“Soils Associated with Gold Deposits” 🔶By far, the best-known type of soil which may indicate the presence of gold is known as “black sand.” Let’s know more about it 🔶 Black sands are certainly not proof of the existence of nearby gold, only ...
The difference between gold and pyrite: 🔥 ● Gold - Crystals form as cubes or octahedrons but are rare. The usual habits are grains, flakes, nuggets and dendritic masses. Bright yellow color is tarnish resistant. Gold is often rich in silver, when it is paler in color. The band is golden yellow. GoldRead more
The difference between gold and pyrite: 🔥
● Gold – Crystals form as cubes or octahedrons but are rare. The usual habits are grains, flakes, nuggets and dendritic masses. Bright yellow color is tarnish resistant. Gold is often rich in silver, when it is paler in color. The band is golden yellow. Gold is opaque and its luster is metallic.
Formation:
Forms mainly in hydrothermal veins, often associated with quartz and sulphides. It also occurs in placer deposits of unconsolidated sand and in sandstone and conglomerate. It is possible to find alluvial gold in the form of grains or nuggets in stream beds. Gold panning by sieving sediments is an age-old method of searching for this rare and precious mineral. Gold can be confused with pyrite and chalcopyrite at first, but only a few tests are needed to identify it.
TESTS Insoluble in all simple acids; soluble in aqua regia.
Group: NATIVE ELEMENTS
Composition: Gold
Hardness: 2½–3
GS: 7:30 p.m.
Cleavage: None
● Pyrite – This mineral occurs as cubic, pyritohedral or octahedral crystals; pairing is common.
The crystal faces are frequently striated. Pyrite can be massive, granular, reniform, stalactitic, botryoidal and nodular. The pale yellow color gives rise to its nickname, “fool’s gold”. It has a greenish-black stripe. Pyrite is opaque and has a metallic luster.
Formation:
Pyrite is a common accessory mineral in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
TESTS Gives off sparks on impact with a hard metal object. Fuses quite easily.
Group: SULPHIDES
Composition: FeS₂
Hardness: 6–6½
OS: 5.00–5.03
Cleavage: Indistinct
Fracture: conchoidal to uneven
💠Throughout much of human history, many people have been fascinated with gold. 💠 Almost every civilization has prized this special metal. 💠The first question everyone has is “How do I find gold?” After much effort over the millenia, people have developed lots of ways to find that precious metal. 💠SoRead more
💠Throughout much of human history, many people have been fascinated with gold.
💠 Almost every civilization has prized this special metal.
💠The first question everyone has is “How do I find gold?”
After much effort over the millenia, people have developed lots of ways to find that precious metal.
💠Sometimes, mother nature herself provides hints about where she is hiding some gold.
💠One of these natural indicators can be found by looking at the plants and soil where you think gold might be hidden.
Always remember that gold is rarely found in large chunks.
💠It will either consist of tiny flakes, or as thin streaks of material within rocks.
💠 In fact, prospectors refer to the tiny gold flakes found in river sands as “colors.”
💠Plants Which Might Grow Near Gold
💠The easiest and most common way of searching for gold is known as placer mining.
💠 This refers to finding gold found away from its original underground site and moved over time.
💠 Placer mining is most frequently done either at the bottom of streams or where streams used to flow.
Cottonwood trees, which grow in wet areas will also grow over top of the areas where streams used to flow.
💠Although an old stream bed may be dry on the surface, there may still be dampness underground.
💠Even though the trees don’t necessarily indicate that gold is there, they (or any type of riparian plant for that matter) may help you to locate a placer gold source if you are in gold country.
💠One of the plants which often grow in areas over gold deposits is the horsetail plant.
💠Horsetail plants were often used by miners in the past as a guide to where gold might be found.
💠 It can tolerate the existence of heavy metals in the soil, which has made people believe gold may be nearby.
💠 Ironically, the horsetail plant also had a practical use for prospectors during the gold rush.
💠 It was primarily used for washing pots and pans.
💠The Desert Trumpet is another indicator that helps prospectors know where to look for gold.
💠 They require more mineralization in the soil than most desert plants.
💠 The red dirt the Desert Trumpet grows in is likely near heavy metals like gold.
💠The Trumpet is most commonly found in arid parts of the American Southwest.
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