Buying gold bullion bars has become one of the most popular forms of investment all over the world. However, not many people are really aware how gold is actually extracted from under the earth as well as from other material. Well, there are several ways to do that, some of them quite old and other very modern and used on a large scale. The most popular, but perhaps not the most effective method is using pans. These pans are large and shallow dishes. They contain sand, rock and other elements which have to be separated from gold. This is done through repetitive rinsing with water. Another method is using a detector. This device, if properly used, can detect a gold deposit hidden deep in the earth. Then the gold is usually extracted through a spiral tunnel cut through the earth or through vertical excavations. Excavations can also be horizontal if gold is hidden in a mountain or a hill. Gold is also a by-product of copper mining. Some of the world"s most popular gold mines were actually copper mines which turned out to produce large amounts of gold. Finally, the metal is melt into gold bullion bars of various sizes and then sold to investors. Some amounts are also used to produce jewellery items or ornaments.