Fossicking
Encyclopedia
Fossicking is a term found in Cornwall
, Australia
and New Zealand
referring to prospecting
, especially in more recent times, when carried out as a recreational activity. This can be for gold
, precious stones
, fossil
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
.
In Australia, "fossicking" is and was protected by a number of laws which vary from state to state. In some states such as Queensland, fossickers must obtain a licence but in others, (eg. New South Wales) no licence is required.
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 landowners 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
.
is noodling.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
referring to prospecting
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
, especially in more recent times, when carried out as a recreational activity. This can be for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, precious stones
Gemstones
Gemstones is the third solo album by Adam Green, released in 2005. The album is characterised by the heavy presence of Wurlitzer piano, whereas its predecessor relied on a string section in its instrumentation.-Track listing:#Gemstones – 2:24...
, fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, etc. by sifting through a prospective area. In Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
and New Zealand English
New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...
, the term has an extended use meaning to "rummage". The term has been argued to come from Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
.
In Australia, "fossicking" is and was protected by a number of laws which vary from state to state. In some states such as Queensland, fossickers must obtain a licence but in others, (eg. New South Wales) no licence is required.
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 landowners 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
Stannary
The word stannary is historically applied to:*A tin mine, especially in Cornwall or Devon, South West England*A region containing tin works *A chartered entity comprising such a region, its works, and its workers...
.
Noodling
The equivalent term used in searching for opalOpal
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
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."