What is byproduct gold mining?

Yes. that's exactly what it means. Aside from the intentional gold mining which is quite a complex process in itself, gold is often obtained in mining procedures where that is not the initial intention. It is often found in the process of copper mining, for example. Sometimes the amounts are considerable. The Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah, for instance, is a copper mine where large amounts of gold are often recovered, as well as various other metals. Smaller amounts of gold can be found in some gravel pitches, also not intentionally.Very interestingly, the largest producing gold mine in he world, that is the Papua New Guinea Grasberg Mine, is actually not primarily a gold mine, but rather a copper mine. So even though this is the place where most gold is recovered worldwide, it is referred to as "byproduct gold mining".

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Yeah, it means that gold is not the initial metal recovered in the mine, but it absolutely does not mean that a lot of gold (or other metals) are not obtained there, even more so than in mines that are specifically considered gold mines, as gold is the main metal that is sought in those mines. By-product mining says nothing about the quantity or quality of the mined metal, even if it is not the main metal that is recovered from the specific mine. It all depends on the soil in the specific area of the mine. The biggest gold mine in the world is actually a copper mine where gold is recovered as a by-product.

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