MINERALS BRNO
18.-19.11. 2023
International Sales Exhibition of Minerals, Fossils, Jewels and Natural Products
Gold panning with geologists from Masaryk University
At this year's July Minerals in Brno, you can try panning for gold. It will take place in the outdoor areas in front of Pavilion B and will be led by students of the Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.
What is panning and what is it good for?
Panning is the oldest way of extracting gold and valuable heavy minerals, such as garnets. The ancient Celts thus obtained gold in our territory, from which they minted their coins. It is a mechanical process that uses gravity. While light grains, such as quartz and feldspar or rock residues, float in water during panning and are carried away due to centrifugal force, metals (eg gold, tin ores) or heavier, mostly dark, minerals (eg garnet, etc.) ) fall by their weight through the light mass to the bottom of the pan.
And how to do it?
Circling a rice pan filled with gravel and sand together with water seems at first glance very simple - you could say - a primitive activity, but the appearance is deceptive. On closer inspection, we soon find that finding the right griffin so that we do not pour valuable material containing the coveted treasure into the water is not so simple and requires a little practice.
Do you long to become a gold digger for a while, take a pan in your hands, immerse it in water and transfer to a time when there were no mining machines, and try to carve out a small treasure? If you answered at least once: "Yes, very well," students of the Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University will be happy to introduce you to the secrets of panning.
