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Εξέλιξη της τεχνολογίας εξόρυξης χρυσού από προσχωματικά κοιτάσματα

Mathioudakis Spyridon

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Summary

This present thesis is a detailed chronological description of alluvial gold miningtechnologies. Gold is one of the most valuable metals and has contributed significantly to the economic and cultural development of humanity. It’s probably one of the first metals that was used by human and only one of very few metals to occur in free form.Gold recovering methods, more specifically alluvial gold, have been applied since its initial discovery in «Anatolia» and are still used in today's industrially advanced era. The procedures were constantly changing with equipment development and the available knowledge about mining. The primitive methods first applied in Asia Minor (Anatolia) and followed by the famous myth of the golden fleece, with the original use of sheepskin in the ascension of gold. Next, emperor Augustus improved the gold extraction techniques during the Roman empire period. Subsequently, the admirable pumps of Georgius Bauer Agricola were widely used, while during the colonization of America the techniques were further evolved, improving upon the efficient methods of the natives. Finally, the "gold rush" era was perhaps the most significant period in alluvial gold mining and took place in the rivers of America during the 18th-19th century.During the "gold rush" period, techniques such as: gold pans, cradle boxes, sluicing machines and dredges were applied, each of which had its own historical background and development.These specific devices, that will be analyzed extensively in this text, are the foundations for the first massive and efficient mining of alluvial deposits, and especially gold.Mining processes are constantly evolving, with most modern techniques achieving much higher production rates at the lowest possible cost. However, the basic principle of their operation does not deviate significantly from that of previous centuries (gold rush). Thus, it is necessary to compare the most modern devices for the extraction of alluvial gold with those used in previous centuries.

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