# Black Sand composition?



## Anonymous (May 22, 2010)

I kinda new to this aspect, determining mineral content.  

I've heard that "Black Sand" contains some rare earth minerals/metals, is this so, would it be profitable to process and extract these minerals/metals, or would it be a big waste of time :?:


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## qst42know (May 22, 2010)

I would assume that depends on the particular black sand.


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## Anonymous (May 22, 2010)

I realize that I am looking for a generalization as far as the makeup, but I guess I am referring to the magnetic reactive metals it may contain.
Of the rare earth metals, are they reactive to a magnet? I can pull the majority of the material off with a magnet. I am assuming that ferric metals would be oxidized to a redish/orange color, this colorization does not exist.
Can some one direct me to a section on this site that may give me some simple field tests? I don't have a blow pipe. Will acid tests give me any clues?


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## butcher (May 22, 2010)

a candle and small glass tube can be used as a blow pipe, black sands can be magnetite and hemitite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematite
http://webpages.charter.net/kwilliams00/bcftp/docs/blacksand.htm
http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/collectors_corner/arc/blowpipeassay.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=cwMLnEHzTukC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=blowpipe+assay&source=bl&ots=h0SdspfANS&sig=PMSTrimfOfncSpM7Zz7sf4-ukj0&hl=en&ei=L0z4S8KqHJfCM9KCsYQI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=blowpipe%20assay&f=false
http://books.google.com/books?id=wjdHAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=blowpipe+testing+ore&source=bl&ots=5-SfZxoSei&sig=9nxBgdrN78uywNtONiainUZe6LU&hl=en&ei=70z4S-GCN4KCNr6FgNoF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CB0Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false


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## Palladium (May 23, 2010)

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5588&p=48013#p48013


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## jimdoc (May 23, 2010)

Anybody heard from the Rockman lately?

Jim


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## Palladium (May 23, 2010)

Not in about a month and a half. It is summer time. Being the rock hound he is he's somewhere out there like a kid in a candy store.


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## Anonymous (May 23, 2010)

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the info. :!:


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## CHARLIE GREENLER (Aug 12, 2010)

In some black sands I am told there can be a tiny particle per grain of sand of gold in as oxide.I always take samples home and soak it in jewelery cleaner overnight or electrolisize it and I have found several things like rhodium gold alloy and other metals that had a black patina like manganese and nickle (posibly platnum bearing).


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## CHARLIE GREENLER (Aug 13, 2010)

The blow pipe or testtube test is a good idea.With a torch you might get som low temp metals build up on the inside of the tube as a sort of mirror affect (good canidate for rare earths).You might even want an XRF,ICP, or even better an atomic spectrograph ,the atomic spectrograph would show it all witch is nice when looking for rare earths or any other metals and if it doesnt recognise it you may have somthing new. You might try powdering the sand or sands and see what doesnt separate with a magnet.Generaly the placers I find (gold and pgm) are either magnetic,slightly magnetic(posibly platnum group),and non magnetic,the slightl and non are richer than the magnetic and can come mixed gold&silver and gold&the whole platnumgroup (about as mixed up as the sands can be).A gold screw makes concentrates and classifies sand the best.I save any pyrite that occures with the black sands because that can be holding precious metals.


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## Anonymous (Aug 15, 2010)

Thanks Charlie!


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