Australia. Irishman Patrick Hannan and two other traveling companions set up camp in a makeshift site because one of their horses had lost its shoe. They discover a gold deposit so rich that they collect nuggets from the ground. They apply for an official concession, thus attracting thousands of prospectors. The site becomes Hannan’s Find. The nuggets and flakes are generally pure gold, with a few notable exceptions. The only element that binds with gold is tellurium, in rare compounds such as krennerite and calaverite, which are found in Australia. It was found by some prospectors at Hannan’s Find, but initially classified as bagoshite (bag of shit…) to use the prospectors’ slang, and was used as a building material for houses and roads. Then, on May 29, 1896, it was recognized for what it was, and all hell broke loose. Thousands of prospectors began hacking away at homes and roads to extract the precious gold-bearing mineral, which would be nicknamed fool’s pyrite (pyrite is fool’s gold…). Hannan’s Find, later renamed Kalgoorlie, became the world’s leading gold producer.
