Silver (Ag), chemical element, a white lustrous metal valued for its decorative beauty and electrical conductivity. Silver is located in Group 11 (Ib) and Period 5 of the periodic table, between copper (Period 4) and gold (Period 6), and its physical and chemical properties are intermediate between those two metals.
Silver is widely distributed in nature, but the total amount is quite small when compared with other metals; the metal constitutes 0.05 part per million of Earth’s crust. Practically all sulfides of lead, copper, and zinc contain some silver. Silver-bearing ores may contain amounts of silver from a trace to several thousand troy ounces per avoirdupois ton, or about 10 percent.
During the first quarter of 2024, Fresnillo PLC lead the silver production with up to 13 million ounces. By Adding the Southern Copper Production, it makes Mexico the first silver producing country in the world.
Canada’s companies came second with up to 8 million ounces of silver produced during the same quarter.
