Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Accepted manuscripts
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • All collections
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member types access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Scottish Journal of Geology
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Follow gsl on Twitter
  • Visit gsl on Facebook
  • Visit gsl on Youtube
  • Visit gsl on Linkedin
Scottish Journal of Geology

Advanced search

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Accepted manuscripts
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • All collections
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member types access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit

Evidence for the historical exploitation of possible bedrock gold in the upper Mennock Water, Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway

R. J. Chapman and R. C. Leake
Scottish Journal of Geology, 41, 135-140, 1 November 2005, https://doi.org/10.1144/sjg41020135
R. J. Chapman
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
R. C. Leake
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Synopsis

Microchemical characterization of gold grains collected from a probable site of old gold processing at the confluence of the Mennock Water and Whitestone Cleuch in the Leadhills–Wanlockhead auriferous area has led to the identification of a type of gold previously unrecorded in the area. Within the Leadhills–Wanlockhead gold region the alluvial gold is dominated by a type which contains typically 10–12% Ag, little or no Cu and Hg, and an opaque inclusion suite containing sulphides (about 60%) and sulpharsenides (about 40%). Alluvial gold grains recovered from the Mennock Water and Whitestone Cleuch during this study are of this type. In contrast, gold grains recovered from the base of pits at the study site contain between 5.6 and 7.4% Ag, negligible Cu and Hg, and an opaque mineral inclusion suite characterized by pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite and tetrahedrite. Sulpharsenides are absent. This microchemical signature is more similar to that previously recorded in alluvial gold from two other sites in the Southern Uplands: the Tweed headwaters and the Glengaber Burn.

The distinctive microchemical signature of gold from the study site has not been observed in any other gold grains recovered from the Mennock Water catchment (c. 20 km2) or elsewhere in the Leadhills–Wanlockhead region. These grains frequently exhibit textures incompatible with any fluvial transport, but characteristic of gold grains liberated through crushing ore. Thus, the evidence from gold composition and grain textures suggests that a distinctive bedrock source of gold was crushed and presumably beneficiated at this site. This discovery represents evidence for an unrecorded site of possible in-situ gold exploitation.

  • © 2005 Scottish Journal of Geology
View Full Text

Please note that if you are logged into the Lyell Collection and attempt to access content that is outside of your subscription entitlement you will be presented with a new login screen. You have the option to pay to view this content if you choose. Please see the relevant links below for further assistance.

INDIVIDUALS

Log in using your username and password

– GSL fellows: log in with your Lyell username and password. (Please check your access entitlements at https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/fellowsaccess)
– Other users: log in with the username and password you created when you registered. Help for other users is at https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/lyellcollection_faqs
Forgot your username or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article for 24 hours and download the PDF within the access period. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one. To download the PDF, click the 'Purchased Content' link in the receipt email.

LIBRARY USERS

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.
If you think you should have access, please contact your librarian or email [email protected]

LIBRARIANS

Administer your subscription.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about the Lyell Collection publications website, please see the access help page or contact [email protected]

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Scottish Journal of Geology: 41 (2)
Scottish Journal of Geology
Volume 41, Issue 2
November 2005
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation tools

Evidence for the historical exploitation of possible bedrock gold in the upper Mennock Water, Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway

R. J. Chapman and R. C. Leake
Scottish Journal of Geology, 41, 135-140, 1 November 2005, https://doi.org/10.1144/sjg41020135
R. J. Chapman
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
R. C. Leake
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Permissions
View PDF
Share

Evidence for the historical exploitation of possible bedrock gold in the upper Mennock Water, Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway

R. J. Chapman and R. C. Leake
Scottish Journal of Geology, 41, 135-140, 1 November 2005, https://doi.org/10.1144/sjg41020135
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Email to

Thank you for sharing this Scottish Journal of Geology article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Evidence for the historical exploitation of possible bedrock gold in the upper Mennock Water, Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Scottish Journal of Geology
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Scottish Journal of Geology.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
Download PPT
Bookmark this article
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Article
    • Synopsis
    • Introduction
    • Methodology
    • Characterization of gold grains from the pits in Whitestone Alluvial Flat
    • Comparison with other regional gold types
    • Comparison with local alluvial gold
    • Implications of the characteristics of type 5 gold
    • Conclusions
    • Acknowledgements
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Similar Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • The Highland Border Ophiolite of Scotland: observations from the Highland Workshop field excursion of April 2008
  • Multi-episodic modification of high-grade terrane near Scourie and its significance in elucidating the history of the Lewisian Complex
  • A new high-resolution aeromagnetic dataset over central Ayrshire: insights into the concealed geology
Show more: Papers
  • Most read
  • Most cited
Loading
  • A new geological map and review of the Middle Devonian rocks of Westray and Papa Westray, Orkney, Scotland
  • Mush ado about the Ratagain Complex, NW Scotland: insights into Caledonian granitic magmatism and emplacement from magnetic fabric analyses
  • A regional explanation for Laxfordian tectonic evolution and its implications for the Lewisian terrane model
  • Discussion on ‘Deglaciation and neotectonics in SE Raasay, Scottish Inner Hebrides’ by Smith et al. 2021 (SJG, 57, 106–116)
  • Discussion on ‘The geological collection from the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902–04) in the Museo de La Plata, Argentina’ by Carrasquero 2021 (SJG, 57, 60–66)
More...

Scottish Journal of Geology

  • About the journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Submit a manuscript
  • Author information
  • Supplementary Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Pay per view
  • Alerts & RSS
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Activate Online Subscription
  • Feedback
  • Help

Lyell Collection

  • About the Lyell Collection
  • Lyell Collection homepage
  • Collections
  • Open Access Collection
  • Open Access Policy
  • Lyell Collection access help
  • Recommend to your Library
  • Lyell Collection Sponsors
  • MARC records
  • Digital preservation
  • Developing countries
  • Geofacets
  • Manage your account
  • Cookies

The Geological Society

  • About the Society
  • Join the Society
  • Benefits for Members
  • Online Bookshop
  • Publishing policies
  • Awards, Grants & Bursaries
  • Education & Careers
  • Events
  • Geoscientist Online
  • Library & Information Services
  • Policy & Media
  • Society blog
  • Contact the Society

 

Edinburgh Geological Society logo

 

Glasgow Geological Society logo

 

Published by The Geological Society of London, registered charity number 210161

Print ISSN 
0036-9276
Online ISSN 
2041-4951

Copyright © 2022 Scottish Journal of Geology