold-silver deposits
include various genetic subtypes such as epithermal/ mesothermal, skarn or contact
metasomatic, and copper by-products. Secondary-supergene deposits include placer gold and
gossanous gold deposits.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

CLASSIFICATION OF DEPOSITS
Epithermal/Mesothermal Deposits
Philippine epithermal gold deposits form at temperatures
between 180°-300°C, predominantly within volcanic,
plutonic, wacke, and volcaniclastics of andesitic to dacitic
composition. These deposits feature intense
hydrothermal alteration including silicification and
pyritization. They are classified into low sulfidation and
high sulfidation systems based on the redox state of
sulfur in the mineralizing fluids, with some exceptional
deposits classified as mesothermal due to their formation
depth. Most reported deposits in the Philippines are low
sulfidation, except for Lepanto, Nalesbitan, Tampakan,
Lobo, Batangas, and Guinaoang. Silica bodies with acid
sulfate alteration occur in the Negros-Masbate arc, and
advanced argillic alteration is observed in Baguio, the
Masbate-Negros belt, Bulala, and Bohol. High sulfidation
gold mineralization with quartz-alunite alteration has been
identified on Pan de Azucar Island in Iloilo.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

CLASSIFICATION OF DEPOSITS
Contact Metasomatic Deposits
Contact metasomatic deposits in the Philippines are
relatively rare and are found mainly in carbonate rocks
such as limestone and dolomite, which have been
intruded by intermediate composition igneous stocks and
dikes. Economic examples include the Thanksgiving Mine
in Baguio and the Siana Mine in Surigao. The ore is
localized in carbonaceous host rocks, appearing as small,
elongated pods or lenses, and contains sphalerite, galena,
chalcopyrite, and pyrite, with gold present as fine native
grains and tellurides. Skarn zones in metavolcanics and
meta-sediments in Misamis Oriental also contain small
quantities of gold in sulfide minerals, which contribute to
alluvial placer gold deposits in nearby river beds.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

CLASSIFICATION OF DEPOSITS
Copper By-products
Gold is often a by-product in copper deposits, including
porphyry copper and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS)
deposits. Notable gold-rich porphyry copper deposits
include Sto. Tomas II (Philex), Dizon, and Dinkidi mines.
Significant gold is also found in stratiform VMS deposits
such as Thanksgiving Mine, Wildcat deposit in Antamok
Mine, and Bagacay deposit in Samar. Gold is present as
native gold or gold-silver tellurides in copper sulfide
minerals like chalcopyrite and bornite.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

CLASSIFICATION OF DEPOSITS
Placer Gold Deposits
Placer gold deposits, though not extensively commercially
exploited, are widespread across the Philippines and are
panned by individual workers. Significant areas include
Baguio, Paracale, Benguet, Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya,
northern Masbate, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,
Cagayan de Oro, and southeastern Zamboanga. These
deposits occur in river beds, banks, floodplains, and
terraces, and consist of gold intermixed with sand, gravel,
and soil. Examples include Malaguit River in Camarines
Norte and Umiray River in southern Sierra Madre. Eluvial
placer deposits, such as in Mobo, Masbate, result from in-
situ weathering of gold-bearing rocks. Beach sands in La
Union, Pangasinan, and Malimono are also notable for their
gold content.
 Gold Reserves, Geological Occurrence and Distribution in the Philippines Next

CLASSIFICATION OF DEPOSITS
Gossanous Gold Deposits
Gold can also be found in gossanous deposits as
supergene products. An example is the Canatuan deposit
in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, where gold is part of a
gold-silver gossan near the surface of shallow dipping
polymetallic massive sulfide deposits hosted by sericite
and chlorite schists.
Introduction to Silver Next
 Introduction to Silver Next

SILVER
Silver has been known and valued as an ornamental and coinage metal
since ancient times. Silver mines in Asia Minor were probably worked before
2500 BC. This white, lustrous metallic element conducts heat and electricity
better than any other metal. It is next to gold in terms of malleability and ductility.
It is harder than gold but softer than copper.

Silver ranks about 66th among elements in terms of natural abundance in

the earth’s crust. It occurs in the pure state to a small extent and also found
associated with pure gold in the form of electrum. In fact, considerable amounts
of silver are recovered in the processing of gold.
 Ores of Silver Next

Pyrargyrite

ORES OF SILVER
pyrargyrite, a sulfosalt mineral, a
silver antimony sulfide (Ag3SbS3),
that is an important source of
silver, sometimes called ruby silver
because of its deep red colour (see
also proustite).

Silver is usually found combined with other elements mostly in sulfide

minerals and ores. Some of the important
silver minerals are cerargyrite (or horn silver), pyrargyrite, sylvanite, and
argentite. Silver also occurs as a constituent of lead, copper, and zinc
ores, and half the world production of silver is obtained as by-product in Cerargyrite
the processing of cerargyrite, gray, very heavy halide mineral composed of
silver chloride (AgCl); it is an ore of silver. It forms a
such ores. complete solid-solution series with bromyrite, silver
bromide (AgBr), in which bromine completely replaces
chlorine in the crystal structure. These are secondary
minerals that commonly occur as alteration products of
native silver, silver sulfides, and sulfosalts in silver deposits
that have been oxidized by weathering.
 Uses of Silver Next

Silver is thought to have been discovered around 5000bc

and it was almost immediately put to work. Early uses for
silver included the making of eating and drinking vessels,
as well as the creation of many ancient sculptures and, of
course, in the design of jewellery belonging to the ruling
classes.
USES OF SILVER
Silver in jewelry, tableware and coinage is well known. The metal is
usually alloyed with small amounts of other metals to make it harder and
more durable.

Sterling silver for tableware and other solid-silver objects is 92.5

percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Silver is used to coat smooth glass
surfaces for mirrors by vaporization of the metal or by precipitation from a
solution. Silver is also widely used in the circuitry of electrical and electronic
components.

Silver coins are one of the oldest mass-produced The silver-halide salts — silver bromide, silver chloride, and silver iodide —
form of coinage. Silver has been used as a coinage
metal since the times of the Greeks; their silver which darken on exposure to light,
drachmas were popular trade coins. The ancient
Persians used silver coins between 612–330 BC. are used in emulsions for photographic plates, film, and paper. The salts are
soluble in sodium thiosulfate, which is the compound used in the
photographic
fixing process.
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Silver and its History in the Philippines Next
 Silver and its History in the Philippines Next

In the mid-1950s, by-product gold producers, especially the porphyry

copper mines started to gain importance. These deposits, although containing
only small amounts of gold and silver, were mined in large volumes. The low gold
and silver contents of the copper ores were thus compensated. During the period
from 1972 to 1982 over 50% of the annual production of gold and silver was
contributed by the porphyry copper mines (Tables 3 and 4). There was a sharp
increase in gold production from 1982 (20 tons per year) to 1988 (35 tons per
year), as copper values dropped and gold sustained its importance. In 1985, a
marked improvement in gold and silver production was accounted for by smallscale gold mining activities. Such
an increase is supplemented by the discovery
of the Diwalwal deposit, which eventually became the site of the biggest gold rush
in Philippine mining history. In 1987, the price of gold shot up to a six-year alltime high of US$446.21/oz benefiting
many secondary gold producers,
Silver and its History in the Philippines Next

Total production from 1946-2003 amounted to 1,172,912 kg

gold and
1,937,727 kg silver valued at about PHP225 billion and PHP4
billion, respectively
(Table 6 and Figure 1). Worldwide, the Philippines has been
an important gold producer, ranking
29th in 2002. In 1988, the country placed second to South
Africa in terms of gold production per unit land area. In
terms of world silver production, the Philippines
ranked 35th in 2002.
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Silver Geological Occurrence and Distribution Next
 Silver Geological Occurrence and Distribution Next

Gold and silver deposits in the Philippines are widely distributed within the
archipelago . These are primarily related to magmatism, which
characterizes several arc systems that evolved since the Late Cretaceous to the
present. Mitchell and Leach (1991) noted the apparent relationship of
mineralization to the Philippine Fault. However, any such relationship appear to
be indirect, as most orebodies and major prospects are not situated at the main
fault trace, but rather, along or within tensional splays oblique to the Philippine
fault zone (Quebral, 1994).

Two major magmatic arcs, the Western Luzon and Eastern Philippine arcs,
are the most prolific gold producers in the country. Magmatism in these arcs have
been active since at least the Tertiary to the Present. Epithermal gold deposits
largely coincide with the axes of these volcanic arcs, characterized by andesitic
volcanism of Pliocene to Quarternary age, and also by Miocene volcanic activity.
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Gold and Silver Production Chart Next
Gold and Silver Production Chart Next
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