What does a puddle of mercury register as on your MDs?

[Fullpan]

When I prospected gulches and overflow gulleys years ago in ca. around hydraulic diggings, I would often get mercury blobs in my
pan. I wonder how tough it is to detect in those locations, and what the MD tries to tell you?

 

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[Steve Herschbach]

Like all metal targets mercury will read lower or higher depending on the size of the puddle of mercury. Mercury is only a fair conductor of electricity and so will read lower than similar size masses of silver or copper. For all intents it can be treated as a gold range target.

Steve Herschbach

 

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[Lanny in AB]

EZ and simple answer. Mercury is a non ferrous metal ,even though a liquid. It rings loud and clean on any detector if the concentration is big enough as extremely conductive. Any bfo,tr,vlf,or pulse will sounf off loud and clear. I worked the Carson River east of Carson City in the mid to late 80's and there were immense pools with many dozens of pounds. As a board member of the state Haz Mat it was reported. We dredged a couple of dozen holes from brunswick canyon to lake Lahonton and turned up hundreds of pounds of mercury,just loaded with gold which I kept!!YAHOO. Thats why to this day there are warnings all over the river and lakes-do not eat the fish and for many years do not enter the water even!! Treated with respect no big deal but if ya don't ,you too can be mad as a old english hatter with green teeth,no fingernails and looney as a jay bird. John

John,

Great response, with some fascinating additional information.

Thanks, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Like all metal targets mercury will read lower or higher depending on the size of the puddle of mercury. Mercury is only a fair conductor of electricity and so will read lower than similar size masses of silver or copper. For all intents it can be treated as a gold range target.

Steve Herschbach

Nice concise response Steve--this is something I wanted to know about.

All the best,

Lanny