Exploring the Concept. 1  Provide the materials to the students. 2  Instruct students to cover their desktops with paper. 3  Have students examine the sugar cubes with the magnifying glasses. Students should record their observations on the observation sheet provided. They can either draw or describe the sugar cubes.
Gold is a precious metal used around the world in jewelry, electronics and even dentistry. Extraction of gold requires mining for it beneath the Earth's surface. Mining for gold has some negative effects, including erosion, the use of cyanide, loss of biodiversity and disruption of indigenous communities. Erosion Erosion can strip away much needed soil.
The national economy also was impacted by the gold rush and did well because many companies across the country invested, in some way, shape or form, in the gold rush. The table below shows the rapid increase and then the decrease of the amount of money that came out of the gold fields of California.