Gossan

A few years since quite a fever of speculation raged in regard to copper mines, and in the pursuit of the mineral gossan, which is supposed to indicate the locality of veins of ores. ❋ Unknown (1869)

Australia reef gold is almost invariably associated with iron, either as oxide, as "gossan;" or ferruginous calcite, "limonite;" or granular silica, conglomerated by iron, the "ironstone" which forms the capping or outcrop of many of our reefs, and which is often rich in gold. ❋ Unknown (N/A)

What is left is either iron oxide, "gossan," or the oxides of the other metals. ❋ Unknown (N/A)

In others, again, are found considerable quantities of soft powdery iron oxide or "gossan," and compounds such as limonite, aluminous clay, etc., which, under the action of the crushing mill become finely divided and float off in water as "slimes," carrying with them atoms of gold, often microscopically small. ❋ Unknown (N/A)

Under weathering conditions pyrite oxidizes, the sulphur forming sulphuric acid, -- an important agent in the secondary enrichment of copper and other sulphides, -- and the iron forming the minerals hematite and limonite in the shape of a "gossan" or "iron-cap." ❋ Unknown (1915)

Wilkinson found that when the solution of gold chloride was as strong as, say, four grains to the ounce of water, that the pyrites or other base began to decompose, and the iron sulphide changed to yellow oxide, the "gossan" of our lodes, and that though the gold was deposited, this occurred in an irregular way, and it was coated with a dark brown powdery film something like the "black gold," often found in drifts containing much ferruginous matter. ❋ Unknown (N/A)

I have tried a further adaptation of this process when treating ores containing a large percentage of iron oxide, where the bulk of the gold is impalpably fine, and contained in the "gossan." ❋ Unknown (N/A)

The gossan does not often carry much value, though it may show traces of minerals which suggest what may be found below. ❋ Unknown (1915)

The gossan is likely to resist erosion and to be conspicuous at the surface, -- though this depends largely on the relative resistance of the wall rocks, and on whether the gangue is a hard material like quartz, or some material which weathers more rapidly like limestone or igneous rock. ❋ Unknown (1915)

In the extreme eastern portion of Ashe county the gossan ores (brown hematite) of the Ore Knob copper lode, bear mention. ❋ North Carolina. Board Of Agriculture. (1896)

The thickness of this lode is about ten feet, and the gossan extends to an average depth of forty-five feet. ❋ North Carolina. Board Of Agriculture. (1896)

The outcrop, in all cases, is the mineral known among miners as gossan -- really an ore of iron, resulting from the weathering and decomposition of the exposed ore, which is yellow copper, or copper pyrites ... ❋ Unknown (1869)

This gossan is a showy sulphuret of iron, or iron pyrites, found on the surface after the decomposition and waste of copper veins, and from which no metal can be extracted. ❋ Unknown (1869)

Great quantities of gossan, or wasted iron oxide, resulting from the same decomposition, abound on the surface, and the great promise afforded by the external indications has been fully borne out by the results of the openings so far made. ❋ Unknown (1869)

Five grab samples were taken from the property, 2 from the historical open pit and two from the waste dump, these were tested for polymetallics, and one sample was taken from a gossan zone on the property and tested for gold. ❋ Unknown (2010)

The processing method used was Atomic Absorption Spectrometry for the massive sulphide samples, the gossan or gossan dump samples were tested only for gold using fire assays. ❋ Unknown (2010)

One grab sample was taken from the gossan and assayed for gold. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Lastly the Angostura prospect was historically mined for copper by both open pit and underground methods, one grab sample was obtained from the gossan dumps and assayed for gold. ❋ Unknown (2010)

In the sampling program three grab samples were taken from the historical pit and tested for polymetallics, two grab samples were taken from the gossan and tested for gold. ❋ Unknown (2010)

- North Gossan - recently identified surface gossan co-incident with a +100ppm Cu in soil anomaly. ❋ Unknown (2010)