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Gold Prospecting
Hard Rock Gold Prospecting
Home sampling finally started
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<blockquote data-quote="Guest" data-source="post: 111811"><p>Supergene Enrichment. </p><p>A mineral deposition process in which near-surface oxidation produces acidic solutions that leach metals, carry them downward, and reprecipitate them, thus enriching sulfide minerals already present. Basically it means that minerals in the weathered zone of an ore deposit above the water table are leached out and reform usually as concentrated sulphide deposits just below the water table, thus resulting in an enrichment zone which can carry values up to 10 times more than the zone above the water table. An enrichment zone is usually identified by an increase in sulphides, iron oxide, copper, silver or other minerals. This is why many hard rock mines were worked to the water table and just below in the old days. Because the miners would takeout this high grade ore and then leave what was below as it often carried lesser values. Many times mines were described as closing because of water when in fact they closed because the miners pumped the water down to a level where they could mine the enriched ore, recovered the good stuff, then stopped pumping and closed the mine.</p><p>It was in the 1980's when geologists finally understood the physical characteristics of Supergene Enrichment, that led to the Mining Boom in W.A. </p><p>The blokes in the 1800's were a lot smarter than we give them credit for.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Guest, post: 111811"] Supergene Enrichment. A mineral deposition process in which near-surface oxidation produces acidic solutions that leach metals, carry them downward, and reprecipitate them, thus enriching sulfide minerals already present. Basically it means that minerals in the weathered zone of an ore deposit above the water table are leached out and reform usually as concentrated sulphide deposits just below the water table, thus resulting in an enrichment zone which can carry values up to 10 times more than the zone above the water table. An enrichment zone is usually identified by an increase in sulphides, iron oxide, copper, silver or other minerals. This is why many hard rock mines were worked to the water table and just below in the old days. Because the miners would takeout this high grade ore and then leave what was below as it often carried lesser values. Many times mines were described as closing because of water when in fact they closed because the miners pumped the water down to a level where they could mine the enriched ore, recovered the good stuff, then stopped pumping and closed the mine. It was in the 1980's when geologists finally understood the physical characteristics of Supergene Enrichment, that led to the Mining Boom in W.A. The blokes in the 1800's were a lot smarter than we give them credit for. [/QUOTE]
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Gold Prospecting
Hard Rock Gold Prospecting
Home sampling finally started
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