Native metal brass, bronze, pewter, German silver, osmiridium, electrum, white gold, and silver-mercury and gold-mercury amalgam. Only gold, silver, copper and the platinum metals occur in nature in large amounts. Over geological time scales, very few metals can resist natural weathering processes like oxidation, which is why generally only the less reactive metals such as gold and platinum are found as native metals. The others usually occur as isolated pockets where a natural chemical process reduces a common compound or ore of the metal, leaving the pure metal behind as small flakes or inclusions. Non-metallic elements occurring in the native state include
Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead nor Alive Out of a Center Which Is Neither Dead Nor Alive is the debut full-length album by Chicago-based post-metal band Minsk. Produced by Sanford Parker, the album was released in 2005 on At a Loss Recordings. In a review of the album, Allmusic's Greg Prato wrote: "Although the group has obvious roots in metal (as evidenced by tracks like 'Narcotics and Dissecting Knives'), Minsk has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, such as the sonic hodgepodge 'Holy Flower of the North Star' (a track custom-made for listening to on headphones)." Phil