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Understanding Classification.
There are five types of classifying in the process of separating gold from the materials it is found in.
Size
Although gold is found in sizes ranging from specks too small to see, up to pieces to large to lift, most of the gold
found by weekend prospectors range from pieces as small as the tip of a pen, to nuggets as large as a quarter. The most common
equipment used in the field classifies off anything larger then a ˝ inch and runs everything under a ˝ inch through the equipment
and is possessed for the gold it contains. Some prospectors prefer to pre-classify their material with a screen, like the Grunt Cub
or one of the bucket top units. The larger material can then be inspected with a metal detector to rule out the possibility of
missing a large piece of gold in the tailings pile.
Weight
Also known as specific gravity, gold can be classified according to it’s weight compared to the materials it is found in.
This is done with water or air. Dredges, High bankers, Sluices, Spiral wheels, Blue bowls, Rocker boxes and gold pans are types of
prospecting equipment that use water and gravity to separate gold from other material. Dry-washers, both puffer and leaf blower types
use air to classify the heavier gold from the lighter material.
Magnetic
Gold is non-magnetic and can not be picked up with a magnet. Other material found with gold, like black sand have an
iron property that allows them to easily be picked up with a magnet and removed. Some prospecting equipment, like the large vibrating
tables use a combination of water and magnets to separate gold from material.
Color
This might sound like a topic that’s to easy to list but, all that is yellow is not gold. I have seen a lot of people
that are new to gold prospecting picking up everything that is shiny and some shade of yellow, only to have their joy taken away
when someone with a little more experience tells them that what they had spent all day collecting is not gold. If your not sure
that the yellow stuff your picking up is gold, bust it up and put it in a gold pan. If it don’t act like gold by sinking to the
bottom of the pan, it’s not gold.
Discrimination
Only a metal detector can find gold without using many of these steps. By discriminating iron and lead from announced
targets, the metal detector classifies according to type of metal it reacts to. Thus removing the need to classify according to size
and weight. Metal detectors are only limited by the size and depth of the gold.
All in all, separating gold from the material it is found in, takes a variety of classifying steps. The choice is up to
the individual prospector's preference.
About the author:
Bowser is one of the founding members of Grunt Gold Prospecting™.
With years of gold prospecting experience, Bowser is a great help with designing and testing new equipment
for our company Grunt Gold Prospecting™
.
Visit Grunt Gold Prospecting™ today.
http://www.gruntadventures.com
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