Gold

Di Matteo Oberto

In Italy you can find gold! In fact, there are gold flakes and nuggets along the main Italian rivers. This book allows to understand where the precious metal is present in Italy and how to look for it. Numerous tools and good locations are also illustrated!

• Lingua: Italiano
• Editore: Youcanprint
• Data di uscita: 22 apr 2020
• ISBN: 9788831667432

Anteprima del libro

placers.

Placers and auriferous veins

In Italy, gold is mainly widespread in the Po Valley sediments and mainly this abundance came from the erosion of primary gold deposits outcropping along the Alps. In fact, the mountains have hosted and still show traces of outcropping primary gold deposits, some of which have already been historically just partially exploited (eg. Pestarena, Brusson, Miniera dei Cani, Valle Anzasca mine, etc.). So, countless are the primary deposits that show gold only in traces and that have been exploited for other economical elements (eg. iron, copper, lead, silver, etc.). It is also important to highlight how in the Italian geological past from the formation of the Alps, which began about 65 million years ago, erosion produced huge morphological changes and probably several gold deposits have been completely eroded and now they could be found widespread in the Po Valley sediments close Turin and Milan, partially reworked and concentrated in pay-streaks thank river floods. In fact, water courses keep concentrating heavy minerals present in the sediments flood after flood, forming the so-called alluvial paystreaks. If we talk about mechanical disintegration, rivers should be considered natural grinders of pebbles containing trace of gold.

Po Valley sediments are now the main italian gold reservoir. Thanks floods, rivers can produce gold-rich placers.

It is almost obvious to point out that the alluvial sediments deriving from the alpine valleys, which are (or were) rich in outcropping primary gold deposits, are the most enriched in gold. It is also important to remember the action of glaciations in our European historical past (about 20000-10000 years ago the last glaciation took place) and their shaping action on the landscape. In fact, old auriferous sediment nearby primary gold deposits (called eluvial deposits) and bottom river valley sediments have been eroded by glaciers and settled in the morainic amphitheaters at the valley outlet. Moreover, the first fluvial terraces (eg. Bessa, Villareggia and Mazzè placers) correspond to the oldest ones regarding this glaciation and usually they are more enriched in gold. These river terraces originated from the reworking of auriferous moraines by the local watercourses. Then, gold has been concentrated in alluvial sediment flood after