Is gold a mineral?

Gold is a mineral and was one of the first used by prehistoric cultures. It is appreciated for its physical appearance, its workability and its ability to withstand chemicals.

Gold is an opaque metal that is yellow to whitish yellow in color. Its physical properties include malleability and a low melting point. Gold is used in currency, jewelry, dentistry, electronics and in photography processes. It is mainly found in three deposits: hydrothermal quartz veins and in metamorphic and igneous rocks, consolidated to unconsolidated placer deposits, and in volcanic-exhalative sulphide deposits. Gold has the ability to wash away lighter sediments during gold panning.