Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. And gold has been a valuable and highly sought-after precious metal for jewelry, and other arts since long before the beginning of recorded history. Now Gold is also used in industrial applications in ceramics, electrical, and electronics applications.
Gold Mining Methods
Panning
Panning was a manual technique of washing gold. Water and dirt are put in the pan the Submerge the pan in water and then shake the pan in a circular motion under water or with water in it. Since gold was the heaviest metal, it would sink to the bottom. Panning is the easiest technique of gold prospecting in the Gold Rush period. The standard gold pan is 16 inches in diameter, 2 1/2 inches deep and made of sheet iron.
The Stamper Battery
The Stamper Battery was a large machine. It extracted gold from rocks by crushing them. The Stamper Battery was very expensive and had a series of heavy weights attached to it. The Stamper Battery was powered by an engine.
Sluicing
Sluicing was a common mining method during the Gold Rush period. The sluice box is placed in a stream to catch the water-flow and gold bearing material or a screen is placed on top of the box. As the water passed through the screen gold and other heavy metals would settle behind the riffles or slats. Other light metals would float away.
Puddling
Puddling tubs were larger versions of gold pans. The tub was usually a round barrel made of wood or metal. The miner would add clay and fill the tub with water. The miner would then stir the tub and this would separate the gold from the clay.
The Windlass
Windlasses were used in shallow shaft to lift the dirt to the surface. The windlass was a very slow method of mining and only worked for about 40 metres. The windlass required little skill to build and is made from simple materials and could be easily moved. Over the windlass a windsail would be attached to provide ventilation to the shaft.
The Dolly Pot
The Dolly Pot was a small hand operated mortar and pestle. The Dolly Pot was also a rock crusher used to sample for ores and especially gold. Most Dolly Pots were made from mercury bottle.
The Long Tom
The Long Tom looked like sluice box but much bigger. The Long Tom measured 12 to 15 feet long. It was mainly made of wood and had a metal bottom with riffles and slats.
Tunnel Mining
Tunnel mining is what most people think of when they imagine mining. Tunnel mining was used to source the veins of gold that apparently went down. It consists of excavating tunnels, shafts and galleries to gain access to ore deposits within hard rock. This is done in modern times either with explosives, boring machines or both. The TauTona and Savuka Gold Mines of South Africa compete for the title of being the world's deepest underground mines--for any mineral, not just gold--both having dug deeper than 3,700 feet.
