The mining of gold is commonly perceived as ‘unsustainable' - after all, gold is a metal with finite resources. A more comprehensive analysis of sustainability and gold mining, however, reveals that the reality is more complex - and depends on exploration,economics, technology and production, as well as a range of legal, social and environmental constraints. Ultimately, the ‘sustainability' of gold mining depends on your perspective, but it is clear that the environmental costs are likely to gradually increase in the future - in energy, water, chemicals and greenhouse costs. This article summarizes recent research which has sought to compile long-term trends in gold mining to underpin analysis of these critical aspects of environmental and mineral resource sustainability.