We went to check on the excavator today and were treated to front row at a full scale galamsey mining operation. They were using the excavator to dig down at least 20 feet to a pay layer of gravel and then using manual labor to wash the material. I managed to take a short video clip of the operation. You can get an idea of how efficient these people work... everything they do is synchronized. http://youtu.be/8CCMDe9kBDY
Notice the guy in the bottom right photo staying cool with a bucket shower. I guess he'll use clean water later.
Comments
The woven basket these people are using looked to be about 1/4 mesh gaps. Everything else was just tossed without being inspected. The only thing I can figure is that the gold is so fine that they are not worried about tossing a nugget away. But the size of the cobbles tells me that there very well could be some nice ones hiding in the tailings. I was salivating to detect the numerous piles of tailings but maybe another day... if I'm allowed.
Nice to see people working a gold mine without fear of going to jail. What mesh is that basket? Keep em coming Joe. Ted
Hey, these kids (and yes, most looked in their teens) were really into what they were doing. You could tell they were enjoying what they did and they went at their work with a sense of pride. Just glad to have a job doing something productive I guess.
Thanks for the comments.