this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024
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[–] kowcop@aussie.zone 130 points 2 years ago (23 children)

When I was young my Dad bought me some mercury home from work.. I loved how it moved when I shook the bottle and the weight of it.

When I had my own kids I didn’t want it around, so our local council had set up a event where you could dispose of household liquids like old paints and solvents, so I took it down. When I drove up, the guy asked me what I was disposing of so I said mercury. It was bizarre. I was told to stay in the car and a guy came out of a shed in a full hazmat suit with one of those pairs of metal tongs to retrieve it from me.

I remember Dad telling me that miners used to collect gold pan tailings in mercury and then of a night they would hollow out a potato and put the mercury in, and then put that in the camp fire.. it would burn off the mercury and leave a little ingot of gold.

[–] Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Out in the edge of the lower mainland of BC by Hope, where there was a mini gold rush a long time ago you can find lots and lots of mercury sitting below the water levels when the streams dry out during the summer.

It is all left behind from the miners back in the day.

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

That sounds like it would look really lovely. Got any pictures?

[–] Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Mercury sitting below the ground level sitting underground, potentially poisoning the ground water if it gets disturbed enough is beautiful or just the area of nature where the gold panning happens?

Yale Town Gold Panning Reserve

Hope Gold Panning Reserve

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 2 points 2 years ago

It's a shitty situation, but that doesn't preclude it from possibly being beautiful to look at.

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