 The 2000s commodities boom ("commodities supercycle") increased the prices of commodities, driving aggressive mining.In addition, the price of gold increased dramatically in the 2000s, which increased gold mining; for example, one study found that conversion of forest in the Amazon increased six-fold from the period 2003–2006 (292 ha/yr) to the period 2006–2009 (1,915 ha/yr), largely due to artisanal mining.Mining companies can be classified based on their size and financial capabilities