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
Ore Mountains one overarching unit, the Saxon Highlands and Uplands. In addition, its internal divisions were changed. Former major unit 420 was grouped with the western part of major units 421 and 423 to form a new major unit, the Western Ore Mountains ("Westerzgebirge"), the eastern part of major units 421 and 423 became the Central Ore Mountains ("Mittelerzgebirge") and major units 422 and 424 became the Eastern Ore Mountains ("Osterzgebirge"). The current division therefore looks as follows: The geographic unit of the Southern Slopes of the Ore Mountains remains unchanged under the title of Southern Ore Mountains ("Süderzgebirge"). The climate of