Why is mercury ore red, while mercury is silver?

The majority of mercury ore is cinnabar, and its chemical composition is HgS, which looks red. read more

Because the red mercury ore (or cinnabar) is essentially a transition metal complex between mercury metal and sulfur atoms. Many transition metal complexes are colored - Quora user E Bertinelli explains why here. read more

Mercury Watch, an organization "dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and publically serving information about mercury released to the environment," claim that "artisanal scale gold mining is the single largest demand for mercury in the world. read more

Furthermore, while there is a general understanding of mercury production and use around the world, it is crucial to gain an even better understanding of global mercury markets and flows in order to assess demand, to design appropriate pollution prevention and reduction measures, and to monitor progress towards specific objectives. read more