GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
The relative importance of the platinum-producing countries of the world can best be judged by the past output, which is shown in the following [table],[181] and graphically in the chart.
[181] Hill, J. M.: “Platinum and Allied Metals,” U. S. Geol. Survey, “Mineral Resources, 1916,” Pt. 1, 1917, p. 3.
The platinum field of Russia is in the Ural Mountains, north of Ekaterinburg. In Colombia, South America, the chief production of platinum has come from the headwater streams of the San Juan River, which enters the Pacific near Buena Ventura; some platinum is found in the upper reaches of the Atrato River, which enters the Caribbean Sea near the east end of Panama. A small amount of platinum and osmiridium has come from New South Wales and some osmiridium from Tasmania. Some of the placers in southwestern Oregon and northern California carry platinum as well as gold. Platinum has recently been determined in concentrates from several localities in Alaska and Canada, and is known in some placers in Borneo and India.
Table 72.—Estimated World’s Production of Crude Platinum, 1909-1917
(In troy ounces)
| Country | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borneo and Sumatra | 500 | 200 | ... | ... | 200 | [182] | [182] | [182] | [182] |
| Canada | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 50 | 30 | 100 | 60 | 80 |
| New South Wales and Tasmania | 440 | 332 | 470 | 778 | 1,500 | 1,248 | 303 | 222 | [182] |
| Russia | 264,000 | 275,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 250,000 | 241,200 | 124,000 | 63,000 | 50,000 |
| United States | 672 | 390 | 628 | 721 | 483 | 570 | 742 | 750 | 605 |
| Totals | 271,642 | 285,952 | 313,128 | 313,529 | 267,233 | 260,548 | 143,145 | 89,932 | 82,685 |
[182] No basis for estimate.