A small scale gold miner walking on moonscape-like landscape in Galangan gold mining site, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

A small scale gold miner walking on moonscape-like landscape in Galangan gold mining site, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Stock Photo
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Image details

Contributor:

REY Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID:

EMBW55

File size:

24.8 MB (1 MB Compressed download)

Releases:

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Dimensions:

3609 x 2406 px | 30.6 x 20.4 cm | 12 x 8 inches | 300dpi

Date taken:

7 April 2006

Location:

Hampalit, Katingan Hilir, Katingan, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

More information:

Hard Life for Gold: Men Spending Years in Small Scale Gold Mining In an area called "Galangan" in Hampalit area, Katingan, Central Kalimantan, men doing small scale gold mining activities. A team consists of 4-5 workers operates a sluice-box to gather sands containing gold particles from a pit. They use liquid mercury to joining the materials, to form amalgams, or nuggets, which are later be burned, or "cooked". The amalgam burning process will leave only the gold pieces. They sell the gold to buyers in the area. Shops in Kereng Pangi, a nearby town, offer a service of amalgam burning as well. Mostly coming from Java Island's cities, some of the gold miners said that they earn more from years of gold mining, than other kind of informal jobs in their own experiences. Health and environment scientists have been worrying the impact of mercury use, especially on amalgam burning, to human's health and environment. Galangan, Hampalit village, Katingan Hilir, Katingan regency, Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia

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