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In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure (or crack) in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock. The largest gold lode in the United States was the Homestake Lode.
Accordingly, what's the difference between placer and lode gold?
Very generally speaking, placer mining involves sifting through gravel to separate the pieces of gold. Placer mining can be done by a single prospector with a gold pan. The process of lode, or hard rock, mining, on the other hand, is the process by which gold is extracted directly from the lode beneath the ground.
Furthermore, what is load gold?
Lode mining is also called hard rock mining. Originally, all gold is deposited in a lode or vein filled with mineral in the rock, such as the gold-rich veins discovered in Cow Mountain. The process of placer mining involves filling a pan with the crushed ore to separate the gold.
Located in South Africa, the Witwatersrand Basin represents the richest gold field ever discovered. It is estimated the 40% of all of the gold ever mined has come out of the Basin. In 1970, South Africa's output accounted for 79% of the world's gold production.