Pouring Gold
To create gold bars, the material containing the gold is put into a large furnace inside a crucible (a cup-shaped container with a spout). Flux is added and the material is heated until molten. Wearing protective gear from head to toe, the pourer moves a container into place, and uses an electronic joy stick-type unit to tip the entire furnace and begin the pour.
During the heating process the metals form layers, with the heaviest – gold – sitting at the bottom of the crucible. Using a long-handled tool, the pourer helps pull off the “slag” (the material other than silver or gold) from the top. The slag will eventually harden into a black glass-like substance and be re-milled to capture the lead and zinc in it.
Once most of the slag has been pulled, the container is replaced with a rectangular mold inside a wagon-like container. The furnace is tipped further and further until the molten metal pours into the mold. The lighter molten slag runs over the sides while the heavier gold stays in the mold. When all the metal has poured out of the crucible, the furnace is brought back upright and the mold is allowed to cool.
After cooling, the slag glass is chipped from the bar, then a pressurized air tool is used to finish cleaning. These are not solid gold – they’re called “doré bars,” and are approximately 70% gold and 30% silver. The bars are sold to a buyer, who separates the gold and silver using a similar process.
Wildlife on Admiralty Island near Juneau, Alaska
Much of Admiralty Island is contained within Tongass National Forest, the largest in the United States. Lush western hemlock and Sitka spruce old-growth forests, which hide dozens of salmon-laden creeks, teem with wildlife: Sitka black-tailed deer, beavers, foxes, otters, and an abundance of songbirds and waterfowl.
Admiralty island was originally given the name “Kootznoowoo” (which means “The Fortress of the Bears”) by the Tlingit natives, and is home to one of the greatest concentrations of brown bears in the world. An estimated 1,700 brownies occupy an area of 1,644 square miles. The island also boasts one of the highest densities of bald eagles in the world – more, in fact, than in the entire continental United States.
It’s a fertile and plentiful area, and Greens Creek Mine works hand in hand with local, state, and federal government agencies to ensure that the wilderness of Tongass stays that way – and is preserved for future generations.
At Work
Juneau is steeped in mining folklore. At the turn of the last century the city boasted three mines: the Alaska-Juneau at the south end of town, the Alaska-Gastineau at Thane, and, on Douglas, the world-renowned Treadwell Mine.
The Hecla Greens Creek Mine is proud to be the latest chapter in Juneau’s rich mining history. Today, it’s the largest private employer in the area, with 270 people on an annual payroll totaling $26 million.
The successful operation of Greens Creek Mine demonstrates that mining, with all its associated economic benefits – local jobs, diversification of the local economy, and strategic national importance – can be undertaken without sacrificing responsible stewardship of the land.
