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ok it mite be a dumb question but i dont honestly know
- Thread starter redsumit
- Start date
Hello Redsumit,
when I talk about mineralization I'm referring to naturally occuring inorganic substances in the ground, like metals for instance. So soil that contains a quantity of minerals or metals like gold, iron, copper or other interesting compounds that, because they are present in the type of ground you detect in, the detector will read as different signals according to the type of metal or mineral it might be and the quantity or amount of those present in the ground can also either send your detector haywire or not. Ground with trashy substances like iron that rust over time, can also give off similar signals, or loosely said, when I mention highly mineralized ground, I personally refer to either circumstance, though the two are different in the reason for the condition of the ground. Both can give similar readings, the numbers jump around and you can't get a fix on anything, or you begin to wonder if the target you're listening for is really there or no. Some call these signals falsing, or ghosting, the detector may seem to tell you there's a target present in all that mumbo jumbo signally, but there's not.
The trick is learning to detect for targets (or keepers as you call them over there), in this type of ground, bypassing the other signals you know to be otherwise. I believe you have a red or black soil over there that's classified as mineralized ground. I don't know what type of metals or minerals are present in your ground, so another detectorist can help you out in understanding it.
As for here, on the goldfields where I do a lot of detecting for relics/coins, where it's very mineralised (highly), the soil often has iron sulphites present, particularly associated with gold country. We also have in our rock iron, silver needles (silver pyrites highly associated with gold where I hunt), and a few other minerals. The ground can change drastically over short areas from rocky (mostly covered with shale) to granite containing garnet, felspar & mica. I don't believe these last few minerals would have any effect on the detector, but the iron, sulphur, gold particles, silver, pyrites & copper, often present in the soil where i go detecting, do have an effect on the detector, because as I move away from this type of ground, the detector reacts differently, and the barrage of signals lessen.
I've always believed that understanding the type of ground you hunt in helps you to understand why the detector may react the way it does in the ground you're hunting in, and many detectorists I know make it a point to KNOW the ground they hunt in. I feel it makes metal detecting much more interesting too, not just knowing your detector, but having a little knowledge of the ground you hunt in, and how your detector might respond.
HH Golden
when I talk about mineralization I'm referring to naturally occuring inorganic substances in the ground, like metals for instance. So soil that contains a quantity of minerals or metals like gold, iron, copper or other interesting compounds that, because they are present in the type of ground you detect in, the detector will read as different signals according to the type of metal or mineral it might be and the quantity or amount of those present in the ground can also either send your detector haywire or not. Ground with trashy substances like iron that rust over time, can also give off similar signals, or loosely said, when I mention highly mineralized ground, I personally refer to either circumstance, though the two are different in the reason for the condition of the ground. Both can give similar readings, the numbers jump around and you can't get a fix on anything, or you begin to wonder if the target you're listening for is really there or no. Some call these signals falsing, or ghosting, the detector may seem to tell you there's a target present in all that mumbo jumbo signally, but there's not.
The trick is learning to detect for targets (or keepers as you call them over there), in this type of ground, bypassing the other signals you know to be otherwise. I believe you have a red or black soil over there that's classified as mineralized ground. I don't know what type of metals or minerals are present in your ground, so another detectorist can help you out in understanding it.
As for here, on the goldfields where I do a lot of detecting for relics/coins, where it's very mineralised (highly), the soil often has iron sulphites present, particularly associated with gold country. We also have in our rock iron, silver needles (silver pyrites highly associated with gold where I hunt), and a few other minerals. The ground can change drastically over short areas from rocky (mostly covered with shale) to granite containing garnet, felspar & mica. I don't believe these last few minerals would have any effect on the detector, but the iron, sulphur, gold particles, silver, pyrites & copper, often present in the soil where i go detecting, do have an effect on the detector, because as I move away from this type of ground, the detector reacts differently, and the barrage of signals lessen.
I've always believed that understanding the type of ground you hunt in helps you to understand why the detector may react the way it does in the ground you're hunting in, and many detectorists I know make it a point to KNOW the ground they hunt in. I feel it makes metal detecting much more interesting too, not just knowing your detector, but having a little knowledge of the ground you hunt in, and how your detector might respond.
HH Golden
backslyder
New member
Boy, oh boy Golden! I knew you had some "tough" ground down under, but that is almost in the "scary" catagory. The reason I say scary, is if you have some kind of silver pyrite or whatever it was, wouldn't that bounce the numbers into the mid to high 30's and make the tones in ferrous high pitched, and if it was mixed with iron stuff also, sounds like you have a monster on your hands with that ground. I was gonna suggest to redsumit, what (I think you were mentioning), is to "notch" out the iron or lower conductivity numbers, mainly if he's going for coins, but of course, depending on the country and area your in, I guess some coins can have a lower conductivity number, so again, it all depends on what your looking for. One more thing, about the mineralized ground is for me at least (this seems to work) ---- use the ground balance more often. I know you know that Golden, and redsumit may too, I'm just mentioning it here for anyone new to the game, and one last thing, in my experience at least, is if the ground is really touchy, turn down the sensitivity a bit and try that. Marc.
[quote redsumit]ok golden how would i go about finding the type of mineralization in my ground. ive thought about doing this b4, but have no clue how i would do it[/quote]
Hello Redsumit,
I'll explain a little about how I know I'm in mineralised ground. Basically, the areas I detect in are ridden with gold mines, shafts, adits and a history filled with mining activities from the early 1800's onward to about 1940's. The area is very well known as gold country, hence the reason for the different minerals/metals present in the rock. Also, when an adit is opened up, we sometimes get an oozing of bright red coloured water which is filled with iron suphite concentrates. This is present in areas in rock faces underground which is oozing out of the rock itself, or oozing out of stream beds nearby, or draining directly out of the mines themselves, out of the adits on the ground. (For those who don't know, we call an adit the entrance of the mine, the portal is the opening of the mine, the hole in the ground or mountain face.) Basically, what you do is observe for the indications of minerals present in the ground, and the reason why those minerals are present. In my case, the mining activites from bygone days for gold, show in the surrounds. I'm use to hunting in specific ground conditions like I've just descibed. But if I were to look else where, I'd do a bit of research into an area and ask? Is there evidence of mining activities and settlements? What was the livelihood of the people back then? What kind of trash am I expected to find? What type of ground did they build their houses on? You can really go right into it here.
Another way is, speak to a geologist about the type of ground you're likely to hunt in. You can find answers on the net about the geology of your area, the type of minerals present in the ground. It's amazing what you can find out on the net about your general area. I have a few original mine records that in which the geologists back then speak about the type of ground that the gold is contained, how deep the mineral runs, and how concentrated it is in areas. You might be able to get a hold information about minerals present in your ground via libraries, the local shire, or a department of resources a bit like our DSE.
Hope this helps. Golden
Hello Redsumit,
I'll explain a little about how I know I'm in mineralised ground. Basically, the areas I detect in are ridden with gold mines, shafts, adits and a history filled with mining activities from the early 1800's onward to about 1940's. The area is very well known as gold country, hence the reason for the different minerals/metals present in the rock. Also, when an adit is opened up, we sometimes get an oozing of bright red coloured water which is filled with iron suphite concentrates. This is present in areas in rock faces underground which is oozing out of the rock itself, or oozing out of stream beds nearby, or draining directly out of the mines themselves, out of the adits on the ground. (For those who don't know, we call an adit the entrance of the mine, the portal is the opening of the mine, the hole in the ground or mountain face.) Basically, what you do is observe for the indications of minerals present in the ground, and the reason why those minerals are present. In my case, the mining activites from bygone days for gold, show in the surrounds. I'm use to hunting in specific ground conditions like I've just descibed. But if I were to look else where, I'd do a bit of research into an area and ask? Is there evidence of mining activities and settlements? What was the livelihood of the people back then? What kind of trash am I expected to find? What type of ground did they build their houses on? You can really go right into it here.
Another way is, speak to a geologist about the type of ground you're likely to hunt in. You can find answers on the net about the geology of your area, the type of minerals present in the ground. It's amazing what you can find out on the net about your general area. I have a few original mine records that in which the geologists back then speak about the type of ground that the gold is contained, how deep the mineral runs, and how concentrated it is in areas. You might be able to get a hold information about minerals present in your ground via libraries, the local shire, or a department of resources a bit like our DSE.
Hope this helps. Golden
[quote backslyder]Boy, oh boy Golden! I knew you had some "tough" ground down under, but that is almost in the "scary" catagory. The reason I say scary, is if you have some kind of silver pyrite or whatever it was, wouldn't that bounce the numbers into the mid to high 30's and make the tones in ferrous high pitched, and if it was mixed with iron stuff also, sounds like you have a monster on your hands with that ground. I was gonna suggest to redsumit, what (I think you were mentioning), is to "notch" out the iron or lower conductivity numbers, mainly if he's going for coins, but of course, depending on the country and area your in, I guess some coins can have a lower conductivity number, so again, it all depends on what your looking for. One more thing, about the mineralized ground is for me at least (this seems to work) ---- use the ground balance more often. I know you know that Golden, and redsumit may too, I'm just mentioning it here for anyone new to the game, and one last thing, in my experience at least, is if the ground is really touchy, turn down the sensitivity a bit and try that. Marc.[/quote]
Gidday Marc, if I were to notch out numbers, I would getting nulling over targets and miss reading them. I may get the occasional quick signal that something's there, then lose it just as quick. It's difficult to locate a target with discrimination, so why make it harder by discriminating? No discrimination is the way to go in trashy ground or you'll lose targets. Using a smaller coil helps. But more importantly, slowing your sweep speed down to a minium is crucial in some cases where the trash is unbelievably dense. Some of the sites I work can be nightmares in anyone's book, so I really have to concentrate, slow down my sweep speed to hardly any at all, concentrate over a target, come at it from all angles until I'm satisfied that there's something there worth digging. Another trick is to take a layer off the top of the soil and then go over it with your detector. This will either move targets around, loosen the soil, or get rid of that pesky top layer that is not allowing the detector to read through it properly. Sweep over the layer removed, then work on the layer exposed. Works great for relic hunting. The other trick to detecting is, if you're in ground that has a build up of foilage rubbish, remove it. Then detect. if you coil hits against twigs, sticks sticking up out of the ground, etc, then it will give you false readings also.
As for the sensitivity, if the ground is just trashy, and not mineralised, then you should be able to raise the sense higher to around 14 or 16. But in the end, whatever you do, you have to learn how to hunt in the type of ground you're in, and unless you get the chance to detect with a partner who own and knows his/her Quattro, it's trial and error on your part. With another Quattro user present, you can then compare what you are both listening to, and learn from each other.
Gidday Marc, if I were to notch out numbers, I would getting nulling over targets and miss reading them. I may get the occasional quick signal that something's there, then lose it just as quick. It's difficult to locate a target with discrimination, so why make it harder by discriminating? No discrimination is the way to go in trashy ground or you'll lose targets. Using a smaller coil helps. But more importantly, slowing your sweep speed down to a minium is crucial in some cases where the trash is unbelievably dense. Some of the sites I work can be nightmares in anyone's book, so I really have to concentrate, slow down my sweep speed to hardly any at all, concentrate over a target, come at it from all angles until I'm satisfied that there's something there worth digging. Another trick is to take a layer off the top of the soil and then go over it with your detector. This will either move targets around, loosen the soil, or get rid of that pesky top layer that is not allowing the detector to read through it properly. Sweep over the layer removed, then work on the layer exposed. Works great for relic hunting. The other trick to detecting is, if you're in ground that has a build up of foilage rubbish, remove it. Then detect. if you coil hits against twigs, sticks sticking up out of the ground, etc, then it will give you false readings also.
As for the sensitivity, if the ground is just trashy, and not mineralised, then you should be able to raise the sense higher to around 14 or 16. But in the end, whatever you do, you have to learn how to hunt in the type of ground you're in, and unless you get the chance to detect with a partner who own and knows his/her Quattro, it's trial and error on your part. With another Quattro user present, you can then compare what you are both listening to, and learn from each other.
hey golden i was just out w/ MD and got another question. ok we have snow on ground and been raining (warmed up a bit) now the problem i just had is i get a good signal. 34 or 36 hi tone, turn the disk 90 degrees and it goes to an iron signal rite in exact place where i had a good signal previous. good signal disappeared. seems like theres a bunch of iron junk there. my settings were all metal, sensitivity was 11, hi trash density, ferrous sound. why does it do that? i also run my wedding ring over top of it (white gold, whatever that is) and got a numeric value of +6, +3 and -1 w/ ring......................why? thanx oh found an old nail and some kind of piece of iron. who knows it could be from aliens lol
John (Australia)
Member
Hello redsumit, You need to dig that mystery target and see what it was, it will add to your knowledge of the detector as well. Rusty objects can give high ids on the first sweep too but usually reveal their true identity with repeated slow sweeps over them. Rusty bottle caps are a good example. I did find an explanation why detectors act this way with rusty objects but can't remember where it was that I read about it. The other possibility is that there was a trash target near a good target, especially if you were able to get a repeatable high id from the direction of the first sweep. Once again the only real answer is to dig it up.
John
John
yeah i kept going over n over it and not everytime but it did keep showing me a high number w/ high tone, just not at a 45 degree spin of the disk. see i always just chalked this up as to much iron in the ground in that spot and was just showing thru as a high tone, in the past. probably missed out on a coin.