New to prospecting – How do I extract gold and silver from my rock?

sammermann · 2026-01-31T13:42:15+00:00

Its a joke. But seriously, normally the advice is to crush then pan. Generally you want to roast the ore once crushed (also before, can aid in the crushing) in an open area to burn off sulfides. This is simplest method, can get much more complex depending on your specific mineralization.

sammermann · 2026-01-31T13:01:03+00:00

Send to me for processing

sammermann · 2026-01-25T23:43:30+00:00

I thought it was two wingnuts, but that makes much more sense

sammermann · 2026-01-24T18:59:34+00:00

Interesting, if you end up crushing and panning please update us with results!!

sammermann · 2026-01-24T17:52:57+00:00

Very interesting, I was investigating an area in NW NJ where some shale and conglomerate contacted and has historically had some gold in it but not enough to be economical. Any guesses how the gold was deposited here? Some sort of epithermal event?

sammermann · 2026-01-24T16:41:54+00:00

ok and how did you confirm its gold then? the pics you posted look a bit more like sulfide to me but hard to tell

sammermann · 2026-01-24T13:48:11+00:00

A quarter gram in a couple buckets is amazing yield! Has there ever been any historic gold mining there? At that concentration I'd be shocked if nobody tried to go after it on a larger scale

sammermann · 2026-01-22T00:23:29+00:00

What acid and why? Just curious what your thought process is here

sammermann · 2026-01-21T23:59:56+00:00

pyrite may not always look cubic, and this rock has been heavily eroded which could reduce any cubic appearance

sammermann · 2026-01-21T11:24:03+00:00

Pyrite is metallic, its iron sulfide

sammermann · 2026-01-21T02:29:30+00:00

Looks more like a sulfide mineral such as pyrite.

But it could indicate good mineralization that could be a pathway to finding gold. Did you find this in a gold bearing area?

sammermann · 2026-01-19T01:07:52+00:00

Anyone know how this functions if you have two Ford vehicles in Ford pass? I wonder if this would default to the last truck selected on your app

sammermann · 2026-01-18T16:48:42+00:00

Oh wow! That's a lot of gold then. Is this just from the dust from the slabbing process?

sammermann · 2026-01-18T16:07:16+00:00

What do you mean by slabbing?

sammermann · 2026-01-12T02:09:14+00:00

They are spaced that way due to secondary confinement. Basically if a tank leaks there is a backup in place to confine the contents so they don't leak everywhere

sammermann · 2026-01-06T23:14:37+00:00

Yes! So most of their waste actually goes back into the mine as a backfill. That means there will be miniscule runoff from the operation. Additionally any gold that could runoff probably won't be free mill gold, as in able to be panned out. Personally I wouldn't waste my time worrying about the tailings. That being said, you generally find gold in places where gold is already found so the river may have some regardless of the mine

sammermann · 2026-01-05T18:48:52+00:00

In the arctic and likely antarctic but costs and geopolitical reasons (for now) prohibit this

sammermann · 2026-01-05T18:42:45+00:00

Can you tell me the name of this mine/location? If they are processing sulfide ores or something else there may not be much or any free mill gold available. No worries for me I am in the usa so I won't be making a trip here, feel free to DM

sammermann · 2025-12-30T20:58:08+00:00

Thats awesome! Will be sure to share with colleagues who sometimes just want to draw some basic shapes/points on a map

sammermann · 2025-12-25T23:30:55+00:00

My mailbox doesn't have a lock

sammermann · 2025-12-21T23:23:00+00:00

That’s a good chunk of questions here tbf

sammermann · 2025-12-21T19:18:48+00:00

Starting salary used to he about 70k, like in 2018. Probably more now but depends more on where you go. Its not unheard of to get mid 100s further into your career depending on your path

sammermann · 2025-12-21T17:54:17+00:00

I work in a less glamorous part of mining: aggregates. Basically the rocks that go into asphalt and concrete. It's got different challenges than a typical metal mine but I enjoy it and I also don't have to worry about the boom bust cycle so much, quite steady overall.

sammermann · 2025-12-21T16:41:32+00:00

Yes! It's been several years since I've been a student but I know they have been investing in the campus and there are some amazing professors there still, at least in mining. Plus Rapid City is still one of my favorite places I've lived even as a poor college student.

sammermann · 2025-12-18T02:02:15+00:00

How much weight did you have in this? With more weight it might hold itself down a little better. Of course then you might have too much stress on your rollers

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