Ruggles Uranium Mine Trip!
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2013
- I traveled to Ruggles Mine, New Hampshire to find uranium (and other minerals too!). The trip was fine until I learned I could not use my radiation detectors... which was terrible news! They did sell burgers and drinks and even had uranium for sale in the giftshop lol
Pros:
Large area to mine.
Loads of minerals.
Wonderful giftshop.
Food on site
Cons:
Cannot use radiation detectors! :(
Links to uranium in the video:
12:30
15:25
19:25
21:35
23:40
very helpful. thank you.
I love the Civil Defense touch to your stuff!
This is so cool!!
NOTES:
Cleavage count: 5. I used this word 5 times in the same video... Sorry for the crappy videography. Next time I go to a mine, I am bringing a tripod and a UV camera lol
I cannot believe they wouldn't let me use my toys!!! OMG!!!
I used my counters there. I told the guy that if I can't use them, to give me my money back. They left me alone. I didn't like how they kept walking up to see what was found, then bringing others my find if I walked away. I never went back. There are plenty of radioactive pegmatites in New England.
awesome video. wow 240,000 cpm thats high.
i wonder what i'd find in the crevices here along the .escarpment here in Ontario. nice video
Thanks! There are always fun things to find in nature! Test everything!
Smokiness in quartz can be caused by gamma rays. You can irradiate white quartz and make it smoky... would be a fun experiment.
Yep!
I've always loved mineralogy, petrology, and geology, in general. I think I will do more videos on them (and use my rad detection gear too lol).
Ruggles also had a really nice gift shop too :)
Tfw you bring your zinc sulfide spinthariscope into the mine along with a blacklight
That was fun to watch. Too bad about the equipment not being allowed in... What were the green patches you could see in the mine? Moss or some mineral?
This brings back the memories... I did the exact thing about a year ago; I was so excited, a guy there pointed it out with a UV light.
That sounds like a great idea! I'd have to check the atomic structure of graphine but I think that is detailed in one of my physics magazines.
Open probe's window and place it directly against the check source on the side. Ensure the middle window (there are three on the probe) is exposed to the source, at contact. With the unit in x10 mode, see if the needled climbs to 2 to 2.5 mR/hr. If yes, than the unit is likely in working condition and reasonably calibrated.
I hope you had a great trip!
Not really related to this video, but I was thinking about Geiger counters that use those thin mica window detectors, and how fragile they are, and wondered if graphene would make a suitable replacement for mica since it is very strong even when its only fractions of a mm in thickness.
Just thought I would share that with a fellow enthusiast :)
it was fun!
Ruggles mine is opening up again September 2023!
LETS GOOOOO
I live near this mine... it is a tourist trap. The mine was stripped out long ago. I've taken my counters and have also used them in the locked gated areas, climbed over them. I only found low activity specimens. The place is a scam! You aren't allowed to bring in your detectors because the mine is stripped. Don't waste your time and money.
It's not too much of a scam. If you watch my video you will see that I found uranium in many places. Examples:
12:50
15:55 All of these examples are of uranyl phosphate's
18:10
22:10
What sort of detector did you use?
The mine has been stripped and they prominently state this. The guy who was supervising everyone spent about 30 minutes explaining how the mine was exhausted years before. It's a beautiful place to find really nice, but small, samples.
You don't need a detector if you have a good idea for geology.
If you still think you need a detector, here is a trick:
1. Make rough map of mine on paper.
2. Gather small samples of sand/rock from each section
3. Test them in your car while you eat "lunch"
4. Return to the mine after "lunch" and target area with highest readings.
Also, a small scintillation detector with vibrate mode can be a good friend... or an iPhone with one of those tiny GM's or scint. tubes attached >=)
That's reasonably high for a 1" scintillator, but the background is around 1,000 to 3,000 CPM, normally lol
Neat video, I am thinking I might try to get up there this summer. What plant you saw towards the end is called _Chamerion angustifolium_ or Fireweed
i wasnt talking obolt mining strait the road just the roks that fel out of it;]
What Scintillator did you use towards the end of the video with the really spicy ore?
Yeah... I suck with videography! lol
I will work on getting better at that in subsequent videos. My art skill was in still photography (B&W).
That rock was mica schist (metamorphic mica) with feldspar (white) and manganese-aluminum and other garnet-forming minerals (reddish) and some other junk.
The shine is from the schist.
The green was a moss. Under the microscope I could tell (I brought a portable chemistry lab, microscope, and some other gear. lol).
Only the green I show with the UV is uranium :P
For got to say, thanks for an interesting video.
You should totally go to more mines and places where you can make some findings, i use mindat to find good places for mineral hunting. :D
My Grandfather was Caesar Perry who passed away in 1934 from Black Lung because of working in Ruggles Mine.
Probably. :P
I'll be going to more places to look at rocks. I love minerals!
Why don't you collect thorium ??
Cause its safer and less radiactive
Have you collected any uranium glass if you have can you make a video on it
Ouch!
I am glad to hear you had both a Geiger counter and a black light. This is one reason I think everyone should own both. As for Ruggles Mine, I do worry about the uranium mixed with children. I went there as a child and never knew. As an adult, I wore a mask when mining and decon'ed when I got back to my hotel.
Uranium mines and kids might not be a good mix.
Sounds like you own a CDV700, given that background count.
Hey tom I just got a Lionel cdv 700 6b and there are a few problems and I wonder if you know how to fix the or a place to send them. The first is that the needle jiggles around so I can't tell if the check source is 1000 or 1600 com. The second is that it will make a very loud sound very often, I think its a problem with the cord. So if you know how to fix those problems let me know. Thanks. Ps keep up the grate vids!
Look on eBay for Dr. Stephen Buggie/the old prospector. You can send your meter to him and he will do repairs for reasonable price. GEOelectronics will also help you. But if you find anyone who can fix and old tv, they can probably fix your Geiger.
Cont.
For others with kids I would advise good lab practice if you choose to go. No eating or drinking while there and have them wear "work clothes" that don't go in the house. This is the same recommendation made by the Canadian gov't for uranium prospectoring in areas with known naturally occurring uranium products.
In retrospect, I would not bring primary school age kids there. The risk may be low but it is real. Wait until they are older and can appreciate it more anyway
I wasn't going to mine their road lol I cannot say the thought didn't come to mind... but I prefer natural looking samples.
digital camera sensors can make nice radiation detectors. wink wink.
just got back from a trip there myself and after seeing my 5 year old's face glow with specs of green along with my clothes under a blacklight I checked us out with a survey meter when we got home. Background in my house is about 10 cpm our clothes were reading up to 100 and so were we prior to thorough scrub down in the shower. getting my kid contaminated was not on my to do list
I'm curious do you know what the uranium that was mined there was used for?
As for children and uranium, I agree that children are on the list of folks to keep away from radiation. The most resistant are old men lol. So, aparently grand pa can do as he wishes.
Anyhow, though my video makes the uranium aspect and dangers quite obvious (I wine about the dust and run about decon'ing things), I'll post a banner at the start of the video so others see and know about the child dangers.
It's a good thing you had a GM and black light. Good move!
Thank you! This is a very helpful video. I would like to ask you a related question. I will be taking a trip out to Albuquerque, New Mexico in September. I plan to go to Grants and try a little prospecting on some of the mine tailings to see if I could find some specimens to add to my collection. A friend recommended I try and pickup a good used scintillation detector as they are more sensitive and I could find uranium rocks faster. Wouldn't the localized levels just overwhelm a scintillation unit in that situation? Currently I have a Inspector USB, a Victoreen CDV-700 6A, and a Radex One I can use. If a scintillator would be helpful, what would you recommend for a good used first unit? I have several months to get familiar with one.
You are correct. The best thing for uranium prospecting is a pancake probe. Seeing as you already have the inspector USB, I would recommend buying the SI-8B tube and the pikes peak prospector housing from Geoelectronics. You can find these on eBay for very cheap and what you get is a massive (3” diameter) pancake probe that is not altitude sensitive like your inspector. If you have any electrical know-how whatsoever, this is the probe for you. The only isssue is you would need to attach a BNC connector to your CDV-700 which is also very simple.
Must have been really annoying not being able to use all your equipment!
The owners probably want the good uranium samples for themselves so they can sell them to you for tonnes of cash.
Rugggles Mine is closed
Great video!
Questions:
1. Where was the Uranium at 12:30 - the caves to the left of the entrance by the water?
2. What radiation levels are dangerous? At one point you said not to touch something, but you handled the piece that you purchased.
3. What do people generally do with Uranium samples they collect - are you allowed to sell them - and where would you sell them? Are they worth much?
4. I really wanted to find Garnet, Beryl, and Tourmaline - any tips for finding these?
I do but it was calibrated in 1988. I have no faith in it for true measurement but it offers an indication of relative values. I had a sample checked out at a lab at my work and was told what I had is no concern for an adult but with kids it is enough to a warrant very thorough decontamination of skin and clothes. I threw away the clothes she was wearing as repeated machine washing had no impact on the CPMs.
Could you specify what wavelength your uv light is? I bought a cheap uv light a while ago, its at 380-390nm but im not sure if thats sufficient to achieve fluorescence. thanks!
you should have used your phone and purchased a pocket Geiger that you plug into your phone
so can you mine here cause i hear ALOT of clinking
You can mine in Ruggles, but you cannot use a detector when doing it.
Well, I still believe in citizen protection and people knowing what is going on. Besides, they look nice lol
is this stuff safe to be around?
Why wouldn't you touch the uranium at ~16:40? Is it too high a dose?
"no need to comment" ... Anyways, why the hell you've shaked the cam like hell? No just kidding, liked your videos.
2nd comment
Good content, but poor quality. It takes a bit more effort, but tripod that camera, please. Might want to check those mic levels, too.
I tend to spend more money on my functional science gear than on my camera. The camera is my least concern.
A tripod is $20, & the difference is night & day. It's your show, & i liked it; that's why I offered the suggestion. Wasn't putting you down.
CaptianKeyz I actually do have a tripod. At the start of the video you might have noticed it. I think I held it that way because the lighting was so bad and the tripod wouldn't properly orient the camera. I did not bring it into the mine because I was limited in weight.
I normally use my tripod, though it is crappy.
A tripod won't help that much. One needs a gimbal to film in motion.
Mah-man you may sound like you know geology and your shaky video sucks and you talk and move around to fast, I hope in the years that have passed you have sorted this all out.