A native metal is any metal that is found in its natural metallic form in nature. Though many metals can be found as native deposits, only gold, silver, copper and the platinum group occur native in large amounts. Due to oxidation and other influences, most other metals are only found in small flakes or inclusions.

Here are the 3 top metals that occur in native form and where they have been found in the United States:

Gold

Most gold is actually found as a native metal. It can be found as nuggets; cubic, octahedral, or dodecahedral crystals; in veins in a rock matrix, or as fine grains of gold.

During the 19th century, gold rushes occurred whenever large gold deposits were discovered. The first documented discovery of gold in the United States was at the Reed Gold Mine near Georgeville, North Carolina found in 1799 and but not identified until 1802. The first actual major gold strike in the United States occurred in a small north Georgia town called Dahlonega. Additional gold rushes occurred in California in 1848, Colorado in 1858, and in the Black Hills in South Dakota in 1876. Gold mining is famous in Alaska, it was discovered in 1870 with placers southeast of Juneau, Alaska. Areas near Fairbanks and Juneau, and Nome have produced most of Alaska's historical output. Gold is primarily mined in the western part of the U.S. but it has been found in nearly every state in the U.S. including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. Some states, such as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio have placer gold deposits believed push there through glacier activity. Most gold produced today in the United States comes from large open-pit heap leach mines in the state of Nevada.

Silver

Native silver occurs as elongated dendritic coatings or irregular masses. It may also occur as cubic, octahedral, or dodecahedral crystals.

Silver mining in the United States started in the mid-nineteenth century and the country experienced a silver boom that spanned from 1859-1893. Prior to that, some silver was found in the East, specifically in New York and Massachusetts, but the silver was not pure. When the California Gold Rush occurred, some people found silver instead. Nevada's Silver City was established in 1859 after silver was found there. Silver City, New Mexico was so named for silver ore that was discovered in 1870. Silver City, Idaho was named for the same reason in 1864. Silver has been discovered in nearly every state, including Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. Today, the United States is reportedly the ninth-highest producer of silver globally. Multiple mines in Alaska such as the top-producing Greens Creek Mine and the Red Dog Mine produce the most native material, followed by Nevada and Idaho.

Copper

Native copper does rarely occur as isometric cubic and octahedral crystals, but more typically it occurs as irregular masses and fracture fillings. Native copper also occurs as flattened crystals, scales, dendrites, and wires.

Earth's largest and purest copper deposits are found around North America's Great Lakes. One example is the rich deposits of native copper in the Lake Superior area of Michigan in the United States. A North American civilization around Lake Superior utilized native copper deposits for weapons, tools, and decorative objects and mined them between 6000 and 3000 BC. The same deposits of native copper on the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale were later mined commercially. From 1845 until 1887, the Michigan Copper Country was the leading producer of copper in the United States. Huge masses of native copper weighing hundreds of tons, were sometimes found in the mines.

The top copper producing states in the U.S. are Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, and Montana. Minor production also came from other states including Idaho, Missouri and New Jersey. Though Copper does occur in most every state, it is mostly copper ore that comes out and Native Copper is actually scarce.