Primary silver availability - market economy countries. A minerals availability appraisal.
Authors
Boyle-EH Jr.; Peterson-GR; Thomas-PR
Source
Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, IC 9090, 1986 Jan; :1-36
Abstract
The Bureau of Mines has evaluated the potential availability of silver from 436 mines and deposits in 41 market economy countries (MEC's) comprising 5 major economic categories of deposits: predominantly silver deposits and predominantly zinc, lead, copper, and gold deposits. The study evaluated the long-term cost and availability of primary silver production from 53 producing and 13 nonproducing predominantly silver properties in 11 MEC's and estimated the total recoverable silver from 370 properties as a coproduct or byproduct of zinc, lead, copper, or gold production. The study resulted in estimates of a demonstrated resource of 5.99 billion tr oz of recoverable silver as of January 1984. At current silver prices, the economics of silver production favor silver that is a byproduct or coproduct of zinc, lead, copper, or gold, and much of the silver production in the United States from the predominantly silver mines is at an economic disadvantage in comparison with silver production in other countries.
Keywords
Mineral-deposits; Production-capacity; Economic-analysis; Mineral-economics; Mineral-industries
Document Type
IH; Information Circular
NTIS Accession No.
PB87-167508
Source Name
Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, IC 9090
