Stunning images reveal how gold is extracted

Gold is one of the most sought-after precious metals, but extracting it from deep inside the ground takes hard work.

Here we take a look at how the yellow metal is extracted.

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Smoke rises after a blast in a quarry at the Ariab mine. The Ariab mine in east Sudan's Red Sea state, the country's largest single gold mining operation, is run by a partnership between Sudan's government and Canada's La Mancha.

Sudan plans to more than double its gold output in two years partly to help make up for a possible fall in oil revenues after the independence of its crude-oil producing south.

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Smoke rises after a blast in a quarry at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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An employee holds gold samples at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Workers smelt gold at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Heavy machinery is pictured in a quarry at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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An engineer watches a blasting operation at a quarry at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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A worker walks at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Workers clear debris after blasting operations at a quarry at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Police escort employees carrying newly produced gold blocks to storage at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Workers are pictured next to heavy machinery at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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A worker is pictured next to a conveyor belt at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Workers are pictured next to heavy machinery at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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Workers prepare for a blasting operation in a quarry at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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A worker walks at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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A general view shows a quarry at the Ariab mine, Sudan.

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A police officer registers a newly produced gold block in a log book at the Ariab mine, Sudan.