Gold rich beach placer sand.. What to do with it now? Newbie please help!

[perduepro]

I have very black naturally occurring concentrated beach sand and it looks as if there is micron gold dust but I'm not sure. I don't have the equipment to go any further than panning. This gold is flowing out of the pan with the heavies even after adding soap ( dawn). My magnet is picking up too much of the dust along with the magnetics. The gold/silver in this concentrate is MICRON in size. I did NOT see any tell tail gold ring while swirling. I did see a heavy silverish tail after swirling while panning.

The concentrate seems incredibly rich. I had an assay done and these are the results.

Reporting Analysis, Troy Ounces per Ton

Reporting quantities Determined by a Pyro-Analysis commonly reffered to as a "Fire Assay".

performed with a Flux Mixture and Collective metal, which a procedure of Cupellation was performed, Bead

weighed and analyzed for Color and Gold Content.

Customer Name:

Address

Phone

Email

Date: 8/24/ 2008

Sample Description: Dark Sand/Soil

Bead Produced ? Yes _X_ No___

Precious Metal Toz per Ton (Au) Percentage (Ag) Percentage Precious Metal Grams per Ton

21.6 60% 40% 671

1.13 50% 50% 35.13

Special Notes:

Material Crushed and Fire Assay perfomed using (2) New Crucibles and (2) # 11 Cupels

Performed (2) 29.17 Gram test bead produced

This is a Test of 29.17 Grams ( 1 Assay Ton ) of material suspected to carry values of Precious

Metal. This is a time tested reliable test, but not by any means should this be considered a final

analysis or basis of value of a prospect. Further Tests should be done by more than one assayer

for comparison. I will, upon request, recommend a reliable Laboratory. No implication is made by

this report as to values of materials, only reported results of tests completed.

Any insight on this assay from fellow board members is greatly appreciated.

The ore mentioned is heavy, rich and black. It is naturally concentrated by ocean action and deposited in layers. It is very easy to locate. I feel as if I have found the jackpot. Just knowing that there is Au and Ag in my ore has made me happy. I am truly a novice at prospecting.

I'm just not sure what to do next-

I was thinking about buying the new Keene Super Concentrator Model #KSCR ..BUT I don't think that it will catch micron gold, the au is smaller than flour!

Should I just try to assay/smelt this Au from the ore?

What is the best way to extract micron gold from ore?

[whats4supper]

check out the link: http://www.nuggethunting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5949

then check out fishbone's tool: www.cleangold.com

[whats4supper]

oops- a double

[adam]

SPAM

[perduepro]

Who " spammed " ?

Anyway...

Thank you for the great link -full of beach placer information. I appreciate it.

What would be a good amalgamation method for separating minute gold from beach placer ore?

Are there any fairly safe chemical or heat processes that could be done?

[matt]

perduepro1,

I have been researching micron gold recovery lately as well. You may want to look into a wave table or shaker table. Google "Action Mining" or check out their add in the ICMJ and go to their web site. I think you can even send them a sample of your material and they will run it on their table and provide you the results for a fee (and return it to you). Then you know if the micron gold is recoverable with a table. An assay will vary, so send it to a few of them as stated above. If you can recover the gold by means of a table, I hope you strike ot rich! Good luck and take care.

Cheers,

Matt

P.S. Spam? This is a great subject to start a discussion.

[Guest VinMan]

Mercury works very well if you know how to use it...

[perduepro]

Thanks Matt, I don't think a table will pick this stuff up, it's THAT tiny. I'll still keep it in mind though, you never know

Mercury - is pretty scary to me but if it can be done safely I may try it. Does anyone have any detailed instructions as to how to use it?

[AMC]

The only efficient way to process micro gold out is via a shaker table like the Global Mining Solutions RP4. We use several of them and they are excellent. If you're panning it out, it's probably NOT gold you are seeing. A shaker table that is properly set up is almost foolproof. Despite what you think, a table will get all the micros. Best thing you can do after that is run your cons through a ball mill to crush it to uniform size, the mercury. Micro gold is a PITA, but that process seems to be the best process we have found for recovery. If you go with a shaker table, buy or build an auto feeder to go with it.

Jerry

[perduepro]

You may be right about the shaker table after all, but they are really pricey.

I don't have access to alot of concentrated material either.

[stretch]

I have very black naturally occurring concentrated beach sand and it looks as if there is micron gold dust but I'm not sure. I don't have the equipment to go any further than panning. This gold is flowing out of the pan with the heavies even after adding soap ( dawn). My magnet is picking up too much of the dust along with the magnetics. The gold/silver in this concentrate is MICRON in size. I did NOT see any tell tail gold ring while swirling. I did see a heavy silverish tail after swirling while panning.

The concentrate seems incredibly rich. I had an assay done and these are the results.

Reporting Analysis, Troy Ounces per Ton

Reporting quantities Determined by a Pyro-Analysis commonly reffered to as a "Fire Assay".

performed with a Flux Mixture and Collective metal, which a procedure of Cupellation was performed, Bead

weighed and analyzed for Color and Gold Content.

Customer Name:

Address

Phone

Email

Date: 8/24/ 2008

Sample Description: Dark Sand/Soil

Bead Produced ? Yes _X_ No___

Precious Metal Toz per Ton (Au) Percentage (Ag) Percentage Precious Metal Grams per Ton

21.6 60% 40% 671

1.13 50% 50% 35.13

Special Notes:

Material Crushed and Fire Assay perfomed using (2) New Crucibles and (2) # 11 Cupels

Performed (2) 29.17 Gram test bead produced

This is a Test of 29.17 Grams ( 1 Assay Ton ) of material suspected to carry values of Precious

Metal. This is a time tested reliable test, but not by any means should this be considered a final

analysis or basis of value of a prospect. Further Tests should be done by more than one assayer

for comparison. I will, upon request, recommend a reliable Laboratory. No implication is made by

this report as to values of materials, only reported results of tests completed.

Any insight on this assay from fellow board members is greatly appreciated.

The ore mentioned is heavy, rich and black. It is naturally concentrated by ocean action and deposited in layers. It is very easy to locate. I feel as if I have found the jackpot. Just knowing that there is Au and Ag in my ore has made me happy. I am truly a novice at prospecting.

I'm just not sure what to do next-

I was thinking about buying the new Keene Super Concentrator Model #KSCR ..BUT I don't think that it will catch micron gold, the au is smaller than flour!

Should I just try to assay/smelt this Au from the ore?

What is the best way to extract micron gold from ore?

I live in Roseburg Oregon and work the beach sands. The fine gold has always been a problem.It is near impossible to get 100% of your gold. My partner & I are working on a solution to this problem in a few months.We feel we have found a way to do the impossible. I will let you know how things

progress...stretch

[Traveller]

I have very black naturally occurring concentrated beach sand and it looks as if there is micron gold dust but I'm not sure. I don't have the equipment to go any further than panning. This gold is flowing out of the pan with the heavies even after adding soap ( dawn). My magnet is picking up too much of the dust along with the magnetics. The gold/silver in this concentrate is MICRON in size. I did NOT see any tell tail gold ring while swirling. I did see a heavy silverish tail after swirling while panning.

The concentrate seems incredibly rich. I had an assay done and these are the results.

Reporting Analysis, Troy Ounces per Ton

Reporting quantities Determined by a Pyro-Analysis commonly reffered to as a "Fire Assay".

performed with a Flux Mixture and Collective metal, which a procedure of Cupellation was performed, Bead

weighed and analyzed for Color and Gold Content.

Customer Name:

Address

Phone

Email

Date: 8/24/ 2008

Sample Description: Dark Sand/Soil

Bead Produced ? Yes _X_ No___

Precious Metal Toz per Ton (Au) Percentage (Ag) Percentage Precious Metal Grams per Ton

21.6 60% 40% 671

1.13 50% 50% 35.13

Special Notes:

Material Crushed and Fire Assay perfomed using (2) New Crucibles and (2) # 11 Cupels

Performed (2) 29.17 Gram test bead produced

This is a Test of 29.17 Grams ( 1 Assay Ton ) of material suspected to carry values of Precious

Metal. This is a time tested reliable test, but not by any means should this be considered a final

analysis or basis of value of a prospect. Further Tests should be done by more than one assayer

for comparison. I will, upon request, recommend a reliable Laboratory. No implication is made by

this report as to values of materials, only reported results of tests completed.

Any insight on this assay from fellow board members is greatly appreciated.

The ore mentioned is heavy, rich and black. It is naturally concentrated by ocean action and deposited in layers. It is very easy to locate. I feel as if I have found the jackpot. Just knowing that there is Au and Ag in my ore has made me happy. I am truly a novice at prospecting.

I'm just not sure what to do next-

I was thinking about buying the new Keene Super Concentrator Model #KSCR ..BUT I don't think that it will catch micron gold, the au is smaller than flour!

Should I just try to assay/smelt this Au from the ore?

What is the best way to extract micron gold from ore?

perduepro1

I read your post with great interest as I am dealing with almost an identical beach placer here; with similar results.

The first thing I would like to note is that "heavy silverish tail after swirling while panning". As you know, the specific gravity of silver is much lower than gold and, if you cannot separate micron gold in your pan, your chances of separating micron silver are indeed slim. Have you tested this placer for platinum? That could very well be what you are seeing. Not only is it denser (s.g. of 21.45 as opposed to gold at 19.3) but at $1590 US/ Troy oz. this morning it is definitely profitable to pursue.

Now, back to the placer. Here is a VERY important question. Is there any evidence (possibly at the low tide mark) of a hardpan clay layer beneath the beach? The reason I ask is this; gold has a tendency to settle out of sand and gravel simply because it is so dense. I am almost willing to bet that you could assay the odd sample of black sand from the beach and find no gold at all in it. I say this from experience. I have assayed rich samples and samples with no values at all; both taken within minutes and a mere 300 feet of each other. You almost have to sneak up on a beach placer as the tromping of your boots on the beach surface is enough to cause those heavy flakes to settle out of the black sand.

But, back to the clay. If each wave, during a storm, deposits gold on the beach AND causes gold already in the placer to sink downwards, we can assume a steady flow of gold downwards through the sand for the duration of the storm. Assuming the average Pacific storm (I assume you're on the West Coast, as I am) to last 24 hours and produce a few thousand waves, this amounts to a sizeable volume of gold in downward motion. If your assay shows values for gold at almost 13 Troy oz./ton, there would be, assuming a specific gravity for magnetite (black sand) of 5.0, roughly 64 Troy oz./ cu. yard of black sand. IF there is a layer of clay below your placer, it will catch all of the migrating gold in a layer approximately a few millimetres thick on the clay's surface. I daresay that, at 64 Troy oz./ cubic yard at the surface, the amount of values at the clay could, quite literally, be staggering.

If the clay is quite far below the surface, it is best to find a section of beach that is currently being eroded into the ocean. In fact, it almost goes without saying that, for such values as you have assayed to be present, your placer is on an eroding beach and there is a large sand dune above it that is being eroded as well. If the clay is seen protruding from below the beach at low tide, it can be assumed that the clay extends horizontally beneath the beach and that every speck of gold from every storm, for however many years it took for the high tide mark to become the toe of the beach, is STILL sitting on the clay; waiting for someone to dig in from the toe of the beach and scrape the upper surface of the clay.

Have I astounded you with the sheer enormity of the potential here yet, Grasshopper??

Do NOT be discouraged by naysayers. Do your homework, accept data regardless of how improbable it seems and stand by your convictions.

Mercury is almost useless in a salt environment. Have you ever left a shovel lying on the beach for half an hour? Mine seem to develop a fine coat of rust in that short space of time/. Mercury, being a metal, oxidizes as well. Gold has many impurities in it (ie. silver, copper, etc.) that will also oxidize rapidly in a salt environment. Oxidation is the enemy of amalgamating with mercury. It is much like soldering copper fittings to copper pipe; unless the two surfaces are perfectly clean (gold and mercury) they will not stick to each other.

Action Mining Services developed a small, portable, water-driven machine called the Hydrostaic Vertical Table during the 1980's. They discontinued it in the 1990's in favor of a line of small shaker tables they had developed. I attempted, without luck, to obtain the plans with the intent of building my own machine. I've never looked but someone suggested to me that one might appear, from time to time, on E-bay. It is a rather simple device that falls under a group of separators called Elutriation Columns. Although capable of processing only small volumes per hour, they are a true separator in that they will produce pure gold and not merely a super rich concentrate; which, of course, you already have. Plans are available from the Alaska state gov't for a simple Elutriation Column.

There are a wide array of leaches available that will dissolve gold (and other precious metals) and put them into solution; cyanide being the deadliest, most effective and well known of them. There are many leaches that are much more user friendly and safer for the environment. Once into solution, the leach is filtered and a precipitant added to it, causing the dissolved gold to drop out. Leaches are very effective in recovering micron gold. There are companies that, if given a sample of your placer, will tailor a leach to match it.

Another thing to look at is something called "electro-winning". Although I am not familiar with it, it seems to be similar to electroplating.

Lastly, there is a rather odd separator I have been working on. It is based on something called an "eddy current separator". Unbeknownst to many people, the world of magnetism is not limited to the mere attraction of ferrous metals and nickel to a magnet. It has been found that a rare earth magnet spun, shaken, or oscillated back and forth close to a piece of non-ferrous metal will cause that piece of non-ferrous metal to be REPELLED by the rare earth magnet. If you Google "eddy current separator" you will find, on one of the sites, video of a conveyor belt delivering a mix of plastic and aluminum soda pop containers to a dropoff with a shielded rotating rare earth magnet at the dropoff. The plastic containers merely fall into the bin below but it is quite fascinating to see the aluminum containers flung 2-3 feet into another bin. It is not hard to imagine a thin layer of dried black sand, in place of the containers, and micron sized particles of gold being flung out of it.

Bob

[Ugbomb510]

Anyone been to Gold Bluffs?