This is what i have got out of 4 scoops of black sand.

[chriseneim]

My qes is I have soaked this in HCL and it seems to get even more bright after. I am new to panning and really confused as to if gold should be more yellow or if this is possibly gold flakes or just a bunch of mica. I would really love some help as to what to look for when panning and what real gold will look like in pan compared to pyrite or mica. I know most mica and pyrite will burn off when in HCL but I don't want to jump the gun and say I got gold when really it's just a bunch of junk. I have at least 50 lbs of the dirt and black sand this came from and would love some tips. Thanks guys.

 

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[pannerman]

if you gently swish the stuff around in water, the pyrite and mica will easily move with the water. The black sand will move less, and the gold won't move much at all. there are many online videos that will show you how to do this with a pan. from your picture, it all looks like unwanteds--- maybe some gold underneath.

 

[chriseneim]

if you gently swish the stuff around in water, the pyrite and mica will easily move with the water. The black sand will move less, and the gold won't move much at all. there are many online videos that will show you how to do this with a pan. from your picture, it all looks like unwanteds--- maybe some gold underneath.

Ill check it out. So your saying that mica and pyrite will look like the stuff I have after soaking in hydrochloric acid for 2 days ? That's where I'm confused I clean pools for a living and have very strong muriatic acid and the stuff in the cup have been soaking for 2 days. I don't think pyrite or mica would not tarnish at all. Like I said I had a bunch of the stuff that moved freely in pan aand the stuff that would stick to pan I then soaked it in muriatic acid and there was some brown burnt looking flakes so I removed it and repeated the process until there was no more sign of corrosion. I know most pyrites and Micas will not look like this after soaking in high grade muriatic acid. Unless its some sort of gold pyrite? One last thing. Alot of the flakes seem to move freely and float in my pans. They are cheap could this be an issue and what are some ways I can make sure pan is clean and working correctly. Thanks brotha really appreciate the help

 

[B H Prospector]

Pic are hard to tell but if the "gold" changes in brilliance at all it is not gold. Golds shine will not change.

 

[DesertNuggets]

You could always try taking it to a jeweler and asking them if its gold.

 

[Clay Diggins]

What you have looks like mica (SiO2) but it's hard to tell from the pictures.

Mica is just a form of silica. Same as glass, quartz or sand. It's not going to change much with some muriatic but it will tend to separate if there are other materials embedded in the layers. If it has straight or flaky edges it's not gold.

Hit it with a hammer. If it breaks, scatters or shatters it's not gold. Gold will just flatten out.

 

[chriseneim]

What you have looks like mica (SiO2) but it's hard to tell from the pictures.

Mica is just a form of silica. Same as glass, quartz or sand. It's not going to change much with some muriatic but it will tend to separate if there are other materials embedded in the layers. If it has straight or flaky edges it's not gold.

Hit it with a hammer. If it breaks, scatters or shatters it's not gold. Gold will just flatten out.

Thanks guys really appreciate the help. I kinda thought it was a little fluffy hah

 

[subgeo]

What you have looks like mica (SiO2) but it's hard to tell from the pictures.

Mica is just a form of silica. Same as glass, quartz or sand. It's not going to change much with some muriatic but it will tend to separate if there are other materials embedded in the layers. If it has straight or flaky edges it's not gold.

Hit it with a hammer. If it breaks, scatters or shatters it's not gold. Gold will just flatten out.

Just a little clarification: I think you meant to say mica is a 'silicate' mineral, more specifically the mica group are phyllosilicate minerals, and it is not anywhere near a glass (amorphous crystalline habit) or quartz (Si04) or 'sand.' The latter of which is a size classification not a mineralogical description. Sand can be composed of coral CaCO3, basalt (mainly composed of plagioclase), olivine (Hawaii has some awesome green sand beaches), quartz, or any mineral that is in the sand size range. Hope that helps...

 

[Clay Diggins]

Of course you are absolutely right subgeo.

I was trying to keep things simple for someone that doesn't know the difference between mica and metal. That was obviously a simplification that was misleading.

I'm used to dealing with people who don't know the difference between quartz and feldspar minerals. Trying to introduce the concept of quartz latite or the difference between the Si02 valence and Si04 can be a bit too much for the beginner in my experience.

Even so I thank you for correcting me. I shouldn't presume that people will not understand. It is my own lack of skill at simplifying a rather complex subject that leads to these misstatements. I did offer a link to mindat for their further education but I should have been clearer, as you pointed out. I will keep your corrections and the implications of oversimplifying in mind in the future. Thanks again.

 

[subgeo]

Clay, no problem mate. I knew what you meant but I just wanted to clear it up a little to educate the original poster. I am in total agreement with you that what he has in his bucket is mica. To me it looks like a phlogopite mica which is a member of the biotite series. Pannerman has the best advice for determining whether or not you have a pan full of gold or just some type of mica and 'unwanteds'. Also single sheets of mica usually float around in your pan and it's quite obvious that it is not the same specific gravity as gold. Chriseneim: one experiment you can do at home is put actual gold dust/flake in a pan with some other fine grained material and some mica and pan it out and see what happens. Do this over and over until you become confident in your technique and how can see how the lighter stuff moves with ease and the good stuff doesn't.
Happy panning......

 

[chriseneim]

Clay, no problem mate. I knew what you meant but I just wanted to clear it up a little to educate the original poster. I am in total agreement with you that what he has in his bucket is mica. To me it looks like a phlogopite mica which is a member of the biotite series. Pannerman has the best advice for determining whether or not you have a pan full of gold or just some type of mica and 'unwanteds'. Also single sheets of mica usually float around in your pan and it's quite obvious that it is not the same specific gravity as gold. Chriseneim: one experiment you can do at home is put actual gold dust/flake in a pan with some other fine grained material and some mica and pan it out and see what happens. Do this over and over until you become confident in your technique and how can see how the lighter stuff moves with ease and the good stuff doesn't.
Happy panning......

Both your guys info was great and very much appreciated stoked to hear a couple opinions good stuff. Thanks braddahs.