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Canada Silver Gold Mine Ymir BC

Silver is currently attracting considerable attention because the price has increased to the highest values since 1989 (Figure 1). This contrasts sharply with some other metals, most notably gold and copper which are trading at prices well below recent highs. The climbing price of silver has led to renewed interest in deposits which contain this precious metal. Many of the world’s richest silver mines are found along the chain of mountains along the western margins of North and South America that extend from Chile to Alaska. These mountains, known as the Cordillera, are one of the principal silver-producing regions of the world.

British Columbia encompasses a major portion of the northern Cordillera and has produced silver since the late 19th century. The province has a large number of undeveloped deposits and excellent opportunities for new discoveries. Virtually all of these deposits are polymetallic (Au, Cu, Pb and/or Zn). This brief report reviews the abundance and diversity of silver lode deposits in British Columbia.

The first use of silver predates recorded history - ornaments and jewelry made of silver have been recovered from tombs that were sealed more than four thousand years ago. It is generally believed that by 1000 BC, silver coins, like gold ones, were in common use throughout most of the civilized world. The discovery during the 18th and 19th centuries of large silver deposits in the New World, however, resulted in the conversion of most monetary systems to the gold standard. Despite the loss of its status as the basis for the world’s monetary systems, the belief in the value of silver remained.

Silver is a brilliant grey-white metal, quite soft and malleable, which takes a fine finish and is resistant to corrosion. Of all the metals, it is the best conductor of electricity. Because of these qualities as well as its relative scarcity, silver is classed with gold and platinum as a precious metal. The photographic industry is the greatest user of silver today, accounting for over 40 per cent of total industrial consumption. Silver is used extensively for contacts, conductors and other electronic equipment components. Altogether, more than 25 per cent of all industrial silver is incorporated into electronic and electrical equipment. About 20 per cent of the annual industrial consumption of silver goes into sterling, plate, jewelry, mirrors, and dental and medical supplies.

Silver Production
Global silver mine production edged up fractionally in 2006, with notable gains in Latin America and Asia. Total silver mine production reached 646.1 Moz last year, with Peru, Mexico, China, Australia and Chile the top five silver mining countries. Last year, silver generated at primary mines fell by 10 percent to 161.4 Moz, representing 25 percent of global silver production.

A major watershed of silver production was the discovery of the New World in 1492, after which time major silver mines in Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru were opened leading to a rapid rise in the annual world production of silver. This rise, coupled with improved techniques for extracting silver from ore, broadened both the quality and quantity of ore that could be exploited. Later improvements, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, vastly enhanced the base of silver production and accelerated the exploitation of silver as a byproduct of base-metal mining.

Only about 25 percent of cumulative world silver production occurred before the 1770s. Records remain somewhat incomplete for the periods before 1900, however they play a critical part in determining cumulative historical production. To learn more, select from the following periods of time. Material adapted in part from the Silver Institute's Stocks of Silver Around the World publication.

Canada Silver Mine Ymir BC

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