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Newbie Gold - Queens Birthday weekend in the snow
ElCrazy  
Posted : Tuesday, 2 June 2015 2:26:44 PM(UTC)
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Just been doing this since Christmas, so complete newbie still. As I live in NI only get to SI once a month or so too, but thought I'd post a picture of last couple days results in the ice cold. Haven't cleaned up last days sluicing but this is what ws gleaned from a gravel bank in a public fossicking area. Wouldn't have been soo bad if my gumboot wasn't leaking! If anyone knows what the white stuff is let me know its attached to gold and in its own flakes.
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c4bb0ose  
Posted : Tuesday, 2 June 2015 2:51:26 PM(UTC)
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Depends were you got it from but gold can form with mercury, silver and platinum etc.
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ElCrazy  
Posted : Tuesday, 2 June 2015 3:21:31 PM(UTC)
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Sweet thanks man! I'd like to think its platinum 8-) but more likely silver eh.
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The Hatter  
Posted : Tuesday, 2 June 2015 8:22:56 PM(UTC)
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Hi Elcrazy

Definitely mercury plated gold flakes

Cheers Trev aka " The Hatter"
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goldsborough  
Posted : Wednesday, 3 June 2015 12:14:01 PM(UTC)
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Awesome result for a weekends effort. We haven't found that much in four trips to the South. One day....
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x-terra steve  
Posted : Wednesday, 3 June 2015 12:45:30 PM(UTC)
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Cheers for the post Elcrazy,
If you want to rid the mercury heat ya gold in a spoon over medium heat, the mercury will quickly evaporate,
But stay well away from the fumes ( outside with a light breeze is good) as they are TOXIC and will make you CRAZY,!!
The gold might also change to a more deep-ish yellow colour,
Keep up the post, great to see that yellow stuff
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ElCrazy  
Posted : Wednesday, 3 June 2015 6:12:12 PM(UTC)
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Thanks Trev and Steve! would that mercury be from the old time miners or naturally occurring?
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overdog  
Posted : Wednesday, 3 June 2015 6:45:14 PM(UTC)
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Good effort on the gold there buddy-that's impressive for a public area.
Mercury was used to amalgamate the fine gold by the old timers-come across puddles of the stuff while sniping!
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kiwikeith  
Posted : Wednesday, 3 June 2015 10:29:17 PM(UTC)
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I find the easy way is to just put the gold under the tongue the heat of the mouth evaporates the mercury and you are left with pure gold. one thing is to remember to breath through the nose.
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simon  
Posted : Wednesday, 3 June 2015 11:44:21 PM(UTC)
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Another white substance in the heavies you might come across is scheelite. bit like quartz in appearance. not too widespread the scheelite but it can be found around here in a few of the waterways.
I was getting a fair bit of mercury in the Shotover. Shotover seems to have a river of mercury down on the hard pack along with all the usual suspects. Have seen a minute bit of greenstone, some red garnets, heaps of magnetite rocks of fist sized portions, and all sizes smaller of magnetite. the small rounded bits and the grains all had mercury stuck to it. under a lamp it glistens like a mirror. sometimes big balls of the stuff are stuck to the gold. i once found a ball of gold, perfectly round, with a nice jagged small flake sticking roughly out of it
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ElCrazy  
Posted : Thursday, 4 June 2015 12:14:24 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: kiwikeith Go to Quoted Post
I find the easy way is to just put the gold under the tongue the heat of the mouth evaporates the mercury and you are left with pure gold. one thing is to remember to breath through the nose.


Hi Kiwikeith, thanks for all your posts btw I have found a lot very helpful! I am not sure I am quite up for trying evaporating mercury in my mouth though 8-)
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ElCrazy  
Posted : Thursday, 4 June 2015 12:38:20 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: overdog Go to Quoted Post
Good effort on the gold there buddy-that's impressive for a public area.
Mercury was used to amalgamate the fine gold by the old timers-come across puddles of the stuff while sniping!


Thanks Overdog, I have tried 5 public areas last six months and always found something although not a lot. Had a lot of fun. No choice but to go there. Some areas, like Louis Creek there is just hole after hole where people have dug, almost no areas untouched that I saw there. And it was worked very heavily during depression I understand, although locals seem to still do well there. I found a little bit there after a LOT of digging moving boulders. I got lost at Lyell creek, turned left instead of right and then started again by going over bridge and couldn't get down to creek lol a lot of walking for very little lol 8-)

In the end I decided to choose one public area and spend time there trying and learning and its paid off a bit. Although maybe dumb luck, I basically just walked k's along the water sampling different areas and layers trying to learn. Talked to the locals who lived around there read as much as I could about the area etc.

Been reading Economic Geology of NZ, and old newspaper articles trying to find an unclaimed area worth a look at next summer. Wife not all that happy with it though its gonna cost me a shopping trips!
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