Experts estimate that the amount of silver discovered on Earth can fit in a cube with sides 55m long .
The largest silver mass ever found weighed about 1,061kg, equivalent to an adult bison. In addition to being present in many jewelry, coins, cutlery and silverware are also useful in medicine and electronics. In fact, more than half of the world’s silver demand is thought to be derived from industrial applications . Most computers, phones, and cars contain silver. The material can also be used for silver ink, for example in Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) chips.
All the silver ever discovered in the world can fit in a cube with a side of 55m. (Photo: Evtushkova Olga)
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), more than 1.7 million tons of silver have been discovered throughout history . All of this silver will fit inside a cube with dimensions of each side of 55m, IFL Science reported on April 14. This cube is bigger than mined gold, measuring only 23 x 23m.
However, silver is second only to the precious metal world, so it is much easier to lose or throw away than gold. It is estimated that nearly 50% of this silver has been lost or used in industry.
According to the Silver Institute in America, silver began to be mined around 3000 BC in Anatolia, in what is now Türkiye. Mining extended to Greece in 1200 BC, even providing silver for coins in Athens. In 100, most of silver mining took place in Spain, where the metal became a commodity traded alongside aromatic spices.
Much later, silver was discovered in the Americas, after the explorer Christopher Columbus arrived here in 1492. In the 1870s, world silver production increased from about 1,100 tons to 2,200 tons a year.
Today, the world’s largest silver producer is Mexico with a 2020 silver production of about 5,600 tons. During this year, nearly 25,000 tons of silver were produced globally. In which, Peru, China, Russia and Chile are other countries with major contributors.
Currently, the amount of unmined silver is still quite large. Peru is said to have the largest silver reserves in the world, about 93,000 tons. Australia and Poland followed closely behind. Today, an estimated 500,000 tons of silver remain undiscovered in the world.