EN GOLD & GEMS PANNING KIT FINDING GOLD! 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 1 23/06/15 09.04
Stefano Piccini Managing Director Geoworld Geologist & Paleontologist Hello, Geo-Kids! My tyrannosaur Babyrex AND I ARE ABOUT TO JOURNEY IN TIME ON AN ADVENTURE TO FIND THE MOST RENOWNED METAL IN HUMAN HISTORY: gold! JOIN OUR ADVENTURE, GET YOURSELF A GOLD PAN, AND FOLLOW US! Dear Geo-Kids, Are you ready for an exciting journey discovering the wonders of Nature? I have been doing it for 30 years, and I assure you, this extraordinary adventure brings enthusiasm and intrigue without limit. By the end of our adventure, you will be beginning geologists! An idea of Stefano Piccini Written by Stefano Piccini Edited by Erika Iaconcig Project and graphic by Geoworld Science and Art Team Concept and supervision art by RAM All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. Dr. Steve Hunters is a registered trademark owned by Geodreams S.r.l. Copyright 2015 by GEOWORLD S.r.l. 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 2-3 23/06/15 09.04
First of all: what is a precious metal? And why is it so important? Because metals have been an important resource since the beginning of history and even before! It is not unusual to find earrings and bracelets made with metal during excavations of prehistoric graves. Near Stonehenge, in England, the tomb of an ancient figure was discovered. We know very little of him, but believe he was influential. Perhaps a chief or great leader. We believe this because of the gold and jewels found on him! Gold has always been associated with prestige. From ancient times to the present day, gold is a symbol of wealth, importance, and power Why? Gold has many special characteristics. First, it is a malleable metal, or easy to shape, and can be formed into elaborate, artistic masterpieces. Next, it is unaffected by most substances (with the exception of turpentine or nitro-muriatic acid). This means gold does not corrode or oxidize like other metals. Instead, gold remains unchanged, maintaining its brilliance over centuries. Additionally, gold (at least in small quantities) is non-toxic. In fact, until recently it was used by dentists to reconstruct teeth. As if this were not enough, it s an excellent electrical conductor! Gold s yellow color and brightness make it one off a kind. It s no wonder that ancient populations associated gold with important deities or believed it was connected in some way to our beautiful sun. JUST THINK, THE PRE-COLUMBIAN INCA PEOPLE, UNDOUBTEDLY THE MOST SKILLED AT PROCESSING PRECIOUS METALS, BELIEVED THAT GOLD WAS ACTUALLY THE sweat of the sun. Gold has a special symbolic value associated with virtues such as purity and courage. It is found across all cultures in poetry, myths, literature, and art. This is due to the fact that the yellow metal could be found anywhere on our planet. Most likely, gold was the first metal used and processed by humans, even before copper. Although gold is too soft for building weapons and tools, it is perfect for creating necklaces, decorations, and other jewelry. And rulers from all eras strove to wear as much gold as possible! 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 4-5 23/06/15 09.05
During many historical periods, gold s value was the basic currency (money) across many states, known as the gold standard. The first known golden coins were made in the fifth century by the king of Lydia, King Croesus, leading to the saying as rich as Croesus. We have evidence of gold extractions from ancient Egyptian texts as old as 5,000 years. We imagine the power of the Pharaohs was linked to the abundance of gold deposits, given the treasures they were buried with! Like the precious golden artifacts found in Tutankhamun s tomb. Ancient English, Incans, Lydians, Egyptians, and even, Romans were fond of gold! Considering every empire used gold, exploitation of gold mines never stopped. On the left: Tutankhamun s funeral mask. At certain points in time, gold and gold mines were not so easy to find. People throughout history have tried to find shortcuts to the precious metal During the Medieval period, alchemists tried to synthetically produce gold in labs. However, they all failed. Even so, some of those clever tricksters claimed success! One reason leading the Spanish expeditions to the Americas, was precisely the desire to find precious gold. The search for wondrous gold deposits inspired numerous legends, like the mythical land of El Dorado, said to be hidden somewhere in the Amazon. Just like the gold of the alchemists, El Dorado also turned out to be an illusion. Gold is diffused throughout the earth s crust, with an average concentration of 0.001 ounces per ton. In most cases, gold is found in tiny specks, not larger pieces known as gold nuggets. Usually, gold nuggets are small, like pebbles. Every now and then, a fortunate prospector found large blocks of gold; this was so rare that the large nuggets were even given a name of their own! The Welcome Stranger is the biggest nugget ever found: extracted in Australia in 1969 and weighing almost 176 pounds in rough form. Another nugget, still whole, is the Hands of Faith. It was also found in Australia in 1980 weighing 59 pounds. Hands of Faith was discovered with a metal detector. The largest whole nugget (i.e., not melted and transformed into jewelry and other objects) is the famous Canaã, found in Brazil in 1983, weighing a good 134 pounds. Gold nuggets 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 6-7 23/06/15 09.05
Gold is also found in the veins of rocks. Veins are most commonly found in igneous rocks, or rocks formed from the cooled lava of volcanoes. The gold deposits inside rocks are called veins. That s not all: gold is also found in alluvial deposits, in riverbeds. Over millions of years, rain erodes rocks, and the gold particles within the eroded rocks are carried downstream by the water. Alluvial deposits occur when the gold particles settle in the riverbed. Sometimes, the river carries the gold all the way to the sea. The most exploited deposits are found in South Africa, where they have been continuously exploited since 1880. It seems South Africa s capital, Johannesburg, is located on top of one of the biggest gold deposits in the world: a real El Dorado! Let s move across the ocean In the 19th century, the United States was the site of some of the most famous searches for gold. The search for gold profoundly influenced its history and geography. The storied Gold Rush was such an extraordinary event that it inspired many novels, movies, and songs even in cartoons. IT S NOT SO EASY TO IDENTIFY GOLD. IT IS ONLY CLEARLY VISIBLE WITHIN MINERALS WHEN IT REACHES CONCENTRATIONS OF 1.05 OUNCES PER TON! The Gold Rush, prospectors on their way to the Klondike, engraving 1898. 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 8-9 23/06/15 09.05
It was also known as the Gold Fever (which is also the title of a famous silent movie with Charlie Chaplin) and the Rush triggered a huge migration of workers throughout the 1800 s. Everything started with the discovery of a gold deposit in some yet uninhabited regions of North America. The news quickly spread, thanks to the press and recent invention of the telegraph, and people - almost to the point of madness - rushed from all over in hopes of getting rich, or at least improving their economic condition. The destinations of these gold miners were mainly in California, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, and the Klondike region of Yukon. The prospectors favorite strategy was to look for specks of gold in the rivers with a large pan and sieve; if they found some gold specks, it meant there could be a larger deposit upstream. Pick in hand, prospectors would travel to the hills of the water source, hoping to find the original gold veins. They searched for that shiny, rare metal, but with the help of their pan and sieve were also able to find other valuable materials in the right locations. At that time, life was hard for people with very little and many people wanted to improve their situations. Thousands of people abandoned their former lives and rushed to wild, uninhabited areas in search of a better life. The Gold Rush, gold-washing in California, 1849. 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 10-11 23/06/15 09.05
At points where river waters slowed, sometimes deposits of small gems were found. For example, prospectors might find pyrope (a dark red stone) which meant the most precious stones in the world could be nearby. Rocks containing pyrope, often contain diamonds! Unfortunately, for most of the adventurous prospectors, success was only a dream the Gold Rush did not end well for most. THE LIvING CONDITIONS OF THOSE STILL SPARSELY INHABITED LANDS MADE LIFE TRULY DIFFICULT: SETTLERS HAD TO ENDURE MANY HARDSHIPS INCLUDING A HOSTILE CLIMATE AND FATIGUE. Most of the gold deposits were located deep within the mountains, and required expensive equipment to extract it. As such, the poor prospectors could only hope to find riches with their gold pan, patiently panning in the icy river waters, day after day, gathering the small gold specks: all to gain very little. Let s not forget the risk of extreme disappointment, particularly for non-expert prospectors: what seemed like pieces of gold to the untrained eye, often revealed itself as pyrite, an iron mineral. Pyrite s color and brightness looks like that of precious gold, but it does not share the value of gold s unique characteristics. For this reason, pyrite is also known as fool s gold. Do you know the proverb, All that glitters is not gold? Pyrite In reality, those who really got rich from the Gold Rush were the traders and suppliers of equipment and transportation. It was the period of the Industrial Revolution and advances in communication and transportation, including railroads, were spreading across the continent. 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 12-13 23/06/15 09.05
One phenomenon of the Gold Rush were towns that sprang up out of nowhere near the major deposit site. These towns are known as Boom Towns. In addition to American prospectors, many immigrants from the Far East crossed the Pacific, settling in American Boom Towns in search of riches. The construction of campsites, towns, and mines ruined the hunting grounds of the Native Americans, causing conflicts between the settlers and native people. FASCINATING, DON T YOU THINK? NOW, IT S YOUR TURN TO CONTINUE THE MISSION; THERE S A NEW DISCOVERY WAITING! At the end of the Gold Rush, some settlements were abandoned, turning Boom Towns into Ghost Towns. However, others grew into real cities and states that still exist. California was settled by Americans on a quest for gold. In fact, that s why it s called the Golden State! Insights and fun facts on: www.drstevehunters.com printed in China 29954-ED511K-Booklet-ENG.indd 14-15 23/06/15 09.05
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