How are gold washed by hand?

вручную? Where and how are gold washed by hand? This question was answered by every pioneer in the Soviet Union without hesitation. Of course, in America, and, of course, mining it in the rivers and streams of the Wild West. Jack London's stories, their screen adaptation, and just American films about the life of prospectors made Soviet citizens major theorists in this matter.

We looked with compassion at the incomprehensible gold rush for which we ourselves could not be sure. But it was very interesting to observe how, while standing in the river in shallow water, exhausted prospectors turned the trays for hours, then with bags of golden sand or with a large nugget they went to the nearest saloon to lower the extracted by such labor.

Where is gold?

Then simple questions did not come to mind: why exactly does the majority of handicraftsmen work at the river? Are we getting this precious metal in Russia by prospectors? ни природа, ни люди здесь не отличаются от тех киношных американцев. After all, neither nature nor people here are different from those cinematic Americans.

It is known that gold is everywhere: in water, earth, air, plants and living organisms on the whole planet. But if there were so many, it is unlikely that humanity would have made it a measure of material values.

Formation of deposits

), не распадаясь и не растворяясь, опускается все ниже в недра земли, поскольку имеет большой удельный вес. Reluctantly entering into chemical reactions with other substances, this element (Au ), without decaying or dissolving, descends ever lower into the bowels of the earth, since it has a large specific gravity. There it concentrates, forming deposits of gold-bearing rocks, from where it is extracted on an industrial scale.

But, if this metal only went down, he would have disappeared from the surface of the earth long ago. кустари–старатели. And we would only know from the movies how gold was washed by artisanal miners. The processes occurring in the bowels are accompanied by the movement of groundwater, gases, magma, the movement of strata, which carry along and gold particles, pushing them back to the surface of the earth.

If somewhere once found gold-bearing sands in rivers, it means that they can appear here tomorrow or in 10 years, obeying the same process occurring in the depths of the earth. So from the underground, indigenous (ore) deposits are formed surface or secondary (placer).

Why is my gold in the river?

Golden sand grains, picked up by water currents, are transported together with other particles into streams, rivers, seas and oceans. But being heavier than most other elements, grains of sand settle out where the rate of water flow decreases. And if there are a lot of them in this place of the river, a placer is formed.

The terrain plays an important role in the creation of deposits of any minerals. Specialists of geomorphology who study the processes of transformation of the earth's surface due to profound changes are necessarily part of the reconnaissance expedition.

Discovered large-scale deposits are developed in an industrial way. To do this, I work on large rivers, floating installations - dredges, which extract, wash and enrich the rock seized from the bottom. Actually, they continue to do business started by the river itself. In less wealthy places or in streams, work is done manually.

Where do prospectors find gold in Russia?

The extraction of this metal by industrial means is carried out at a good pace. Our country has been in the top ten for the development of gold-bearing rocks for several years. Workers are working in places that are not of interest to large-scale developers. These sites are either already depleted and unprofitable, or difficult to access, or initially have a small potential.

What are the Russian regions of interest to handicraftsmen? чаще всего? Where do they wash gold most often? It is easier to name the regions where this metal was never found. Gold is in Siberia, Yakutia, Bashkortostan, the Far East, Magadan, the Urals, yes much where else. Even in the suburbs in the Soviet time there were gold mines. With great luck, gold can be found everywhere.

Everything should be according to the law

On the territory of the Russian Federation there are many laws concerning the development of minerals, including the extraction of precious metals. Here are just a small part of them:

1. "Rules for the extraction, production, use, circulation, receipt, recording and storage of precious metals and stones."

2. Law on Environmental Protection.

3. Federal Law "On Precious Metals and Stones".

4. Article 171 of the Criminal Code. "Illegal business".

5. Article 192 of the Criminal Code. "Violation of the rules of surrender to the state of precious metals and stones."

6. Federal Law "On the Subsoil".

физическим лицам законодательно запрещено. But it all comes down to one thing: to wash gold in Russia, individuals are legally prohibited. A license to develop a site can only be purchased by a legal entity that, having won a tender for 20 to 25 years, completes the deposit and pays taxes to the state budget.

The right to such work for individuals has been tried for 15 years to be fixed by law, but so far it has been inconclusive.

Tray and shovel - the weapon of the prospector

делали это их коллеги из американских фильмов много лет назад. Concluding temporary labor agreements with licensed site developers, or using other semi-legal schemes, prospectors today manually wash gold, as did their colleagues from American films many years ago.

The use of any technique that facilitates this work is prohibited. All that handicraftsmen can use is a tray and shovel, sometimes a metal detector. In addition, they often work in such remote and inaccessible places that no technology there simply will not work.

What is a tray? Why do I need a magnet?

The dispenser's tray is a trough, a basin with low sides. There are few requirements for it: it should not sink, but should be strong and easy.

The material can be very different. The ancient Greeks used for this purpose skins. Until now, there are trays made of wood, mostly linden. Such trays do not paint, leaving a rough structure of the tree. Often the tool is metal, steel. The simplest option is plastic.

The form is round or elongated in the form of trough. Work with this tray have been learning since childhood.

The color of the material is dark to see on it the bright grains of precious metal.

In the prospector's bag, there must be a magnet, to remove the metallized ore from the sand and the pear-bottle, it will be needed at the final stage of washing.

How to wash a gold tray?

This method is old, but it is still used not only for direct mining of metals, but also for exploration of deposits. A flushing is carried out on the part of the river, where there is a calm, not strong current. The work is done in the following order:

1. A sand shovel is placed in the tray from the bottom of the river or stream.

2. Then it descends into the water, just below its surface. The starter begins to rotate or shake it, gently shaking the contents. Soluble particles of clay, earth, rocks, organics, forming a cloudy suspension, will be washed off with water, and heavier elements will remain in the tray. It is necessary to achieve that the water in it becomes transparent. Then select and discard large stones.

3. Wash the gold with a tray, repeating the process several more times. At the bottom should remain a thin layer of dark color. It is a concentrate composed of minerals that are as heavy as precious metals.

4. Since the remaining mineral is called magnetite and possesses the corresponding property, it is possible to remove it from the tray using a magnet. Acting should be done carefully, leading him in circular motions in the tilted tray.

5. A few drops of water with a detergent from a pear-bottle will make the concentrate more friable.

If you find yellow grains of sand on the bottom of the tray, it will be your reward for hard work.

проверяя и фиксируя его количество. During the reconnaissance expedition through certain segments of the way along the river bed, gold is washed with a tray, checking and fixing its quantity. A route map with deposited places for cleaning and a quantity of golden sand (if any) is compiled. As we approach the placer, its number increases, and then falls sharply. In the end, the boundaries of the field are delineated, after which gold mining operations take place at the site of maximum concentration.