Ok, I'm a Geology 101 student and this question was placed on our study guide. I know gold would most likely be found at convergent boundaries but how would you concentrate it? Please, explain as simple as possible
2006-09-17 12:16:58 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Most gold deposits are associated to andesitic to rhyolitic volcanic rocks, they are concentrated in the magmatic water exsolved in the waning stages of the volcano. The modern example are the geothermal systems. So gold is precipitated in fractures along with quartz in this setting, but there are other origin for gold. Like placer deposits, and metamorphic veins.
Then you have to mine this veins, ground the rock and leach it with cyanide. You can also amalgamate it with mercury, and then boil off the mercury, but since mercury is poisonous, this method is not environmentally safe and that's why almost all mining companies now uses cyanide leaching.
2006-09-18 06:58:38 · answer #1 · answered by Scientist13905 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a mining operation, so I would not use crushers of ore etc. I would do it by panning out gold in gold dust bearing stream beds.
;-D I think it would be a nice camping vacation even if I didn't find much gold.
2006-09-17 12:21:23 · answer #2 · answered by China Jon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mining companies use inorganic cyanide to leach out gold from deposits.
2006-09-17 12:58:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would use mercury to dissolve it and then a refinery to retrieve it from the mercury compound
2006-09-17 12:26:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋