With its proximity to Asia and mother lode of gold, oil, iron ore and coal, Australia has enjoyed uninterrupted growth for the past 13 years.

FORBES: Aussie Stock Guide

As the eager participation of some of the world's leading mining firms attests, there was nothing geologically implausible about there being a rich lode of gold at the Busang site, or its value as implied by the firm's share price.

ECONOMIST: All that glisters . . .

Stalin had his eye on the Spanish gold because Spain had a mother lode of it.

FORBES: There Must Be Moscow Gold

At 56, the soft-spoken, mustachioed former money manager is looking for the next mother lode in Nevada--a logical place since the state produces more gold than any other in the U.S. McEwen implies that we're at the start of a classic boom-and-bust cycle but is plunging in anyway.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories