Difference between rock gold and placer gold

Rock gold and placer gold are two different forms of gold, and their main differences are the formation environment, mining method and particle size.

Formation environment:

Rock gold, also known as mineral gold, is usually found in rocks, especially associated with quartz veins. Rock gold is formed in the crust through geological processes, such as volcanic activity and tectonic movement, which lead to the enrichment and rise of gold-bearing rocks.

Placer gold is formed after rock gold is eroded and transported by water. Under the scouring of the river, rock gold is separated from the original rock and deposited on the riverbed or alluvial plain as the river flows. The particle size of placer gold is usually small, and the "dog head gold" that can sometimes be observed with the naked eye is a special case of placer gold.

Mining method:

The mining of rock gold usually involves finding rock veins containing gold, and then extracting gold through mining and ore processing. This process may include blasting, digging, crushing ore and using chemical or physical methods to purify gold, and the process is relatively complicated. In contrast, the mining of placer gold is simpler because the gold particles are directly distributed in the gravel. Placer gold mining can be carried out by methods such as gold panning, mechanical excavation or hydraulic separation, which can directly recover gold from river sediments.

Particle size:

Particles of rock gold are usually tightly bound to rocks and may need to be released by grinding and photoelectric sorting technology. The particles of placer gold are relatively independent and can be directly recovered from gravel by methods such as gravity separation.

Photoelectric sorting of rock gold is a technology that uses the photoelectric properties of minerals for sorting. It detects minerals through photoelectric sensors and distinguishes and sorts them according to the reflective spectral characteristics of minerals. Photoelectric separation equipment usually combines modern detection, sensing, artificial intelligence and other technologies to quickly identify the physical characteristics of ore and separate ore from waste rock.

Steps of photoelectric sorting of rock gold:

1. First, crush and dissociate the gold ore to ensure that the ore particle size is suitable for photoelectric separation.

2. Scan the ore through photoelectric sensors, such as X-rays or high-definition image recognition systems, to identify the comprehensive characteristics of the gold surface, such as texture, color, gloss, shape, and reflectivity.

3. Use artificial intelligence technology to establish a multi-dimensional three-dimensional model of the ore, and process effective ore data information through an algorithm system to achieve automatic sorting of gold ore and waste rock.

4. The separation system uses high-speed controllers and relays and other control devices according to the algorithm output to achieve accurate separation of ore and waste rock, and collect them separately.

Photoelectric separation technology can quickly remove a large amount of useless gangue, reduce the pressure of subsequent beneficiation process, and improve sorting efficiency. Compared with traditional physical beneficiation and chemical beneficiation, the energy consumption of photoelectric separation is mainly electricity consumption, and the cost of separation is mainly electricity consumption, which is much lower than the average cost of traditional methods. With the development of computer technology and artificial intelligence technology, the intelligence level of photoelectric sorting equipment has been continuously improved, which can better adapt to the sorting needs of different types and complex ore structures. By introducing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis, the intelligence level and adaptability of the photoelectric sorting system have been greatly improved, and it can handle more types of ores.

These advantages make rock gold photoelectric separation an important direction for the development of modern mining technology, which helps to improve sorting efficiency, reduce costs, protect the environment, and improve the comprehensive utilization of resources. With the continuous advancement and optimization of technology, the application of photoelectric mineral processing technology in the field of mineral processing will be popular.