E-book Alluvial Gold, by MMR

Alluvial Gold Exploration,Mining,Processing

Definition:
Alluvial : is the unconsolidated sediment, material attain the age of alluvium
and were transported by some media water, wind, or ice glacier from the sources.
An alluvial content of many minerals, that can be economic or non economic. Iron,
ilmenite, zircon, silica, and of course gold and silver. Others a vary of alluvial is
Elluvial and Colluvial = the unconsolidated sediments were closed to the sources
and not far away from original sources.
As in literal sense this mean alluvio = material washed can be a flood stream, or
others media.
Alluvium is the Quarter geology term.

Figure: Alluvial of old river, may be at now is land surface.

Figure : Alluvial creek and alluvial river, look sortate and homogeneous size
Compare to above alluvial.

Gold Alluvial : these definition can be a variant of above , specify by related to

the gold content on these material. The gold content were the minor minerals on
alluvial as target grain. These alluvial gold in generally spread at along the creek or
river who cross the host rock, and peoples make it a target panning at along the
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creek or river.
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Alluvium : the age according to geological period. These included in Recent

Quarter Geological age.
Panning : A method to get the gold used handy tool, with in gravitation principles
to separate materials. The tools is wood or fiber and quite cone , on about 2 feets
size diameter.

Figure: People do some panning to alluvial gold at the river and creek

Why Gold trap on the alluvial:

Gold is an economic minerals of element naming Aurum (Au) with the high density =
19.32 , so that should sedimented at first lower stage rather than others transported
materials like as quartz, sand materials etc. By the highest density, so that these
gold should be at the lowest level of alluvial sedimentation sequence while dropped.
These principles were applied during people doing a panning and cyclone
gravitation.

Figure: Gold element on the periodical table

Au atomic= 79 ,
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Alluvial Exploration
How to identify Alluvial Gold:
There are many specified of the alluvial sediments related to the economic mineral
target, Au, Fe, Zr, Co, Mn, Si the character is :

1. Shape : the shape of alluvial can be a rounded, sub rounded, angular ,

sub angular, or a vary of these uneven. These shape also a platy or thick of
gold grain after panning.
The shape of grain can be a manifested the history of the grain during
transported. By the abrasion during moving and hit each others sediment, the
acute angle will allow very often abrasion, so that become a duller rather than
original grain, and by the increasing distance from the source will be a
rounded dull shape.

Figure: Coarse Sub rounded and small angular gold grain after panning

2. Size : the size of alluvial can be a small unclear on the normal plan
view, coarser should be clear on plan view, and medium in between.
A geological Loupe will be a tool to identify size. The size of grain can be a
figure out of a distance , how far the materials were transported. A small size
will allow to far and long distance transported from the sources eroded until
the basin sedimentation. Conversely for the big size or coarse size will allow
the closed distance. But these will a relative depend on the field situation,
river stream and the resistant of host rock.
These factor size will closed related to the duration of materials and how
flowage of the stream during alluvial transported.
The size also well closed related to sortation of sediments, a well sortate will
allow to long distance stream like at the sea closed river, and mixed or
heterogeneous size will allow to short distance of transportation.
The alluvial gold prospect will on the higher flowage of the stream and should
be closed to the heterogeneous size.
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Figure: A size of alluvial small and coarser grain can be allow

The distance of the sources.

3. Texture : these texture will shows during your observation, can be

smooth surface, rugged surface, uncouth, striation.
The skin of gold grain can be spotted, speckled texture, smooth, delicate,
striation or flake.

Figure: Gold grain with speckled texture, square shape and longer shape
With spotted texture.

4. Trace Uniformity : these can be homogeneous grain as well sorted

material or heterogeneous as bad sorted material.
The sortation during transported , so that alluvial self selected as naturally to
become homogeneous finally. The homogeneity can be a size, a shape, a
mineral content . Gold grain will allow higher strong river flow rather than slow
water flow.

Figure: The slow water flow and strong water flow

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5. Minerals content : the alluvial can be content of many type of minerals ,

pyrite, iron, zircon, silica, ilmenite, gold, silver and others trace element, also
included a host rock where the original sources.

Figure : Silica, Zircon, Ilmenite, gold

Alluvial Exploration
Alluvial identify Sources:
The alluvial sample mapping were be involving identify a gold sources. By the
identify some of above characterize of alluvial, so that the scope of interpretation be
a narrow to the smaller scope sources identification. These can be together combine
with others outcrop sample data. With in the well procedure of doing sampling and
good data taken, there be a representative result, and become coined to the next
geological interpretation.

Alluvial Mining:
General Principles : To operate mining in general there are three factors as
followed :
1. Good Loading Point
2. Good Hauling Road
3. Good Dumping Point
4. Safety should be Good

Alluvial Mining
Loading Point : Area mining operation is to wide spread to talk, but there is a
Loading Point, an area where the Truck loaded by Excavator or Wheel Loader.
These point should be clean from muddy, boulder or bogging, to get the Excavator or
Loader working safe and turning truck being safe verywell.
Hauling Road : The hauling road become a major element to make the
operation mining ketch up highest production. A Dump Truck is heavy equipment
and so need the good condition of hauling access road for the best rate of
production. Clean and grade become the best factor to work out on the hauling
section, no bogging , no trapping, no convoing.
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Dumping Point : Dumping area is the last think to have a good production
record, so that make it be grade and compact .

Alluvial Processing
Mini Palong
To have sure result and working well of your alluvial processing

Figure: Mini Palong to get testing production of alluvial mining

Palong test were the miniature of real process and small scale of palong, so that

Alluvial Gold
Processing and Operation
To operated an alluvial mining, will not so much as an open pit mine, but with a little
equipment and human resources. In generally the project is low cost and a very
small production, so that almost operate by own personal mining license.

Figure: An idealist alluvial Palong design

Alluvial Gold Processing were the

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Figure ; Palong construction

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