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Can a metal detector tell the difference between gold and other metals?

By Sebastian Wright |

Gold detectors use discrimination to detect gold and ignore other metals. However, PI detectors can only detect gold and, even then, only large chunks of it. Discrimination is necessary while detecting gold because it is usually mineralized in areas with a lot of trash.

Can metal detectors distinguish metals?

Modern metal detectors can detect all metals both ferrous (containing iron) and non-ferrous (not containing iron) as well as metals that are conductive, and all metals are either conductive (can conduct electricity) or are ferrous (contain iron).

Can metal detectors see gold?

For instance, all metal detectors will find gold but there are different types made that are more sensitive to and specifically for gold. So, if you are solely interested in locating gold jewelry, you will want to select a detector made specifically for this purpose. Some metal detectors are water proof.

What metals Cannot be detected by a metal detector?

Stainless steel, by definition, has low magnetic permeability, which means that it does not produce a signal strong enough to be identified. Other items that a metal detector will not locate are gemstones, pearls, bones, diamonds, paper and stone figures.

How deep can a metal detector detect gold?

Modern prospecting detectors can discover gold as small as a half a grain. As the size of the target becomes larger, gold nuggets can be located at significantly greater depths. A single grain nugget can be unearthed at a depth of 1-2 inches. A match head size nugget can be located at a depth of 3-5 inches.

How deep can a metal detector detect?

Most metal detectors can detect objects about 4-8ʺ (10 – 20 cm) deep. In ideal conditions, a mid-range metal detector can reach 12-18ʺ (30-45 cm) underground. Some specialized detectors can go as deep as 65′ (20 m).

Can cheap metal detectors find gold?

Despite what some dealers may tell you, you aren’t going to have any success finding gold nuggets using a cheap metal detector. Sure there have been some big gold nuggets found over the years, but the vast majority of gold nuggets are pretty small; under 1 gram in size. You need a sensitive detector to find them.

Do metal detectors detect aluminum foil?

These devices are not only composed of pieces capable of perceiving the magnetic field of an element. Thanks to the configuration of the coils, they can also detect the high conductivity of non-ferrous components, including gold and aluminum, for this reason, detectors can identify it.

Can you trick a metal detector?

Can you “fool” the metal detector? Some people ask if the metal detector can “be fooled”. The answer is no. Unless one tried to pass a metal object around the walk-through detector, or some other subrosa action, the metal detector will do its job.

What’s the difference between a gold detector and a metal detector?

Nevertheless, there exist some differences between the two. The gold detector is mainly helpful to trace natural gold or gold nuggets which are still unchanged while the metal detector is used to detect normal metals or gold jewelry which has other metals added to.

Are there metal detectors that can detect coins?

The metal detectors that claim to specialize in detecting coins excel at certain parameters, which make them suitable for coin detecting.

Can a waterproof metal detector detect gold nuggets?

For instance, multi-purpose metal detectors are generally waterproof since you might go into the river bed to find gold nuggets. But the downside of this inclusion is that they don’t specialize in anything. They are generally capable of detecting only up to 6 inches deep.

Why do we use discrimination in metal detectors?

This technique is known as discrimination. Discrimination is so popular because it is easy to implement; you only need to set the detectors to ignore or observe certain phase response. However, the technique is not effective in case of metals with similar phase response, like tinfoil and gold.