In
Australia,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, fossicking is
prospecting
Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking.
Traditionally prospecting rel ...
, especially when carried out as a recreational activity. This can be for
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
,
precious stones
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...
,
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s, etc. by sifting through a prospective area. In
Australian English and
New Zealand English, the term has an extended use meaning to "rummage". The term has been argued to come from
Cornish. The term likely originates from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
“fossa,” meaning “ditch,” “trench.”
In Australia, "fossicking" is protected by a number of laws, which vary from state to state. In Queensland, fossickers must obtain a licence, but no licence is required in New South Wales. In South Australia, fossicking is defined as "the gathering of minerals as (a) a recreation; and (b) without any intention to sell the minerals or to utilise them for a commercial purpose", and these activities are considered as not being affected by the ''Mining Act''.
Generally, this activity is regulated by the relevant State Government Department with certain rules to be followed. These typically include requiring the landowner’s permission for access, use of hand (non-powered) tools only and restrictions on the amount of material that can be removed in a day. Fossicking can be done in remote locations with no facilities, or can be a part of a guided tour. Several small businesses in Australia have set up for the purpose of introducing new people to the activity or providing facilities for fossickers near the areas being searched. Frequently fossickers will try day trips; where this is impractical due to the remote location, they may combine the search with an overnight camping trip. Many of the areas where mineral specimens are to be found are areas of outstanding natural beauty, and other recreational activities such as photography and hiking are common additions to a fossicking trip.
In Cornwall, such prospecting was monitored by the
Stannary
A stannary was an administrative division established under stannary law in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon to manage the collection of tin coinage, which was the duty payable on the metal tin smelted from the ore cassiterite mine ...
.
Noodling
The equivalent term used in searching for
opal
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline form ...
is noodling.
::"Noodling: The practice of sifting through rejected mullock heaps for small pieces of precious opal inadvertently discarded by the miners. A number of people on the opal fields rely entirely on noodling for a living. They either sift through the waste material by hand ... or use a noodling machine. These people are 'professional' noodlers. Tourists and others casually searching the dumps for pieces of opal are also noodling."
[Barnes, L.C & Townsend, J. (1982): ''Opal, South Australia's gemstone.'' Geological Survey of South Australia, Handbook No.5. Government Printer, South Australia, p. 13.]
References
External links
{{Portal, Cornwall
Northern Territory DPIFM gov't Fossicking pageGemtree: gateway to the gem fields of Central AustraliaFossicking legislation from Queensland NSW Department of Primary Industries Fossicking Minfacts
Mineral exploration