The vast majority of the gold produced in modern mines is processed using cyanide. Nearly all gold ore has at least some very small gold particles that at too small to recover by gravity based methods. Some low grade ores have most or nearly all gold particles so small that they cannot be recovered by shaker tables, sluice and other gravity based methods. Nevada is famous for the Carlin type ores with microscopic gold particles. Recovering this gold requires a cheap, stable chemical that can easily dissolve gold - but that is a tall order. In the 1890s, a Scottish chemist by the name of John McArthur found a practical way to dissolve gold with cyanide and then recover the metal back from the solution with zinc. The method was hugely popular and widely adopted within a few years all around the world. Cyanide also works for extracting silver. There are a few alternatives to cyanide processing and I will talk about these also.
This is not a "How to" type of video. Cyanide is very poisonous, and I can’t possibly cover all the potential risks and problems one might encounter with using cyanide.
For those who want to learn more about Prospecting and finding gold check out my book, Fists full of Gold. It’s an encyclopedia of everything on the topic of prospecting. It’s available on from High Plans Prospectors. (Affiliate) You can find it at:
highplainspros...
For even more information on prospecting, minerals, gems and other related information you can also check out my website at:
nevada-outback-...
The Prospecting and Mining Journal magazine can be found at:
www.icmj.com
29 авг 2024
