What gold looks like and is formed in nature. Where to look for gold nuggets. Practical Guide Manifesting Gold

22.01.2024

It is not uncommon for a person to pick up a stone and seem to see gold in it. How can you tell if it is gold or not? If the stone has yellow grains visible to the eye, then this is easy to check. Use a needle to scratch the yellow grains. If it's gold, it will scratch like metal. Lead can be scratched for clarity, and gold will be scratched in the same way. The pyrite will crumble. But mica crumbles into flakes. If you press such a scale with your fingernail on something hard, it will simply crush into dust. Pyrite will crumble when struck. A grain of gold will behave like metal and will simply flatten. But this is visible gold. If it is not visible, but your sixth sense tells you - There is gold in this stone.

Then we start scouring the Internet and reading a lot about aqua regia and all sorts of other complex chemical processes. However, everything is much simpler and less dangerous for your health and the health of others. Before you pick up acid and mercury, remember what you will do after the acid eats your lungs and the mercury accumulates in your limb and you will never be able to lift it again. In order to check whether there is gold in a stone or not, it is enough to have a regular tincture of iodine on hand. Unpleasant smell. It's tolerable. A kitchen hood can help you. Where to begin? You need to crush the stone in a mortar. Just grind it into powder. Pour the powder into a jar with a lid. Test jars are very convenient for these purposes. Fill the powder with tincture of iodine from the first aid kit. Not with acid and mercury, but with ordinary iodine tincture. Stir thoroughly. We close the lid, otherwise the smell in the rooms is like in a hospital. After the precipitate has settled, lower a strip of filter paper (just cut a strip from a paper towel) into the solution without touching the precipitate. Took it out and dried it. Then they dipped it again and dried it. Do this several times. Dry the strip and set it on fire. Naturally, in compliance with fire safety rules. If gold is present in the stone, the ash remaining after burning the strip of paper turns purple. You can see what the color purple looks like in Yandex where there is a good color scale.
So I recommend this particular method for determining the presence of gold in stones. Absolutely safe except for burning the strip.
Naturally, the method of washing crushed ore is more interesting, but this is only provided that it contains visible gold. The ore is crushed in a mortar made from an ordinary gas cylinder. The cylinder, with certain safety measures, is cut to half and the ore is crushed in it using a round steel bar. Then the resulting powder is washed.
If there is fine gold in the ore, we use the same iodine to collect it, but only in the solid state. Solid (crystalline) iodine is easier to obtain than acids. It is much easier to work with and does not pollute the environment. And this is a matter of extraction, i.e. production Not the topic of today's article.

The most common gold-bearing matrix in the world is quartz veins. I am not a geologist, but a miner, and I know and understand that the geological characteristics of gold-bearing quartz veins are very important. These include:

Sulfides and chemical oxidation

Most gold-bearing quartz veins or veinlets contain at least small amounts of sulfide minerals. One of the most common sulfide materials is iron pyrite (FeS 2) - pyrite. Pyrite is a form of iron sulfide that results from the chemical oxidation of some of the inherent iron in the rock.

Quartz veins containing iron sulfides or oxides are quite easy to recognize, since they have a recognizable color - yellow, orange, red. Their "rusty" appearance is very similar to the appearance of rusty oxidized iron.

Host or local rock

Typically (but not always) quartz sulfide veins of this type can be found near major geological faults or in areas where tectonic processes have occurred in the recent past. Quartz veins themselves often "break" in many directions, and quite a lot of gold can be found at their junctions or cracks.

Host rock is the most common type of rock surrounding a vein (including raft) in any location where gold is contained. In areas where quartz veins can be found, the most common host rocks are:

slate (especially greenstone slate)
serpentine
gabbro
diorite
siliceous shale
feldspar
granite
greenstone
various forms of metamorphic (altered) volcanic rocks

The last type deserves special mention. Many people new to gold mining, or those who have little understanding of gold mineralization processes, automatically assume that gold is found in all areas where there is evidence of volcanic activity.

This point of view is wrong! Areas and areas where some volcanic activity has recently (from a geological point of view, of course) rarely boast gold in any concentrations. The term "metamorphic" means that some type of significant chemical and/or geological change occurred over many millions of years, changing the original volcanic host rock into something completely different. By the way, the most gold-rich areas in the American West and Southwest were formed in places characterized by metamorphism.

Shale, limestone and coal

Geologists would say that places where there are host rocks characterized by shale, limestone, or coal content may also contain gold-bearing quartz veins. Yes, there are experts in geology, I respect them, but I will tell you something right here and right now. In 30 years of small-scale gold mining, I have not found an ounce of gold in areas where the above host rock types were found. However, I have been prospecting in New Mexico where you can find rich metamorphic rock within a few miles of rock with limestone, shale and coal. Therefore, geologists would need to resolve this issue.

Related Minerals

Many types of minerals accompany gold-bearing quartz veins and are contained in the surrounding host rock. For this reason, I often talk about the importance of understanding (or simply having the appropriate knowledge) of gold geology and associated mineralization. The key point here is that the more knowledge and experience we have, the more gold you will eventually discover and extract.

This is quite old wisdom, so let's take a look at the associated minerals that are characteristic of gold-bearing quartz ores:

Natural gold (that's what it's all about, right?)
Pyrite (our good old iron pyrite)
Arsenopyrite (arsenic pyrite)
Galena (lead sulfide - the most common form of lead ore)
Sphalerite (a type of zinc ore)
Chalcopyrite (copper pyrite)
Pyrrhotite (an unusual and rare iron mineral)
Telluride (a type of ore, often refractory; meaning that the precious metal it contains is usually in a chemical form and cannot be easily crushed)
Scheelite (main type of tungsten ore)
Bismuth (has characteristics similar to antimony and arsenic)
Cosalite (lead and bismuth sulfide, found with gold, but more often with silver)
Tetrahedrite (copper and antimony sulfide)
Stibnite (antimony sulfide)
Molybdenite (molybdenum sulfide, similar in appearance to graphite)
Gersdorfit (mineral containing nickel and arsenic sulfide)

Those attentive may have noticed that I did not include in this list the designations adopted in the Periodic Table of Elements and mineral formulas. If you are a geologist or a chemist, then this would be mandatory for you, but for a simple gold miner or prospector intending to find gold, from a practical point of view, this is not necessary.

Now I want you to stop and think. If you can identify all of these minerals right now, will this ability increase your chances of success? Especially in discovering potential gold deposits or establishing the fact of high mineralization of a particular area? I think you get some of the big picture.

Gold is a noble metal, the mining of which began in ancient times. It may seem that this material is now of no practical value. But even in the modern world, you can see cases of brutal bloodshed that are directly related to this metal. This article will talk about where you can find gold and how you can do it.

A little history

If we go back to the times of Ancient Rus', it is reliably known that lands containing gold were not discovered at that time, even despite the fact that the territory of the state was quite vast. Ruler Ivan III was obsessed with the goal of finding the noble metal and even invited specialists from distant Italy for this purpose. But to his regret, only a small piece of gold was found, which was only enough to make a small cross.

The next seeker was Ivan the Terrible. For the sake of gold, he even conquered Siberia with the help of a huge army, but he never achieved the expected result. The same fate befell all the other rulers of Ancient Rus'. But the turning point in the history of gold mining was the coming to power of Peter I. It was under the power of this ruler that the first items of clothing and jewelry that contained gold and precious stones began to appear.

The first gold nugget was mined in 1945 by a Russian peasant from the Urals who was building a house on the river bank.

While digging a hole, he found golden grains of sand. The peasant immediately showed the find to his friend, who was also a silversmith. The master confirmed that the nugget was genuine. Experts arrived at the place where the grains of sand were found and began further searches. But unfortunately, they left with nothing. And only two years after the discovery of the deposit, a decision was made according to which it was necessary to continue the search and dig a mine. This decision turned out to be more than successful.

At the bottom of the dug shaft, a large amount of gold reserves were found, which marked the beginning of larger-scale mining of the metal.

Where to look

The question of how to quickly and efficiently find gold in the ground, as well as in what places this should be done, worries many seekers. In fact, there are many places where gold particles are present, but they are contained in very small quantities. If you are serious about searching for a large mine, then luck may turn your way, but the likelihood of this is negligible.

A small part of the precious metal can be found in sea water. According to experts, if you separate all the sea water from the gold reserves, you will get about 10,000,000,000 tons of metal. This figure is simply shocking. But at the moment there is not a single way in which this could be done.

It is pure precious metal that can rarely be found in nature. Most often, gold is found with many impurities, from which the metal will then have to be purified. The most common place where you can find pure gold without impurities in large quantities is in quartz beds.

Under the influence of natural elements, such as wind or rain, layers can be destroyed. As a result of this process, a solid piece of gold nugget is formed. Also, gold reserves can be deposited in several types:

Eluvial deposits;
Residual deposits;
Bottom sediments;
Terrace deposits.

Residual deposits can be observed directly near the vein itself, which has been subjected to physical or chemical influence. Eluvial deposits are most often located at the foot of mountains.

This is what quartz layers look like.

Terrace deposits are in most cases found at the bottom of the river. After a certain time, the river erodes the land, as a result of which an additional bottom is formed. The old bottom rises above ground level, which is why it is called a terrace.

The terraces, which are several hundred years old, contain a very large amount of gold reserves. Bottom sediments form at the bottom of rivers in the form of precipitation. With the help of rain, gold moves along the river bed.

Ore development.

Today, the process of mining gold deposits is not much different from the extraction of all other metals and ores. First, a deep shaft is made, and then huge pieces of ore are lifted to the surface, which contain what started all these searches and excavations. At the final stages, gold should be separated from all unnecessary elements and impurities. To do this, the metal is ground to a powder state.

Searching for gold in Russia

There is practically no exact answer to the question of how to find gold in Russia even today. The most promising regions for searching are the Urals, Chukotka, Magadan, and Amur. It was in these places that nuggets were discovered, weighing 16 kilograms. Similar finds are still in the memory of local residents.

But before you go looking for metal, you need to find out whether it is in a particular place. All the necessary information can be provided by geologists or indigenous inhabitants who are well versed in the given territory.

Very often, the discovery of gold deposits is mentioned in newspapers, so in order to collect as much information as possible, you should turn to archival data.

Industrial mining sites.

There are also special geological funds that collect information about gold mining in a particular region. Such funds can be of great help in advancing the search for a profitable mine.

If the places where gold reserves were found weighing 50 grams or more have become known, then nuggets several times heavier can be found there.

Based on everything that was said above, it should be concluded that before going to a specific region in order to start searching for precious metal there, you need to carefully check all the data, analyze the information, and view all photos and video materials.

How to search correctly

Finding gold is a very long process that can last for years. It is unlikely that in the first days of searching the digger will find something worthwhile. In order to somehow speed up this process and make it more productive, it is recommended to study a large amount of literature that can teach you how to properly organize your searches.

It has already been said that gold is found in quartz strata. To detect them, you need to pay attention to certain signs that are characteristic only of such deposits.

Gold dredge

After many years, the technologies used to mine gold in ancient times have not changed much. All that has changed is the work of mechanized machines instead of human labor.

Today, few people are engaged in gold mining using trays, since this method is no longer relevant and widespread. But the technology has survived. Today, many people use a huge machine that has a large number of trays.

A dredge is a device used to flush water from a river. It is this huge and noisy structure that is capable of extracting precious metal from river rock. Although this method is very effective and profitable, it has a very negative impact on the environment. After dredging, river beds are left in a deplorable state. But in order to know how to find and then safely extract gold from the river, it is recommended to use dredging as the easiest way to mine gold.

Gravitational differentiation

This gold mining technology involves grinding rock that contains the metal. After these rocks have been loaded onto trucks, they are taken to special mills. Inside these mills, huge stones crumble under the pressure of large balls made of strong cast iron.

After crushing, this entire mass is placed in a centrifuge, in which the earth and stones are separated from the pyrite. Pyrite contains particles of valuable metal. Very often the shine of the mineral is mistaken for real gold.

Modern mining technologies

Today, technological progress has made significant strides forward. With the help of the latest technologies, gold is extracted even from poor and almost deserted mines. Balanced deposits are also created.

In order to establish the use of heap leaching, it is enough to spend one year of work. In addition, it is a very profitable investment. Within a year, the mine owner will be able to hold entire ingots of precious metal in his hands.

Searching with a metal detector

There is an opinion that it makes no sense to continue gold mining in ore that has already been mined. After all, in order to find a few grams of metal, it is necessary to process a whole pile of rock, and this is a huge amount of work. The question arises: how to find gold, with the most accurate determination of its location?

On average, there are about five kilograms of pure gold per ton of land. If these data are correct, then metal mining becomes unprofitable. But there are certain places where quite a large amount of precious metal accumulates. Such places are called deposits. They are found by geologists who have relevant knowledge in this area. In such local accumulations, the gold coefficient is several times higher than usual.

In the deposits you can find nests and columns. These are places in which there is much more metal than in all others. The efficiency of mining can only be seen when the amount of precious material is calculated relative to the ton of rock that was processed. In order to learn how such calculations are made, you can study the corresponding video.

To find such deposits, a metal detector is used, which is widely used for such purposes. It significantly increases the level of efficiency and reduces the duration of search work. If the metal detector indicates something, then the sector must be carefully checked and, perhaps, even a soil sample must be taken and the rock washed.

Many years of practice have proven that gold nuggets are never far from each other. If one was found, then it makes sense to look further, since there should be more similar specimens nearby.

Metal detectors were first used about forty years ago in foreign countries. Today you can see instruments that have excellent sensitivity, which can indicate even a small piece of metal. The device shows exactly how you can quickly and accurately find gold in nature.

Scientists geologists tested dozens of instruments that searched for an identified object in a variety of conditions, both on land and in deep reservoirs. The test results proved that the metal detectors performed well and that they can conduct full-scale searches.

During the research conducted in the Irkutsk region, geologists managed to find more than a hundred nuggets, the total weight of which was more than 1 kilogram. Most often, such specimens are found on the surface of industrial dumps, and not on the surface of the earth, as is usually shown in movies.

There are different types of terrain that have unique prospects for mining, so searches should be carried out wherever possible. To avoid mistakes, there is a more proven and reliable option. Where gold can be found, mining must have already been carried out previously or continues to this day. Places where gold has never been mined do not present any prospects or opportunities for further exploration.

It is important to consider that excavations had already been carried out before your arrival. Therefore, if even highly qualified specialists could not find anything, then you are unlikely to be luckier than them. But there are also exceptions.

Geologists are interested in areas that have vast volumes. They do not pay attention to distant corners. Therefore, if you look hard enough, you can find small amounts of gold nuggets in those distant corners.

It is better not to skimp on buying a metal detector.

Small streams high in the mountains are another promising place where you can get metal. Light pebbles are carried away by the current, while heavier ones remain and accumulate at the bottom of the river.

Is it possible to find gold using a regular, amateur metal detector? Naturally, you can, but it’s better to use a tool that costs 30 thousand rubles or more, since it greatly simplifies the task.

Gold mining has attracted people since ancient times; it was practiced in ancient times. For several millennia, gold mining has been one of the main industries.

The theory of the appearance of precious metal

The main version of the appearance of gold on our planet is the theory that the Earth, at the stage of its formation, collided with an unknown cosmic object of enormous size.

Scientists from all over the world conducted research, using a special computer program to recreate a model of the phased development of the Earth. To date, it has been proven that the precious metal is not of earthly origin.

When did people learn about the existence of gold?

It is not known for certain when exactly man first discovered gold. Some historical facts indicate that it began to be used back in the Stone Age.

In its native form, gold was very common; “sunstone” was actively used in everyday life due to its strength and durability.

In the era of the New Stone Age (Neolithic), gold began to be used to make jewelry and, occasionally, weapons. Over time, as tribes divided into social strata, gold began to be associated exclusively with power and wealth, and leaders wore jewelry made from it.

To improve the appearance of products, people made their first attempts to process metal. This period is marked by people's acquaintance with new metals obtained by purifying gold-containing ingots from impurities.

Gold began to be exchanged for goods. Every year its exchange value grew, the scale of production increased, which contributed to the emergence of humanity from the Stone Age and the transition to the Bronze Age.

After some time, to facilitate the process of exchanging ingots for various items, small pieces began to be made from gold. These were the first unique gold coins; any goods were correlated with their value. This is how the first money appeared.

For a very long time, coins and gold jewelry served as the main measure of the value of all goods and services.

Gold mining in the modern world

Currently, gold is not a measure of the value of everything around, but it still has not lost its relevance.

The physical properties of the metal have ensured its widespread use in various industries, and the unquenchable demand for gold jewelry has turned it into one of the main financial assets.

Today, throughout the world, gold mining is a large, constantly developing segment of the industry, generating huge income.

Leading countries in gold production

1st place - China (300 tons per year);

2nd place - South Africa (250 tons per year);

3rd place - USA (232 tons per year);

4th place - Australia (225 tons per year);

5th place - Peru (175 tons per year).

Russia is no longer one of the top five countries where gold is mined on a huge scale. Her position has shifted to 6th place, although not so long ago (in 2013) she was firmly in 2nd place in the ranking. By reducing gold mining volumes, Russia lost its leadership position.

The global crisis that began in 2008 forced countries to increase gold mining to strengthen and stabilize the economy. The policy for the development of the gold mining industry has brought good results - the level of production is growing every year, the cost of gold is increasing.

The depletion of natural reserves of the precious metal has become a significant problem; new places where gold can be found are constantly being searched. It is extremely rare to discover a gold-bearing vein; most of the metal on Earth has already been mined.

Where can you find gold in nature?

The likelihood of finding a mine with a large volume of gold is extremely low - it is found in many places, but in very small quantities.

It is known that gold is found in seawater, but scientists have not yet figured out a way to extract it from there. Today, extracting gold from seawater is a tempting prospect. Rough calculations have shown that the waters of the World Ocean contain more than 10 billion tons of metal. Creating a method for extracting it from salt water will be a revolutionary breakthrough in science and the development of the gold mining industry.

Nuggets are practically never found in nature; most often gold is mixed with other metals. It is found both deep underground and close to its surface.

Without impurities, it can be found in quartz formations - this is the main place where gold is mined. Under the influence of weather conditions, the layers are gradually destroyed, exposing the purest pieces of gold, the size of which can be stunning. Over time, the gold is completely freed from the destroyed quartz and spreads along the slopes or is picked up by the river bed.

There are 4 types of precious metal deposits that appeared due to the natural destruction of rock:

Residual - gold deposits located at the site of destruction of the vein or in close proximity to it.
Eluvial - located at the foot of the mountains near a destroyed vein.
Terraced - this type of sediment is a river bottom that has risen above the water level. This occurs due to the fact that over time the current erodes the earth deeper and deeper and forms a new bottom.
Bottom - located at the bottom of a mountain river. Under the influence of river and rain flows, the rocks are destroyed, releasing gold particles.

How gold is mined and processed

The gold mining technology is as follows: holes are drilled on the surface of the earth and an explosive is placed in them. Using special equipment, the blasted ore is lifted to the top and sent to the processing plant. There it is crushed and sorted.

To obtain gold from ore, the most commonly used method is leaching. To do this, the ore is poured into a special container and a cyanide solution is poured on top. It penetrates the rock and dissolves gold well. After it precipitates, a dark concentrate is formed that looks like sand. The noble metal content in it reaches 90%. The concentrates are weighed, sorted and the level of radiation is measured (this is due to the fact that gold deposits are sometimes adjacent to radioactive substances). The concentrate that does not meet the standards is sent for recycling.

The next step is to directly obtain gold. Refining (the process of purifying gold from impurities) is carried out in several stages. Its essence is that a gold-containing ingot is melted to a liquid state, with the help of chemical reagents the gold is separated from other elements, and then restored.

After the impurities are separated, the gold is again subjected to melting, but in order to cast it into the usual type of ingots. The prepared metal is poured into special containers, taking a small amount of gold for examination. After this, it quickly hardens; after complete hardening, the ingot is removed from the container and dipped into cold water.

The so-called “probe” of gold is studied for the quality of purification from impurities. If some of them remain in the gold, it will go through the refining procedure again.

A completely cleaned gold bar is marked with hallmark and manufacturer's mark.

Largest gold mines in the world

According to rough estimates, about 160 thousand tons of gold have already been mined in the world. Below are the mines where you can find gold in large quantities:

Grasberg (Indonesia) - open-pit (quarry) and underground work (in mines) is underway;
Yanacocha (Peru) - open works;
Goldstrike (USA) - open and underground work;
Cortez (USA) - open works;
Veladero (Argentina) - open works;
West Wits (South Africa) - underground work;
Lagunas Norte (Peru) - underground work;
Boddington (Australia) - open works;
Kalgoorlie (Australia) - open works;
Olympics (Russia) - open works;
Carlin Trend (USA) - open and underground work.

Gold-bearing rivers

The most famous gold-rich rivers are Nome and Tanana, located in Alaska. People from all over the world come to places where it is possible to pan for gold in a short time. Almost every day, inspired groups meet on the banks of these rivers who decide to try their luck.

There are many rivers in Russia where you can find gold: Lena, Sanarka, Bodaibo, Bolshoi Chanchik, Bom. Industrial mining had already taken place here, after which small placers remained. For the gold mining industry, these remains are of no value; anyone can try their luck by first obtaining a private miner's license.

Ivalo, Luttojoka, Hangasoja are rivers where you won’t find a lot of gold in bulk, yet tourists and residents of Finland regularly come to the banks with the necessary tools.

Ordinary people can also find golden sand in the Marañon River (Peru).

There are many gold-bearing rivers in the world, the above-mentioned ones have increased interest from prospectors.

Leading gold mining companies

Barrick Gold, Canada.
GoldCorp, Canada.
Newcrest Mining, Australia.
Newmont Mining, USA.
Kinross Gold, Canada.
AngloGold Ashanti Limited, South Africa.
Gold Fields Limited, South Africa.
Polyus Gold, Russia.
Yamana Gold, Canada.
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited, Canada.

A Russian enterprise has also appeared on the list of the largest companies engaged in gold mining. Polyus Gold operates at 5 mines located in the Far East and Eastern Siberia. The company plans to discover new gold deposits, thereby increasing metal production volumes and again bringing Russia to a leading position.

Prospects for the gold mining industry

Gold mining is developing rapidly, and there is a constant search for deposits that can take the international economy to a new level. Every year, gold mining equipment is improved, and new methods of metal processing are born. In the future, gold mining will only strengthen its position as one of the main industry segments.

Humanity has always been interested in precious metals. They began to be mined thousands of years ago and such work is still actively carried out. This is mainly done by industrial companies that meet market needs. They know exactly where and how to find gold, since mining is carried out at the main deposits. It is much more difficult for a simple prospector to discover a nugget

Search territories

In modern conditions, it is not difficult to find information about deposits of precious metals in a country or a particular region. Professional mining of gold and silver is carried out by large companies and holdings that have all the necessary documents for this. They attract specialists - geologists and mineralogists - to develop new deposits.

Professionals use special equipment and soil tests at different levels. After such work, the composition of the subsoil and the possibility of searching for gold are taken into account.

It’s a completely different matter when an ordinary person sets himself the task of finding gold in the ground. Searching on your own rarely brings success without knowledge or experience in gold mining. To carry out such work, you must purchase a license, otherwise mining will be illegal. The document is most often obtained from a gold mining company.

There are many places where gold particles are found, but in small quantities. In regions with large deposits, searches will be more successful if you try. In order for a prospector to be lucky, he must know the geology of the area, for example, information about the types of rocks.

Experts say that where rocks collide, gold most often lies. It also happens within the same breed. Such places are the most promising for gold mining. Experienced geologists suggest that there was previously high pressure and temperature at the “contact point” of the two rocks. Such conditions always contribute to the appearance of a concentration of precious metal. The search guide will be the change in color of the rock.

Gold deposits

In its pure form, yellow precious metal is very rarely found in nature. Almost always it contains various impurities. The metal must be cleaned from them.

The most common place where gold is found in large quantities and without impurities is in quartz formations. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the layers are destroyed. This process promotes the formation of large nuggets. In nature, gold reserves are deposited in several types:

eluvial;
residual;
bottom;
terraced.

In the residual type, deposits are usually observed near the vein itself, which has been subjected to chemical or physical influence. This most often occurs at the foot of the mountains.

In most cases, terrace deposits are found at the bottom of rivers and streams. Water erodes the earth, which leads to the formation of an additional bottom. After some time, the old bottom rises above the ground level, after which a terrace appears. Such formations, hundreds of years old, are distinguished by their gold content in large quantities.

Bottom sediments occur in the form of sediments at the bottom of rivers. Gold moves along the river bed with the help of rain. In such reservoirs it is often mixed with black sand. The soil in them may look reddish, black or orange in color.

Mining locations in Russia

Gold mining is carried out in almost all countries of the world, including Russia. On the vast territory of the Russian Federation there is precious metal. The largest mines and mines are located in the Urals and the Far East. Most often, gold-bearing deposits are discovered together with platinum deposits, but the yellow metal does not occur in the natural environment with silver. There are several regions where to look for gold in Russia. These include:

Chukotka;
Ural;
Amur River Valley;
Magadan.

Large nuggets are found in these areas, the largest of which weigh up to 10 kg. Before you begin your search, you should carefully study the geological map of the area. It is advisable to talk with local residents who have the necessary information.

Most often, gold nuggets are found in pairs. You need to be observant and smart, because if one ingot was discovered, then there should be a second one nearby. Abandoned mines where previously . Reliable information is usually found in archives.

Modern technologies

Finding gold usually takes a long time. Sometimes they last for years and often without success. To properly organize the work, the digger must study the necessary literature and have special equipment. Everything together will contribute to a more productive and accelerated process.

Previously, gold was mined manually, panning it using trays. Today, large mechanisms with a large number of trays are used for this purpose. Such devices are called dredges; they flush water from the river. This design is designed to extract precious metal from river rock.

When working with rocks, gravity differentiation technology is used. After extraction, the composition is taken to special mills, where it is crushed under the pressure of large balls of strong cast iron. The resulting mass is sent to a centrifuge to separate pyrite. It contains particles of gold.

More modern technologies make it possible to extract gold from almost empty mines, but such methods are unlikely to be suitable for the average miner. Many people use a metal detector, which reduces search time and increases work efficiency.

Application of a metal detector

Metal detectors began to be used abroad 40 years ago. For independent searches, it is advisable to use the most modern device with high sensitivity, since it can find even a very small piece of gold. If the tool points to something, then you should carefully examine the area. To do this, the sample is washed and studied. Conventional metal detectors react to ferromagnets and do not find the noble metal in its pure form.

The device should not be used for searching in water. It is considered to be ineffective in such an environment. However, it is in areas with mountain streams that deposits of precious metal can most often be found.

Metal detectors from the best brands allow you to detect gold deposits at a depth of up to 1 meter. Such devices significantly expand the possibilities, but you also need to be able to calculate the places where nuggets may lie. These are mainly gold-bearing areas in places of small mountain streams, where valuable metal falls from the slopes. It is carried away by water, and then, due to its high specific gravity, it sinks through pebbles and sand. As a result, .

These places look like rocks; they used to be the bottom of a stream. They end up on the surface when the water chooses a new, deeper channel. Places like this nearby are always worth exploring. If there are quartz boulders or polished pebbles in or around the water, then this is a good sign.

Whatever place is chosen to search for a gold-bearing vein, this issue must be taken seriously. Otherwise, all the effort, time and financial costs will be in vain.