Gold rush!

[Markas]

I apologise for the dramatic title but I have a terrible case of gold fever. By that I mean whilst doing some foundation work in Scotland I came across some broken rocks that contained what I believe to be gold. Apparently the area I am in once had goldmines but I need to know how I can test for it. Please refrain from the response my friends give me-

'You are an idiot. What you have is Iron Pyrite and if the best thing in your life at the minute is a bucket with some rocks in you need to re-evaluate your life'

Oddly, the more high-pitched and desperate my voice becomes the more I'm convinced it's gold.

Throw me a bone, someone.

[Averroës]

Northeast Scotland? It's possible. Not so possible in other sites, unless possibly placer deposits downstream from the NE Scotland epithermal Devonian spring sites.

[Markas]

Northeast Scotland? It's possible. Not so possible in other sites, unless possibly placer deposits downstream from the NE Scotland epithermal Devonian spring sites.

Yes, about fifty miles from the very top. The area is next to a loch on a slope. The geology has huge variations and I assume much was dragged here during the Ice Age. Thanks for replying btw.

[Gwendylyn]

Go to a jeweler - preferably not one of the chain stores - and ask them for advice. You might find someone in person who can judge it for you, but you'll probably pay an appraisal fee regardless of whether its truly gold.

[Chaigidel]

you could also look up some pictures to find the proper ore that contains gold--- it will have certain characteristics and you could probably find out for sure by taking it to a lab.

just make sure you can get the land your gold deposit is on !-- otherwise mine it in sekret !!

[Markas]

The land is my dad's so I guess I'll have to push him down the stairs or something. Everyone who has posted now has a 1% share in Markasgold inc. Congrats.

Just to clarify the land is excavated for building work to about ten feet, with large parts of the slope cut away for a winding driveway. My 'find' is a mix of a kind or stripy vein across small rocks with what I assume to be golddust floating around. It sparkles very attractively.

Dammit why don't I have a digital camera?

[LSJ]

Well just hope its gold.

In their solid form by themselves its easy to tell them apart, especially with the try-to-cut-it-with-a-knife-test.
But Pyrite and Gold veins looks near identical and are too small samples to be tested easily.

You definitely need to check with someone who works with minerals. The only thing I've heard is that pyrite in powder/fine gravel form tends to be attracted to magnets, while gold is not. But if its impure it might not be anyway.

[Averroës]

Northeast Scotland has at least four sites with confirmed Devonian springs. These are likely locations for epithermal gold deposits.

Most gold in lodes occurs along with quartz. So if you're seeing lots of quartz, then you may be in luck.

I used to have a fist-sized chunk of iron pyrite as a kid. My dad was a geophysicist; so I picked up lots of info. It is easy to tell the difference visually. Gold is much heavier. Pyrite is also much more angular, since it's actually a crystal; so it will have lots of cube-like, flat and sometimes grooved surfaces instead of just a sort of lumpy rounded mass like gold.

Take it to a jeweler. Or maybe a local college chemistry lab.

And good luck!

[Chaigidel]

also mercury bonds with gold-- so slap some liquid mercury and your ore into a tub of water mix it around then take a rag and squeeze the mercury out of the water laden soil/ore-- the gold should be collected in clumps where the mercury gets sqeezed out of rag.

!

liquid mercury is perfectly harmless you could drink it and not have any ill effects :O

[LSJ]

Heh, don't drink mercury.

But yeah, pure elemental mercury is not dangerous to handle with your bare skin.

[Chaigidel]

:O yes actually it is--- I wouldnt handle mercury at all. on bare skin anyway; lead is just as dangerous to handle though.

[LSJ]

Of course. You'd have to be psychotic to walk around with your hands full of mercury. While pure elemental mercury does not absorb into skin very quickly or very well, it still can, and like all heavy metals it can be very dangerous. Plus the compounds it forms are generally very toxic and DO absorb into the skin easily. And any mercury exposed to the air will likely contain those compounds.

[Markas]

Before I go back to Scotland, here are some pictures taken of one sample. Sorry for the quality but any camera without a tripod and flashpan confuses me!











Any opinions? Could it be something else?

[ajm317]

Before I go back to Scotland, here are some pictures taken of one sample. Sorry for the quality but any camera without a tripod and flashpan confuses me!











Any opinions? Could it be something else?

It's hard to tell from those pictures, due to the focus issues, but my money's on pyrite.

Does it look like it has a crystalline structure? If so it's not gold. How heavy is it? That amount of gold should have some serious heft to it.

And if all else fails, you can always smack it with a hammer. Gold will bend and deform. Pyrite and other non-metals will break.

[Sosobra]

*posting for his 1% share*



but in all seriousness try putting some nitric acid on the gold looking parts , if no reaction occurs you have gold if it fumes and makes vapor you probably do not.

[TheKwas]

My money is on 'not gold'. But if I lose that bet hopefully I'll make up for it with my 1% share.

Looks pretty angular and crystal-like (gold looks like hard goop, no?). Try hammering the golden parts and see if it leaves an indent or if it just chips in tiny crystal pieces.