In this article, we will discuss another local method of mining alluvial gold along the shores of River Niger in West Africa.
Alluvial gold deposits are found by the sure of river and streams and there are some gold deposits along the bank of River Niger in West Africa where the villagers come to fetch gold as it were, by the use of calabash by deepening the calabash under the Riverbank.
Basically, the villagers would enter the shallow areas of the REiver or go further deeper part of the River they would swim under the water to collect the sand mixed with gold particles with a small calabash and come out of the River Nile and began selecting the impurities away from the gold particles by spinning the calabash in the water to sieve out the gold particles.
Again applying the force of gravity, the gold being heavier than the sand and other impurities are easily separated from others inside the calabash as they keep swirling the calabash in the water as a method of refining the gold harvested.
Take a look at the image below:
I choose to discuss this method as it seems rare but there are various methods adopted by these local miners for example digging deep holes to where the gold deposits are situated and digging a little and sieving where the alluvial gold is deposited surface depths of 1 to 2 meters surface and begin the with the process of refining the gold just by sieving also by using water inside a calabash to separate the impurities and sand from the gold particles, all made up the artisanal mining in Africa.
Next, I will discuss using washing plant machines a method used by big and small gold mining companies which in fact is a modern method of gold mining.
