# Geobotanical Prospecting



## acpeacemaker (Mar 17, 2016)

Just curious if anyone had some good books on plants and growth in relation to searching for different ores. I've been going through a lot of old mining journals with some discussions of it. But, wanting something for more of my area. 

Take care,
Andrew


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## Irons (Mar 17, 2016)

Horse Tails (Plant) are known to take-up Gold. I know they take up Silica. Peeps used to use them as Pot Scrubbers. They were called. Scouring Rush.

I was reading about a project to clean-up Plutonium contamination at Rocky Flats, using Hemp to take it up.


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## 4metals (Mar 17, 2016)

> I was reading about a project to clean-up Plutonium contamination at Rocky Flats, using Hemp to take it up.



Should we consider this yet another reason for medical marijuana?


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## acpeacemaker (Mar 17, 2016)

That's really interesting iorns  
I have come across a few different things about trees that take up values seem to distort the actual growth. It never really said what trees other than it was focused in Asia. But being out in the field i've realized there are weird formed trees where I have found values nearby.
There was a story I came across not to long ago about a pinecone that assayed in $10 in gold, but the ore around it was assaying at about $7 a ton. How does that work? 
For the medical marijuana question, wouldn't that not really matter with hemp? Because male plants could be used?


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## Anonymous (Mar 17, 2016)

~Isn't hemp one of tghe most all round useful plants in existence? 

I thought some american president once said something on the lines of "everyone should grow it" - - right up until someone pointed out that as well as being useful you could get high smoking it of course. 

Still useful though- -canvas was originally from hemp wasn't it?


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## UncleBenBen (Mar 18, 2016)

Canvas, rope, clothing, oil, MUCH more paper from an acre of hemp than an acre of pine trees and can be harvested yearly(sometimes twice per year depending on climate) as opposed to waiting years for trees to mature.

Pretty much all America's founding fathers and early presidents grew it. It was a very important resource and probably still should be, but with the misconceptions surrounding hemp and cannabis hemp will likely remain an illegal crop for a long time.I seem to remember reading that colonial landowners were required to grow hemp at one point. To help with the war effort, maybe? Don't quite remember.

But I am sure you would probably get a headache more than anything else if you did smoke it!


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## Irons (Mar 18, 2016)

4metals said:


> > I was reading about a project to clean-up Plutonium contamination at Rocky Flats, using Hemp to take it up.
> 
> 
> 
> Should we consider this yet another reason for medical marijuana?



I hope nobody would be foolish enough to let folks get a hold of the contaminated plants. Breathing in Uranium and other Isotopes is bad enough.


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## 4metals (Mar 18, 2016)

> I hope nobody would be foolish enough to let folks get a hold of the contaminated plants. Breathing in Uranium and other Isotopes is bad enough.



Some marketing genius may do just that, chemotherapy with a buzz. They just have to figure out how to target the radioactive isotopes to the cancer. Nah, a good marketing guy will sell it like it is! We don't need no clinical testing!!!!


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## Irons (Mar 18, 2016)

spaceships said:


> ~Isn't hemp one of tghe most all round useful plants in existence?
> 
> I thought some american president once said something on the lines of "everyone should grow it" - - right up until someone pointed out that as well as being useful you could get high smoking it of course.
> 
> Still useful though- -canvas was originally from hemp wasn't it?



Probably more than you would ever want to know about Canvas: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canvas


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## acpeacemaker (Mar 18, 2016)

http://m.livescience.com/28676-plants-grow-gold.html


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## Barren Realms 007 (Mar 18, 2016)

4metals said:


> > I hope nobody would be foolish enough to let folks get a hold of the contaminated plants. Breathing in Uranium and other Isotopes is bad enough.
> 
> 
> 
> Some marketing genius may do just that, chemotherapy with a buzz. They just have to figure out how to target the radioactive isotopes to the cancer. Nah, a good marketing guy will sell it like it is! We don't need no clinical testing!!!!



Wouldn't that be kind of like killing two birds with one stone? You kill the cancer with the radioactivity and counter react the sickness with the canibus that you smoke. Definetly wouldn't work that way. Wrong radioactive isatope and the kind of smoke that gives you no high, just a headache. :evil:


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## Grelko (Mar 18, 2016)

acpeacemaker said:


> Just curious if anyone had some good books on plants and growth in relation to searching for different ores. I've been going through a lot of old mining journals with some discussions of it. But, wanting something for more of my area.
> 
> Take care,
> Andrew



Have you tried searching google for Phytomining, or Bioleaching? (Many more just by searching for, gold in plant roots)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131022-gold-eucalyptus-leaves-mining-geology-science/ (eucalyptus)
http://news.stanford.edu/pr/02/alfalfa821.html (alfalfa)


I'll just leave this here.
View attachment Geochemistry_of_gold_in_the_weathering_c.pdf



Edit -


Irons said:


> Probably more than you would ever want to know about Canvas:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canvas



That was actually quite interesting to read. Especially part about the Renaissance masters, multiple layering and polishing the canvas, which could take months, before they actually painted something on it.


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## acpeacemaker (Mar 25, 2016)

I've heard argumentative thoughts with gold in Kansas. But, that was my first thought about alfalfa. Growing on the front range of CO and Kansas.  Thanks for the links. 
Andrew


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## shrewdly (May 8, 2016)

Generally biogeochemistry is the sampling of plants, usually trees, and analyzing (assaying) the material for metal content. Much like geochemistry samples are taken from different locations and the results are plotted to locate anomalous areas. This is effective in areas of deeper overburden as the trees root system draws water from a large surrounding area and usually down closer to bedrock. Samples should been taken from the same part of the tree, eg bark from each tree or leaves from each tree. It works well on water soluble elements but not so well on precious metals. As for actual plant growth indicative of metals present - the only one I know of and have seen is zinc moss which is a moss bright lime green in colour and grows only in areas of high zinc concentrations. As for biogeohemistry I'm attaching an article on the subject covering a joint research project done in Canada and Australia.


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## Topher_osAUrus (May 9, 2016)

UncleBenBen said:


> Canvas, rope, clothing, oil, MUCH more paper from an acre of hemp than an acre of pine trees and can be harvested yearly(sometimes twice per year depending on climate) as opposed to waiting years for trees to mature.
> 
> Pretty much all America's founding fathers and early presidents grew it. It was a very important resource and probably still should be, but with the misconceptions surrounding hemp and cannabis hemp will likely remain an illegal crop for a long time.I seem to remember reading that colonial landowners were required to grow hemp at one point. To help with the war effort, maybe? Don't quite remember.
> 
> But I am sure you would probably get a headache more than anything else if you did smoke it!



Cannabis is a wonderful plant.

Besides all of the things you have mentioned, it (indirectly) is responsible for beer -hops are a close cousin of cannabis, which of course gives beer its bitterness and its flavor (so long as you dont drink "lite" beer)
And the CBD's are what the medical folk have been trsting and trying to treat those with seizures (successfully, i might add.. A neice of mine in colorado had horrible seizures until being treated -illegally, at the time- by liquid cbd capsules)

But, i had not heard of its ability to take up gold or radioactive isotopes... Yet again, another miracle from the magical plant.

As far as the thread topic goes, horsetails are the only one i had heard about. They grow in and around my neck of the woods... But, I havent heard of anyone striking it rich with a a gold mine in Kansas... But, if they did...i doubt they would share that knowledge with the masses.

-topher


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## rickbb (May 11, 2016)

Actually hemp is not the same as cannabis. You'd have to smoke a pound of hemp to get the same effect as a single joint of cannabis. (Don't ask how I know this.  )


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## Topher_osAUrus (May 11, 2016)

rickbb said:


> Actually hemp is not the same as cannabis. You'd have to smoke a pound of hemp to get the same effect as a single joint of cannabis. (Don't ask how I know this.  )



Cannabis, at one time, was synonymous with marijuana.
Over time, people wanted two different things.
-one group to get high
-the other to use its strength and versatility.

This lead to selectively breeding certain strains with one another to reach the desired effects/end products.

Hemp as we know it, is very low in THC (the psychoactive drug that some know and love) BUT its tensile strength is very high, as well as its CBD content (more on that in a minute)

Cannabis eventually split into two distinct paths, indica, and sativa. Both have their own idiosyncrasies and benefits.
Sativa, is a very tall plant (good for hemp and..) which has a very high cbd/thc ratio. It is good for growing outdoors, where some plants can grow up to 20ft tall.
Indica, is the "short-round" of the two, and has a higher thc/cbd ratio.
The general hemp manufacturing process happens in 40 some odd countries where sativa strains are left out to field where mother nature takes her course, male plants are more desireable for hemp as their thc content is very low. Hippies and the like, go for the female plants as it is their buds (that are resinous flowers-looking to soak up any pollen in their sticky-icky traps) that contain the mass majority of thc and cannabinoids.

Nowadays, the highs and lows of indica vs sativa are mind-numbingly intricate, as over the generations, people have still been selectively breeding to try to get the best high/hemp/medicine/etc..

Where in their family tree the Hops family comes along? I do not know exactly. 

But, i do know that hemp is being used for much more nowadays than just its strong fibers.
-one place sites it is being used in making a supercapacitor, to make the idea of fast-charging, cheap batteries a real possibility
-hemp is also being used to make new plastics
-plus a great deal more.

I should probably stop ranting about this plant...otherwise i might be seen as *one of those guys* 8) :mrgreen: 

A couple websites for the curious minded-
http://www.leafscience.com/2014/09/16/5-differences-hemp-marijuana/

http://www.leafscience.com/2014/06/19/indica-vs-sativa-understanding-differences/

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/whats-difference-between-hemp-and-marijuana

-topher, the-damn-dirty-hippie-that-wants-to-change-the-world-but-just-smokes-and-smells-like-skunks

Edit to fix continuity of text


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## acpeacemaker (May 11, 2016)

Topher_osAUrus said:


> I should probably stop ranting about this plant...otherwise i might be seen as *one of those guys* 8) :mrgreen:



I got questioned so many times why I wanted to move to Colorado, even though the mountains is in my blood. I don't smoke but always got the same saying from everyone that asked me about it. Hey, Colorado, they just legalized it right?


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## Topher_osAUrus (May 11, 2016)

acpeacemaker said:


> Topher_osAUrus said:
> 
> 
> > I should probably stop ranting about this plant...otherwise i might be seen as *one of those guys* 8) :mrgreen:
> ...



Soon enough people will wake up and realize that in comparison to alcohol, it is harmless.

Maybe if we tell everyone we know that it can be used in the geobotanical prospecting of gold, it will get legalised *immediately*!
But, then its price will skyrocket like *copperas for gold reduction*... Instead of $9.99 a bag, it would be $999.98 
*sigh*
-toph


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## Richard36 (Sep 2, 2016)

The proper name is phyto-prospecting, when referencing plants associated with specific metals.

I'd be posting a lot of photos if i were to post them here, so I'll just post a link to them.
These are the plants of use in phyto-prospecting that I have found info on.

https://www.facebook.com/ProspectorRick/photos/?tab=album&album_id=444291972281078


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## 4metals (Sep 3, 2016)

Do you have the Latin names for these plants. It would be nice to be able to look them up in a plant book and see them in non flowering form. It would be a shame to miss a significant find because the plant that should give away the find isn't in bloom!


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## Topher_osAUrus (Sep 3, 2016)

Horsetails
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum

Those plants on the facebook link have their scientific names in the photo details. Click on them, and they are in the description, as well as what they have an affinity for.

If it doesnt show up on your pc 4metals, i can write it down and post it here for you


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## Shaul (Sep 9, 2016)

BioGeoChemical Methods of Prospecting by D. P. Malyuga 
Authorized translation from the Russian

Consultants Bureau New York 1964 205 pgs.

Amazon prices range between $80 - $110


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## rhwhite67 (Jul 9, 2017)

Everything work exceptionally well for sucking Precious Minerals out of fluids and microscopic gold into their their root systems Alfalfa works extremely well and the easiest way to concentrate it is run it through a cow and process what comes out the back end and the other plant is cattails work exceptionally well both of these have been used in mining Reclamation in different situations to reclaim areas that needed to be reclaimed on mining operations and the beauty of it is they will take up the precious metals and then you just turn around and ask them Leach the ashes and recover the metal


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## justinhcase (Jul 9, 2017)

rhwhite67 said:


> Everything work exceptionally well for sucking Precious Minerals out of fluids and microscopic gold into their their root systems Alfalfa works extremely well and the easiest way to concentrate it is run it through a cow and process what comes out the back end and the other plant is cattails work exceptionally well both of these have been used in mining Reclamation in different situations to reclaim areas that needed to be reclaimed on mining operations and the beauty of it is they will take up the precious metals and then you just turn around and ask them Leach the ashes and recover the metal


Have you any documented evidence of someone actually processing bovine excrement for gold?
I find that hard to believe it sounds more like a false new story from the Onion or some other satirical site.


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## rhwhite67 (Jul 9, 2017)

Is it documented no But Not False either. Do I know of someone who has done so, Yes and had the metal powder recovered assayed and it was mixed PMs plus some base. But based on his results it would take a lot of dried and ashed grade A #1 bovine manure to recover any appreciable amount. He did his recovery from dairy pond waste in Idaho. I have also seen results from ashed cattails from a mining waste pond reclamation test which was interesting but again not a direction I would personally bother with except as a gee does it actually work just for fun and curiousity? Also I was only suggesting that that is one way to concentrate the alfalfa. If you have an area that is high in concentration alfalfa will draw the minerals in slowly as it grows. So will dry hay and straw. A better way to concentrate them would be to ash the alfalfa. But just because it works does not make it a viable recovery / production system. Wish it were as I have access to some very high ppm PM bearing flows. Can honestly say don't wast your time, effort, or $ on carbon or resins. Have 122 cu/ft of resin with assays on the resin showing 5-6 lbs of PMs loaded on it but cannot get it off. The resin we used will not chemically elute. Ashing it is an absolute nightmare in rotten fish smelling stench and the refineries we sent it to burned it up and put the metals into their scrubbers and claimed there was nothing there despite having solid assays on the resin. Nice addition to their bottom line for the end of the year. Sorry, I digress. 

For Geobotanical Prospecting the best results I ever saw was the cattails when ashed but I have heard of trees on gold bearing streams taking the PMs into their roots and it being found there in the cells.
I apologize if I made it seem like it was not real it does work but except for assisting in reclamation of waste ponds etc it would probably not be economically viable.
Ron


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 10, 2017)

rhwhite67 said:


> ...it would take a lot of dried and ashed grade A #1 bovine manure ...
> Ron



Who had that job.. Objectively grading and rating the poo, that is :shock: :lol: 
That poor fella, I hope he got paid well.


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## justinhcase (Jul 10, 2017)

rhwhite67 said:


> Is it documented no But Not False either.


Sorry Ron
It douses strike me as off.
First, any mine tailings that have been associated with heavy metal production would be extremely contaminated with every other metal.
Normally even just the rain runoff is toxic and far too contaminated to even think about introducing to livestock.
I have seen some well-documented cases gold soils reduced by glucose or sodium oxalate that contained Au which is then used by plants to grow.
“phytomining” is an interesting study and may even help with prospecting.
But the only examples I can remember reading about that showed any visible gold return used a toxic spray to increase the absorption of Au.
This killed the plants in about two days but in that two days, they had absorbed exponentially more value.
My Aria of Devon has elevated amounts of gold with 90% dairy farms dispersed over the top.If there was gold in them cow's I would have herd of it.(Joke-Herd Not Heard because we is talking about cow dung.)


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## geedigity (Jul 10, 2017)

I used a very similar technique referred to as phytoremediation. This technology was used by the team to cleanup up a site impacted by metals contamination. The primary plant was mustard plant (and there were several other plant species used as well) to uptake contamination consisting of heavy metals in the shallow surface soils. The project was either in Utah or Nevada and the plants needed to not only be drought tolerant, but also grow quickly. The vegetation was mowed every so often, the clippings collected and disposed of. It was a long term project and I recall it worked fairly decent. However, it only addressed the shallow surface soils, how deep, seem to remember not anything deeper that three feet. On another project, I seem to remember using creosote bush to cleanup polyaromatic hydrocarbons. These were both a while back, so the other details seem to obscure themselves, or maybe I just forget more now. 

From the mining aspect, I am very sure that some species concentrate various metals better than others. However, the right species in the right place with the right soil chemistry, water chemistry, etc. is what would be required. I would also think that the less reactive the metal, the less opportunity or chance it could get taken up by the vegetation. 

The volume of material requiring processing would probably be similar to the undertaking of extracting gold from seawater and probably wouldn't be very profitable at this present time.


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## rhwhite67 (Jul 10, 2017)

Appreciate the pun... Herd. The guy that did it with the cow dung just did it with regular dairy manure no alfalfa used for remediation and yes using alfalfa from a remediation situation with the cattle would not be a good Idea for the cows or their milk. Herd about the mustard plants as well but as was suggested by geedigity "The volume of material requiring processing would probably be similar to the undertaking of extracting gold from seawater and probably wouldn't be very profitable at this present time." 
May your pans always be full of gold gentlemen.
Ron


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## acpeacemaker (Feb 17, 2020)

Metal Absorption by Equisetum (Pdf)
https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1278a/report.pdf


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