BEIJING, Oct 6 (Reuter) - Authorities have ordered the closure of all gold mines in the remote Hoh Xil area of western Qinghai province to protect the environment, the Guangming Daily newspaper said. All gold mines in the area, one of the biggest expanses of virtually unihabited wild remaining in China, will have to close, it said. The aim is to protect the environment from rampant mining. Qinghai has been host to a gold rush in recent years, with illegal mines springing up across the province in China's wild west, destroying the environment and causing many accidents.