Nevada accounts for 60% of gold produced in the U.S. and about 9% of world production, according to the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.
In 1991, the state produced 5.8 million oz. gold worth US$2.13 billion, a 1% decline in amount and a 3% decline in value from 1990.
At the end of 1991, Nevada gold reserves totalled around 135 million oz., up slightly from 1990. Existing reserves are probably sufficient to sustain gold mining at present levels in Nevada for 20 years.
The trend of finding more gold than is mined is not likely to continue much longer as there has been a sharp decline in exploration activity since 1988. Low gold prices, uncertainties regarding access to federal lands and increasingly more restrictive government regulations are the major causes of the decline in exploration spending.
Other metals produced in Nevada in 1991 include 19 million oz. silver, 6.1 million lb. copper, 1.3 million lb. lead, 21 million lb. zinc and an undisclosed amount of mercury and molybdenum.
Nevada also has significant production of aggregate, diatomite, lithium carbonate, lime, cement, gypsum, barite, clay, silica and magnesia.
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