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Gold Mining - Science topic

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I found most of the papers used magnetic survey (airborne or ground) to explore new gold mine. However, almost all papers uses additional geophysics method (IP, SP, Conductivity, resistivity, EM etc.) to support the magnetic data.
I wonder why do we need support since the magnetic data can gives precise reading on the magnetic anomalies of those associate minerals (Sulfides especially) in the field.
Thank you so much in advance.
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If you knew exactly how gold is formed, then you could give an accurate answer to the question based on that:
1. Not every zone showing magnetic anomalies contains gold suitable for mining.
2. I think the previous answers are excellent so that we can clearly see what is being discussed.
3. 'Accurate' geological knowledge of the area is very important in order to clarify this question.
Malaysia is currently a tectonically very active zone. In this case, it is no wonder that magnetic anomalies in most cases allow the discovery of gold-rich deposits. Its importance lies in its being fast and efficient. After that, success can be achieved using simple geological methods.
Regards,
Laszlo
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Dear colleagues
Good morning. Diamonds have been known from various locations around the world, some of which are unconventional (far away from cratons). The Roman writer Pliny the Elder mentioned that diamonds had been found in the gold mines of Ancient Philippi in Greece. Have any diamond-related rocks (kimberlites, lamproites etc.) ever been found Greece? What is your opinion about the Ancient Philippi diamond occurrence (see attached PDF)? If you have any additional information, please provide it.
Best regards
Ioannis
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DEAR SHAHAB
GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR DETAILED REPLY. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE WHOLE ARTICLE ATTACHED TO THIS QUESTION, IT WILL GIVE ANSWERS TO ALL OF THE POINTS THAT YOU RAISED. REGARDING RECENT DIAMOND FINDINGS IN GREECE, MPOSKOS & KOSTOPOULOS 2001 HAVE FOUND UHP MICRODIAMONDS IN THE GREEK RHODOPE MASSIF (SEE PHOTO ATTACHED). THE ARTICLE IS ONE OF THE MOST CITED DIAMOND-RELATED PETROLOGICAL ARTICLES (WITH 337 CITATIONS).
BEST REGARDS
IOANNIS
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Dear Network,
I am currently working on a project involving filter tailings derived from an underground gold mine. These tailings will be mixed with unmineralized waste rock to construct the final deposit. To assess the liquefaction potential of this mixture, I am interested in using the cyclic triaxial test.
I would be grateful if anyone could share information on a standard procedure for preparing and conducting cyclic triaxial tests for this purpose. Specifically, I am interested in learning about:
  • Recommended number of loading cycles
  • Reference value for the Cyclic Stress Ratio (CSR)
  • Other special considerations as you jugde needed.
Any comments or insights you may have on this topic would be highly appreciated.
Thanks
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I would recommend reading “Soil Liquefaction: A Critical State Approach, Second Edition
Book” by Ken Been and Mike Jefferies
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Hello fellow researchers,
I am currently reviewing technical papers and research on gold nugget exploration in Victoria, Australia. While there is a wealth of information available in academic literature, I have noticed that many unofficial sources and media reports also share findings of gold discoveries in this region.
To enhance my understanding and develop a more effective exploration strategy, I am seeking insights on the following aspects:
  1. Geology and Zoning: What are the key geological features and zones in Victoria that are most conducive to gold nugget formation? Are there specific regions or terrains within Victoria that are known for higher concentrations of gold nuggets?
  2. Detection Techniques: What types of metal detectors or other geophysical methods are recommended for gold nugget detection in this region? Are there specific models or technologies that have proven particularly effective?
  3. Technical Estimations: What methods are used to estimate the size, concentration, and distribution of gold nuggets in a given area? How can one evaluate the potential yield before undertaking extensive mining operations?
  4. Suggestions and Solutions: Are there any innovative approaches or recent advancements in gold nugget exploration that could improve the efficiency and success rate of finding gold in Victoria?
I am particularly interested in understanding how to integrate geological data with practical exploration techniques to optimize the search for gold nuggets. Any detailed suggestions, case studies, or references to recent research would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your valuable insights and contributions.
Best regards,
A. Ebrahimi
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A. Ebrahimi I read that Victoria's gold nugget formation is primarily influenced by its geological history, particularly the quartz reef systems and ancient riverbeds in regions. High-frequency metal detectors would be effective for detecting small gold particles while ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry can identify subsurface anomalies.
Estimating gold concentration involves geological mapping, sampling, and geophysical surveys, using techniques like bulk sampling and portable X-ray fluorescence analyzers, complemented by geostatistical modelling.
Advancements, including sophisticated metal detectors and machine learning for data analysis, could enhance exploration efficiency. So, a combination of traditional expertise with cutting-edge technology will improve gold discovery success.
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Arabian Nubian Shield is made up of juvenile Neoproterozoic rocks that are part of a significant accretionary orogen. It was formed as island arcs in the late Tonian-Cryogenian period(1000 Ma-720 Ma), on the site of the Mozambique Ocean that was created by the breakup of Rodinia which is characterized by arc collisions, magmatism, volcanism, sedimentation, and orogeny.
The Shield contains hundreds of gold occurrences and evidence thousand years history of gold mining. The main deposit types are orogenic gold and gold associated with volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS).
The known occurrences of gold-bearing Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide(VMS) deposits in the Nubian Shield are mainly confined to arc assemblages in the northern half of the Shield, from northern Ethiopia upwards. While the greenstone belts of western and southern Ethiopia do contain Neoproterozoic juvenile, submarine volcanic rocks, there are only limited indications of VMS mineralization in these areas. Why?
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Dear Siraj Beyan Mohamed please do recommend my answer if found helpful.
VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide) deposits are associated with submarine volcanic activity and are often found in ancient volcanic terrains. The Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) is a geological formation in the northern part of East Africa, extending through parts of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. The distribution of VMS deposits in the ANS, with a concentration in the northern half compared to the southern half, may be influenced by several geological factors:
1. **Tectonic Setting:**
- The geological history and tectonic setting of the Arabian-Nubian Shield vary across its extent. The northern part of the shield is associated with a more complex history of subduction, collision, and volcanic activity. Tectonic settings that favor the creation of volcanic arcs and subduction zones are often conducive to VMS deposit formation.
2. **Magmatic Activity:**
- VMS deposits are typically associated with volcanic arcs and back-arc basins. The presence of extensive magmatic activity in the northern part of the ANS during specific geological periods may have provided favorable conditions for the formation of VMS deposits.
3. **Hydrothermal Systems:**
- The formation of VMS deposits involves the interaction of hot hydrothermal fluids with volcanic rocks. The availability of suitable hydrothermal systems, driven by volcanic and tectonic processes, is critical for the formation of these deposits.
4. **Metallogenic Belts:**
- VMS deposits often occur in metallogenic belts or districts. The distribution of these belts is influenced by the geological evolution of the region. In the northern half of the ANS, there may be more favorable metallogenic belts for VMS deposits compared to the southern half.
5. **Age of Rocks:**
- The age of volcanic and sedimentary rocks in different parts of the ANS can vary. The age of rocks influences the geological processes that occurred, and certain periods of volcanic activity may have been more conducive to VMS deposit formation in the northern half.
6. **Structural Controls:**
- The presence of specific geological structures, such as faults, shear zones, and volcanic conduits, can control the localization of VMS deposits. The structural geology of the northern ANS may have provided more favorable conditions for the formation and preservation of VMS deposits.
It's essential to note that the geological history of a region is highly complex, and the factors influencing the distribution of mineral deposits are multifaceted. The southern half of the Arabian-Nubian Shield, including parts of West and South Ethiopia, may have different geological processes and histories, resulting in variations in the types of mineral deposits found. Detailed geological mapping, exploration, and research are necessary to understand the specific factors influencing the absence of VMS deposits in certain regions within the ANS.
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Is it an accidental occurrence or is it essential for say, good ones? There is an excellent CODES sponsored writeup of Lihir, the gold mine, that points to anhydrite as a significant and essential factor in developing the high grade zones because the anhydrite causes secondary porosity and mineralization focused on the permeability and got trapped there. What is it like in the porphyry world. I hear it is not well reported. Our PIMA work did not even pick it up...although you could see it in hand sample for long intervals and our best intercept was digenite in crumbly gypsiferous after anhydrite granitic stockwork breccia of some sort. Obviously secondary mineralization but still...the copper and the anhydrite are going along with each other. We just don't have a very good handle on the role of anhydrite...except that it is obviously a sign of "hydrolytic" alteration. But so? Oxidation....yes the magma was oxidized...so? It's good to have oxidized magmas...but a paragenetic relationship does not give you much information on mass balance....to use a process geochemical adage.
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How about this geochemical nomogram as an indicator of Cu content? Any comments. I suspect it is related to anhydrite systematics. It certainly looks important if it works.
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I wanted to determine the mineral depositional type at the area marked with green (Maran, Pahang - Central Belt of Peninsular Malaysia). The regional geology study shows the mineral deposition of this area is mainly in metasediment. There are 2 mines nearby the study area which are the RED and the PURPLE. I wonder is it possible to determine the mineral depositional type of my study area based on the nearby deposition type?
RED - Skarn type deposits copper mine (Au is very less)
PURPLE - VHMS type deposits gold mine
ORANGE - Normal fault (NW - SE trend) associate with serial of synclines (NE - SW trend)
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Of course...that is how scientific exploration works. Otherwise you have to keep re-inventing the wheel. The real question is not "type" but what you say about it. I attach a little "cartoon" I made regarding a major porphyry copper deposit in Chile. Having proposed a coherent geological mechanism involving a mine and a process...in this case copper bearing magmatism associated a proposed tectonic detachment feature, now I try to tie local deposits together. They may all be different types but they might fit into a larger process that you can use to predict or explain. You might find skarns here and dikes there or the remnants of a leakage pattern in a "fault" but they are part of a whole...assuming, of course the respective age dating allows it.
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Can mercury pollution in waterbodies be detected using hyperspectral imagery?
Thinking along the lines of detecting evidence of gold mining.
Any feedback or paper recommendations you have would be great, thanks!
Cheers,
Sol
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Mercury pollution may be picked up by analyzing predatory fish at top of food chain. Mosquito fish (Ambrosia app.) have also been found to accumulate nitrogen. You might find added information from US National Mercury Lab. Wetlands in headwaters of black water streams have also been found to reduce mercury to toxic methyl mercury form.
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Does anybody know where I could find detailed information on Chinese mechanization of artisanal, small-scale mining of gold in Ghana? And could anybody recommend some literature or researches on the mining-process with those machines (including the harsh chemicals used during this process)?
I am grateful for every hint on interesting researches about this topic!
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Dear Paula, please have a look at the attached papers and references therein. Kind regards, Daniel
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On-the-ground experience would suggest that sound/noise pollution and mercury contamination may be coincidental in artisanal and small-scale gold-mining stakeholders and their bodies. If so, does any literature make explicit this coincidence or explore it further?
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Based on my general understanding and opinion only, artisanal and small scale gold mining stake holders are exposed to both noise and mercury pollution at the same time. However, the impact of both kinds of pollution on their bodies depends directly on the techniques being used. For example, a low noise, low mercury way of mining gold would impact less than a high noise, high mercury technique. Note that the impacts are different, as the chemical effects of mercury poisoning are very different to the more physical and potentially psycological effects of noise pollution. Unfortunately, I do not know any literature that explores this coincidence explicitly.
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All the search engines i used tend to give me information that is not relevant to Archean lode gold deposit in Southern Africa so i would like to know specifically their link to South Africa and Zimbabwe green-stone belt.
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Are you able to provide some literatrure or presentations of your findings to date on the composition of white mica from IR and applications to gold exploration.
Cheers,
Matt
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This year the desert truffles are flourishing with production levels at amazing quintities . Yet such gold mine in the hand of nature. How one can be over come the ambiguity of the ivestment in desert truffles production.
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Please take a look at this useful RG link for insights.
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Hello Hossein;
I'm mining engineer from Morocco, I'm working now in open pit gold mine in West Africa.
I'm interesting to make Investigations or study to apply continuous mining equipment (like Bucket Wheel Excavators and others...) in a Shovel and Truck existing large open cut Phosphate mine. Exemple Phosphate OCP Operations, (Office Chérifien de Phosphate) based in Morocco : http://www.ocpgroup.ma/en
Can I participate in your project about selection optimum haulage methode ?
It will be my first contribution in continuous mining
Thank You
Best regards
Anouar ZANBARA
Senior mining engineer
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Dear Anouar,
Thank you for your interest in my project.
In my project I have just considered Truck-Shovel and IPCC systems. Bucket wheel excavators are not included in the scope of my proejct. Nevertheless, it would be interesting if you can do such a comparison in your work.
Actually, this project is my Ph.D. thesis and I have to develop it alone. But still we can work in other frames e.g. papers for conferences, articles etc.
Best regards,
Hossein
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In a project I collected samples from a metals rich environment of gold mine. Isolated the bacteria residing in metals contaminated environment from a long time, purified, characterized and sequenced whole genome and all the stuff related to categorise the strain. Problem is that, the strain that i got is similar to Rhodanobacter thiooxydans LC2 & 2 strains of Rhodanobacter denitrificans NCBI BLAST as 99%. On another very authentic site "ezbiocloud" where they only have type strains to compare, I got 97% with  Rhodanobacter thiooxydans LCS and  2 strains of  Rhodanobacter denitrificans and Rhodanobacter thiooxydans LC2.  Funny thing is when i make the phylogenetic tree, it appears to be different from both. Strain is pure and I have 16S results all the annotations and whole genome sequence but still I am not sure which thing I should consider. and how I can assure the real strain. or if this strain is some what in between them then how can i confirm the thing. 
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Can I please ask you which type of markers can be used to be assure about the strain and spp.
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  1. The purpose of this study therefore is to support national efforts to eliminate worst forms of galamsey among School dropouts in artisanal gold mining (galamsey) in Ghana.
  2. In view of the aforementioned problems, the researcher sought to investigate further and bring to bear the dangers of school dropouts engagement in galamsey activities and the impact of awareness creation through the use of illustrated booklets and flyers in an attempt to curb galamsey among school dropouts.
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Yes
Introducing policies that will help children; financially and also raising awareness
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 I need to know the number of workers and the productions of
each one of the copper production processes (including mining / concentrator / smelter / refining) in Rio Tinto Kennecott. Is there any way to access these data?
Thank you for your help
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currently, I am now conducting my research for my final year project. the title is a biogeochemical exploration of a gold deposit in Sokor, Tanah Merah, Kelantan, Malaysia.
1) firstly can someone give me an idea about the species of plant that can be an indicator for a gold deposit which suitable with the climate here?
2) secondly about the method. can some give a clear explanation about the sample preparation and digestion for plant and soil sample?
thank you.:)
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Hi Nursyasya,
In terms of the species I won't be much help, but if you look into the literature on phytomining, I'm sure someone will have an example of a tropical plant that is a good bioaccumulator of gold. 
With regard to the analysis you have plenty of options, particularly with the low detection limits of ICP-MS. Firstly the soil - this depends on whether a significant proportion of your gold is associated with silicates, if not then it's relatively simple. Make sure your sample is dry, then digest the soil sample in aqua regia (3 parts conc HCl, 1 part conc HNO3) with a solid to liquid ratio of no more than 0.1. Due to the hazard involved in this stage, do this in small batches, generally a few grams in 50 mL depending on the expected content in the sample. Then filter and dilute the sample for analysis. Where you have silicate-associated gold, you may need to grind the sample significantly finer to release it. This is because silica phases will not dissolve to a significant extent in aqua regia.
The plant samples are most likely best dealt with by burning the plant matter and treating the ash as with the soil above. The issue here is trying to make the procedure reproducible so that you're experiments can be compared to each other. Therefore, you'll need the same part of the plant, with similar moisture contents, etc. The moisture is best removed by freeze drying to minimise potential plant decomposition during conventional drying. 
I'll add a caveat here that I'm by no means a biologist and so am happy to be corrected about my suggestion for the plant treatment.
If you need more detail or advice just ask. Good luck!
Cheers,
Laurence
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Could anyone advise me which is the most well-known classification of gold ore? I just want classification of gold ore and not classification of gold deposit. 
Thanks a lot.
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Dear Mr. Maqadze,
you explicitly declined to know the classification of gold deposits but want to know how you can classify gold ore.
You can make a desctinction which is intergranular between between hard rock ore (gold ore minerals are intergrown with the gangue minerals) and soft rock ore (gold ore minerals are part of a loose modern placer mineral association or heavy mineral suite with no joint surface of minerals). The other one is intragranular. Visible gold can be spotted as a distinct mineral , whereas invisible gold is accommodated in the structure of certain host minerals such as pyrite or arsenopyrit, as inclusion or part of the lattice).
Best regards
H.G.Dill
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There is a gold mine in Zimbabwe whose liners are not lasting according to their expectations, so they need liners which are able to last longer so that the downtime for relining them is reduced. So according to literature l found Cr and Mo being the best alloying elements l could use according to our context.Greetings.  I would like to ask if you may assist me in this regard. Thank you in advance.
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The difference is probably in the formation of second phases while conducting heat treatments to the steel. For example for Mn-alloyed steel, usually, second phase will not be detected while in Mo based metal different second phases might appear.
The formation of second phases might have a significant effect on the mechanical properties and they can significantly reduce the steel's ductility.
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I would like more information on the organisation of female labour in artisanal and small-scale mining communities in South America. What roles do women play in these settlements, as service providers and miners? Is mining a way to supplement their income or is it their main profession? How is mining gendered in South America?
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Hi Hannelore,
Do you need information about the current situation of women as miners, or are you also looking for older literature of earlier times?
Are you looking solely for written records, or are you also interested in original photo documents? I have some interesting fotos in my mining postcard collection.
I can recommend a German book that deals specifically with women's mining work in Bolivia (see attached the scans from the front cover, the ISBN number and the back cover).
Best regards,
Guenter
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I am trying to obtain a better understanding of the modern history of gold mining (and the mining sector more broadly), and how it intersects with trends in the global political economy. In particular, I am interested in understanding the situation in developing countries in the post-WW2 period (e.g. Indonesia, DRC, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, ...). 
Thanks!
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My research focuses on the recent history of the (small-scale) gold mining sector in Tanzania. There is a little section on this in "Just picking up stones: Gender and technology in a small-scale gold mining site."
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Who can help me about methodology of placer gold deposits exploration?
I have some data and sampling data?
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Dear Pouria,
here is a link that reviews the techniques for exploring gold placers
and also two doc. that overview different methods for placer exploration in general
Hope these informations will be useful for you
Kind Regards, Anicet
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 I am writing a history of the human search for scarce and valuable metals from the Bronze Age to about 1960.  The metals are: gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, mercury.  The book is based on a set of case studies--each is an important mining site, was mined for anywhere from 100 to 4000 years, and currently has a good interpretive museum and underground tour.  The sites are:  Great Orme Mine (Wales), Laurion (Greece), Rio Tinto (Spain), Reed Gold Mine (North Carolina), Erzgebirge/Freiburg (Germany), Almaden (Spain), Potosi (Bolivia), Copper Region (Upper Peninsula Michigan, US)  and  Gold District (Johannesburg, South Africa).  A narrative history of world mining will tie the cases together.  I would be interested in information about any of the study sites, especially personal familiarity, interest in chapter or manuscript review, or in hearing from anyone who would find this work useful for their own research.
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Dear colleagues--
Many thanks for your interest in my mining book project and your many helpful suggestions and offers of help.  I don't know if Research Gate has a protocol for one-to-one communication, but I should be able to find most of you with a simple Web search.  (My own personal contact information is easily found by searching for Robert Healy, Duke University.
I think, however, that it may also be worthwhile to share some of my reactions to comments with the group as a whole.  So here are some initial thoughts:
(1) I'm delighted to find some people with knowledge of Laurion/Lavrion.  It is one of two sites I have not yet visited.  The Laurion story is remarkable.  It provided the silver to build the Parthenon, and (as mentioned) the Athenian fleet.  Also, it is said that during the Peloponnesian War, 10,000 slaves escaped from the mine!
(2) I find that I can access a copy of Dr. Ghorbani's very interesting book on Iran.  My book is limited by its case study/tourism approach so that I can't cover some extremely important mining locations (China and Egypt, for example).  But the narrative that links the case will deal with general history and I am well aware that many of the early mining techniques came from the Near East and Middle East before spreading to Western Europe.
(3) Of course I will deal with the Spanish mines in the New World, indeed important for Europe as well as the Americas.  Potosi is one of my case sites, and I will also discuss the silver mines of Mexico.  The mercury amalgamation process for freeing silver from its ore (based on the mercury at Almaden) was perfected at Real de Montes in Mexico.  And there is a very interesting 19th century connection between Cornwall and Mexico.  I probably won't say much about Brazil, but I'm very interested in the tourism aspect of Ouro Preto.
(4) Many thanks for the offer of photos.  I intend to use many illustrations in the book, though it is early to do more than make a file of key things that I find.
(5) Yes, the history of mining, especially for silver (and much later for uranium) in the Czech Republic is very important.  My conception of the Erzgebirge includes Joachimsthal/Jacymov.  Among other things, I MUST include Agricola (and also Johannes Mathesius,author of mining sermons and mining songs.)
(6) As you can perhaps infer from what I've written, my book will be for a general audience and will not be a work of original scholarship.  I find that there are tens of thousands of books on specific mines, minerals and countries, but virtually none that give the big picture over the long sweep of history.   I hope to correspond with several of you individually.  And I will post some of the material I've already written in case you wish to comment, or simply enjoy the amazing story of man's quest for metals over the millennia.
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we have gold in pyrite ore, we extract this gold by flotation, but some time we have with our ore kaolinite clay which interfere with gold in flotation and give and give us bad gold recovery.
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The method depends on quantity of clay in your ore and mode of it's occurrence.
First of all you may try attrition scrubbing the ore prior to milling, washing it in a perforated drum to remove clay from coarse crushed material. it will give you improvement in milling and flotation and increase flotation feed rate.
You may also use long cone cycloning on ground product if you have no gold/pyrite in fines. It will take most of the slimes out of the circuit.
To depress the clays in flotation you may try sodium silicate, sodium polyacrylate, starch, dextrin or other cellulose compounds using them before addition of collector and frother. NaSiO3 is probably the cheapest.
You can send us some samples to give you the most concrete solution.
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I am in need of materials or links on the subject above. I need information on the epochs of gold mineralization and on the provinces where they can be found. Also, information on factors influencing the deposition of gold in such provinces would be very helpful.
Thanks much.
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#'Seun Sanuade: Thanks baba!
#Daniel: I appreciate.
#Raymond and Sagar: Thanks much.
#Andrzej: Thanks so much.
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I want to know the minimum and maximum permissible level of Cyanide compounds in soil (Not effluents, wastewater) at various sites i.e Electroplating Industries, Gold Mine Industries, Copper Mine Industries, and Jewellery Industrial sites, since these are major cause of contaminate the soil with cyanide.
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According to National Environmental Board, Pollution control Department, Thiland and Environmental Protection Agency-EPA (2012), the acceptable limit of cyanide level in the agricultural soil is about 40 mg CN- equivalent/Kg soil, 11 mg.kg CN- for inhabitant sites and 55.00 mg.Kg-1 for other industrial purposes. The maximum allowable CN-concentrations in uncontaminated soils used as fill material at regulated fill operations was fixed to 40 mg CN equivalent/Kg soil according EPA, 2012.
The following links are useful to know the concentration of total cyanide in various sites  
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I am looking for information based on mesothermal lode gold deposits in Africa.
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Oberthür, T. (1994)Editor Metallogenesis of Selected Gold Deposits in Africa. – Geol. Jb., Reihe D 100, 679 pp
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In plant tissue from abandoned gold mine site I found that there is significant amount of these metals (around 4 ppm), so I want to investigate amount of these metals in mine waste.
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Dear Mr. Jurkovic,
Our study of rare metals, including indium and thallium content in tailings of Bolivian lead-zinc-silver and gold deposits revealed the following range:
Thallium - 0 to 35 ppm (mean - 10 ppm)
Indium - 0 to 230 ppm (mean - 100 ppm)
Please compare the paper of Morteani, G., and Fuganti, A. (1988) The gold deposits of Bolivia - A genetic classification and economic consideration. Geological Society of Australia, Abstract Series, Vol. 23-1, 403-405.
The tailings consisted mainly of pyrite, quartz, and carbonates.
To find out to which mineral phases high thallium and indium contents are linked, the following sample groups were analyzed:
1) vein (lode) ore
2) run-of-mine ore
3) mineral concentrates
4) waste pile, tailings
In addition, the mineral concentrates were embedded in resin and polished cross sections were analyzed by electron microprobe (Cu, Fe, Pb, Sn, Zn, S, Ag, Au, Bi, Cd, Ga, Ge, In, Tl, Se, Te) ,
In the investigation of gold deposits should be noted:
Each of the hundreds of thousands of gold deposits is different!
No gold deposit coincides with another!
Best regards,
Guenter Grundmann
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Depth prediction is tough.  The best we have accomplished to date is to understand the 'architecture' of a porphyry system based on mineralogy and rock type for each of its phases (i.e. hypogene, supergene etc.). Depending on the development of the system (temporal and spatial) each zone will be dimensionally different.  
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In the heart of the gold country of NW Quebec, where "structurally controlled" gold deposits are the norm, there are two deposit types that have been puzzles: at least two "porphyry-type" (disseminated gold in crosscutting veins and stringers within a porphyritic intrusion) that were mined out (only one brief publication on one of them) and a stratigraphic chert unit that was only partially mined (only a brief publication). The mines are now closed.
In Fig 1 the porphyry type intrusions were on a higher elevation half the way between the North and South Malartic Faults. The chert horizon -whose full extent was never explored - and its thicker "wedge" near the Sladen Fault appears to be - in this plan view - the source of the gold metal that created some or all of the other gold deposits along the various faults at that level.
Greenschist to lower amphibolite metamorphism affected this area. Figures are in feet.
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Hi Mike:
I would be happy to carry on this discussion outside of the researchgate forum. If you go to my website: www.syngeneticgold.com, you will find several relevant links. In the Noranda-Malartic-Val d’Or corridor, there are many deposits that are clearly synvolcanic. The work of Dick Hutchinson and students addresses some of these and volcanic-hosted gold deposits in general. The Bousquet deposit is generally accepted as synvolcanic. The websites for Virginia Mines (Akasaba deposit); Alto (Destiny Project); Agnico-Eagle (Lapa Deposit) all contain good grade thickness plots from which you can deduct vent geometry. The Val d’Or-Cadillac-Larder Lake Break is a complex stratigraphic interval and not everywhere a fault with displacement and there are several different types of deposits within it. The talc schist in your Figure 2 looks like an altered komatiite and does not present a compelling case that the Pontiac group is faulted against the Piche Group (Legault & Rabeau). One of the most important papers for exploring for syngenetic mineralization is by Phil Thurston, John Ayer et al (2008) in Ec. Geol. They deal with correlative conformities and stratigraphic correlations between authochthonous panels that separate seven discrete volcanic stratigraphic episodes on the basis of groupings of numerous U-Pb zircon ages. Syngenetic concepts have been virtually expunged from the gold deposit literature by articulate epigeneticists. The arguments have been ongoing for 100 years or more, but as we learn more about modern sea-floor hydrothermal systems, we can better understand the Archean equivalents. Also a major breakthrough has come from understanding the role of “lamprophyres”, which is what has compelled me to persist with research on gold deposits. So, I hope syngenetic ideas will be revived again or at least seriously considered instead of continuing to being arbitrarily dismissed or ignored.
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I've conducted an initial literature review for research on the topic and have only found laboratory based studies. I'm curious if this methodology has been introduced in the field.
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Thank you very much for your help, Sajjad.
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At the border of a gold mining tailing pond with high levels of cyanide we observed many species of amphibians calling three years ago. We even found a tadpole. This year numbers were about the same, so the populations remained stable and seemed to reproduce. We even found just metamorphosed Phylomedusa froglets in the bushes bordering the pond. No alternative fresh water is present. It concerns at least 9 species of amphibians.
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we have frogs (genera Bombina, Bufo and Rana) calling in ponds heavily polluted with compounds used processing of Aluminium, but up to the present it was impossible to establish if the specimens exposed to the various substances used by the aluminium-factory are reproducing or not (respectively, if they are influenced or not by the substances)...
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Is there an easy way to calculate what the penetration depth is for X-ray florescence in gold? This is for a 50 kev system. I am trying to determine how deep our system can "see" into natural gold nuggets.
Thanks!
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As Jan said,   X-rays of energy 50keV have a 1/e penetration depth into Au of 71 microns.
That is, mu for Au at 50 keV is 7.26 cm^2/gr.  For Other sources, see  the tables of Elam, Ravel, and Seiber:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0969-806X(01)00227-4, and available  from either https://github.com/XraySpectroscopy/XrayDB  or   https://github.com/xraypy/xraylarch   or https://github.com/bruceravel/demeter) or see https://github.com/tschoonj/xraylib/wiki.
With a density of 19.37 gr/cm^3,  that gives a mu = 7.26 * 19.37 cm^-1, and so a 1/mu depth of 0.0071 cm = 71 microns.
However, the escape depth for the Au Lalpha1 line (at 9.7 keV) would only be 4 microns, and for Au Lbeta1 line (at 11.4 keV) would only be 6 microns.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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I have used cyanid for leaching, but no significant gold was observed in cyanide solution.
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First, gold has to be there; with separatable concentrations, with certain chemical mode of occurrence. The efficiency of cyanide to separate gold is influenced by the presence of other minerals like chalcocite (CuS), for example.
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It is for general knowledge.
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The minimum quantity of gold present in a mineral, for mining process to be economical depends on various factors, for example:
- If the mineral is located in deep underground or at opencast
- Gold content in the reservoir
- Reservoir size and volume
- Distance between the reservoir and the mineral processing plant
- Mineral beneficiation technology
Afterward you make a feasibility study and considers the previous examples in this study and other factors. Then, it is when you determine whether or not it is feasible its exploitation
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A graben with existing and historic vein-hosted gold production on its west side has similar style veins that have hosted historic silver production on the east side. Are there regional controls on the mineralization of epithermal systems that would control Au/Ag ratio vertically and/or horizontally across a graben? Could it simply be a matter of lighter elements, such as silver, precipitating from cooling epithermal fluids at lower temperatures or pressures than heavier elements, such as gold, do?
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Yes, it is possible. The major role in causing this discrimination from east to west, could be due to the difference in the nature of the anions complexed with Au and Ag, as suggested by Yan-Jing. Appropriate conditions for the precipitation of Au-complexed and Ag-complexed species might have a small-scale temporal difference as well. Also the overall release of metals, could be controlled by the formation of proper weak-zones ( shear zone or any weak-plane) with needful hosting lithologies, where fluid-rock interaction processes controlled the discrimination for precipitating of Au and Ag. Notably, the chloride complexes of Ag are stable up to much lower temperatures. So the advent of the Au- and Ag-laden fluids in the graben could have occurred in two separate phases, depending upon their upward release from the primary magmatic regime.