Soil Mineralization

[KREQ600]

Sure this has been discussed before numerous times, but what exactly is "mineralization" of the soil? I went by our local USDA Soil Conservation Office and asked them this question and they basically went: Huh?? Told them I did some metal detecting and they could not come up with a viable answer. To them, mineralization refers to the amount or distribution of organic nutrients present in the soil. I have seen this term used all over metal detecting forums and message boards, but there seems to be no definitive answer to this term or the way it is used to describe different soil types. So, in lay-men's terms, what is it and how does it relate to what we may find out in the fields we hunt as it refers to Ground Balancing? Per Minelab, the numbers that are shown on an Equinox 600 or 800 after Ground Balancing does not correspond to the mineralization of the soil in that, HI numbers does not indicated Hi mineralization nor does Low numbers indicate low mineralization.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Donut]

I’m guessing here.
Iron deposits / rust also carbons from burnt coke from fires . But I could be wrong, lol
also you have to have iron in your system to live, again I think . Lol. Gearitol is taken to add iron to your system and years ago it was prescribed by doctors. I’m guessing.
it is the milerazation of the soil.
Also if you adde salt to water it makes the water more conductive.
heck I don’t know , lol
Doug

 

[Jason in Enid]

Mineralization is anything natural in the soil that causes a response to the metal detector. Its typically an iron mineral although there are many types.

 

[AstralDruid]

I’m guessing here.
Iron deposits / rust also carbons from burnt coke from fires . But I could be wrong, lol
also you have to have iron in your system to live, again I think . Lol. Gearitol is taken to add iron to your system and years ago it was prescribed by doctors. I’m guessing.
it is the milerazation of the soil.
Also if you adde salt to water it makes the water more conductive.
heck I don’t know , lol
Doug

mileycyrusnation is the correct hashtag

 

[KREQ600]

Well guys, as they say on the game show Family Feud: Good answer...good answer...but ain't exactly what I was looking for. LOL! I just want to try and understand how and why this term gets used so often in metal detecting lingo and what it does to affect our detectors, especially our Equinox's. How can one best identify it when using our Equinox 600 and 800's?

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

Here in AZ, mineralization is usually associated with iron, copper, zinc and other metal oxides within the soil. It comes from decomposed and oxidized granite and other metal bearing material. Also high levels of metallic salts in various forms can get concentrated in certain areas (like gold fields). This can cause "interference" in the ground signals MD's "hear". Ground balancing neutralizes this interference. That's my take on it anyway.

 

[KREQ600]

Here in Mississippi, especially NE Mississippi, our soil type is predominately made up of calcium carbonate. Our soil has origins in the Cretaceous Period, when the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico was much farther inland. Over millions of years, plankton that lived in the Gulf left behind exoskeletons rich in calcium carbonate—the accumulation of which resulted in the Black Belt’s chalk subsoil. As a result of all the calcium, the soil is very fertile and good for growing crops. Our soil is sandy with outcrops of lime soil that has the remnants of ancient oyster shells, shark teeth, and other type fossils. There is also red clay in the area, which I understand, has some iron oxide in it that gives it the red color. I am going to locate a geologist that is familiar with this area but in the mean time, I am going to assume that our soil does not have a lot of copper, zinc, or other metal oxides except for maybe the red clay.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Well guys, as they say on the game show Family Feud: Good answer...good answer...but ain't exactly what I was looking for. LOL! I just want to try and understand how and why this term gets used so often in metal detecting lingo and what it does to affect our detectors, especially our Equinox's. How can one best identify it when using our Equinox 600 and 800's?

I dont know what more you want. You asked WHAT mineralization was.

For the new questions.... The term gets used because mineralization is present in some level everywhere, but the levels can fluctuate very rapidly over relatively small areas. Its the thing we fight the most to get the best depth and ID on the targets we are hunting for. What it does to the detector depends entirely on the type of minerals. It may simple absorb and scatter the signal so you cant see the deeper targets. It may give you a positive feedback that prevents you from seeing deeper targets. You can identify mineralization by doing a ground balance with the detector and seeing how much change you have to make to get a neutral response. You can identify BAD mineralization by constant, erratic signals from ground that doesnt have any targets below the coil.

 

[KREQ600]

Jason, thanks for the follow up. Was at work today and had a few moments to check on my question. I guess I missed your post about mineralization. I have went back and looked more closely at your post and Coin Hunter AZ and I now have a better understanding of mineralization. Thanks, everyone for the responses. I have learned more from this forum because everyone who posts here are excellent at explaining things. I am relatively new to metal detecting and I am just trying to learn as much as I can.

 

[Jason in Enid]

You dont learn if you dont ask!

 

[cudamark]

Here in AZ, mineralization is usually associated with iron, copper, zinc and other metal oxides within the soil. It comes from decomposed and oxidized granite and other metal bearing material. Also high levels of metallic salts in various forms can get concentrated in certain areas (like gold fields). This can cause "interference" in the ground signals MD's "hear". Ground balancing neutralizes this interference. That's my take on it anyway.

Yup, pretty much any kind of tiny metal and metal compounds in the ground are what we refer too as mineralization. Too small to cause a definite target response, they can still affect the detector (usually with static or instability) A detector with the ability to cancel the effects of mineralization can help you find your desired target. Whether using auto or manual controls, the idea is to let the machine know what is "normal" ground for your area, and ignore it when sampling. Anything different from that norm will sound off as a potential target.

 

[vferrari]

Actually folks, you can't cancel out mineralization (primarily magnetite- Fe3O4, but other ferrous oxides can contribut,e also). Yes you can balance the machine to cancel out the ground noise, but for VLF induction balance machines like Equinox, depth will invariably be affected no matter how well the machine is ground balanced, if high mineralization exists. Not much you can do about it because basically the mineralization rapidly attenuates the transmit power into the ground. Some machines may ID deeper than others (Equinox does better than most) but the maximum raw depth is in heavily mineralized soil is limited nevertheless. Typically to 6 to 8 inches max. That is why hard core detectorists that want maximum depth under such conditions, use Pulse Induction machines such as Whites TDI, Garrett ATX, or the Minelab GPX or GPZ that can penetrate deeper in mineralized ground. The Equinox does not inherently tell you how mineralized the soil is based on the GB reading. A high number does not necessarily mean high mineralization (though it often does). To be sure if your soil is mineralized (high in magnetite) you need to use a mineralization meter or a detector that has a separate mineralization meter built in like the Fisher F75, Teknetics T2, or the XP Deus/ORX - the Equinox does not have this capability. HTH

 

[halfstep]

One way to tell how mineralized your ground is, dig a hole about 6 inches deep and break up the dirt. Then run a magnet around in the dirt and see how much stuff sticks to the magnet. The junk that sticks to the magnet is what will give your detector the most problems. Also, one can usually tell by how deep the detector can detect. I can't get much deeper than 7" or 8" on a clad quarter with my CTX using the 17" coil. The CTX with the 17" coil reaches a little deeper than the Equinox with the 11" coil but not by much.

 

[A2coins]

What they said just pretend I said it it will sound better lol Great info