New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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Ted		Posted : Tuesday, 5 April 2011 5:11:15 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 4/04/2011(UTC) Posts: 3 Location: Motueka Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		My name is Ted and are anew member. I have been working a bit of a river with a 5 inch dredge .In with the gold i have been getting some bits of very heavy silver metal.heavyer than the gold.I think it could be platinum.It is very hard to seperate it from the gold.So far i have 4 grams of the stuff.Is there anyone else out there finding this metal?
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1864hatter		Posted : Tuesday, 5 April 2011 6:08:30 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Hey there Ted, You can get gold that has a very small amount of mercury amalgamated with it and it only coats the outside and will be as hard as gold. It even has the same basic shape as the gold does. Also it could of course be platinum (harder than gold) but this is quite rare and expensive and found in very few places in Nz. Historically platinum has been found up the Howard Valley and around QT. If it is mercury coated gold u could just heat it up and if its mercury it should evaporate. BUT BE VERY CArefull the mercury gas is toxic as hell. Do some reading up on that first. Cheers hope that helps
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

Ted		Posted : Tuesday, 5 April 2011 6:19:00 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 4/04/2011(UTC) Posts: 3 Location: Motueka Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Thanks for that.The area im in is a area known for platinum.When i get more of it will probably get an assay done on it.
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criticol		Posted : Tuesday, 5 April 2011 6:52:09 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Hi Ted. I think that it is as you suspect---Platinum. This metal has been found in the Nelson and surrounding areas ever since mining began in N.Z. It was never discovered in massive quantities even though some of the country rock formations are of a very favorable make-up for its occurrence. But who knows? You may just be the exception, and find yourself a Platinum Mine! I hope you do. Keep us posted on the Assay results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers and best of luck---Colin. A bit of info:(Not that I think you need it.) Platinum group metals have been found in the Nelson area and also in Southland. Platinum is a soft silvery-white metal, one of the six platinum group metals. It has catalytic properties, conducts electricity, and is resistant to heat and chemical attack. The only recorded production of platinum in New Zealand is as a byproduct of gold mining in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries at Orepuke in Southland. Some known deposits in the South Island are considered as possible economic deposits. Edited by user Tuesday, 5 April 2011 6:53:35 AM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
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starflash		Posted : Tuesday, 5 April 2011 7:29:19 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 16/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 192 Location: auckland, tairua Thanks: 18 times Was thanked: 38 time(s) in 30 post(s)		hi Ted sounds very interesting, i (we) would love to see some photos of the possibly platinum and be able to identify it should we be lucky enough to come over some. I did hear of an economically viable deposit in south westland, but there may of been a few snails or wetas in the way. Some official inspecting the site heard a crunch and had snail, cricket or weta guts stuck to his shoe, so govt called the whole thing off! last quote platinum US$1,788 troy ounce

simon		Posted : Wednesday, 6 April 2011 3:53:04 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		1864hatter, you mentioned that the queenstown area has been a source of platinum? i live down in queenstown and have not heard of this so far. any idea which areas were related to this? i have down a far bit of prospecting and not come across any. i have come across scheelite though. i used to live in invercargill way back. there is a far bit of platinum in the longwoods range in southland. a friend's aunty lived on a farm down there and they reckoned they had platinum specks in their s bend in their toilet as they pumped water from a bore hole. not sure if that was true or not as i know its pretty heavy stuff. i haven't come across anyone here that has found platinum either. interesting to know what it looks like. will google it. i have come across a lot of fossils in sediments. all shells and the like. still interesting thou. simon.
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