MNP: The Silver Lode Mine

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It's an arrastra.  This is a really neat find.  Arrastras are usually associated with gold mines but they are also a low cost, self-sufficient way to process silver ore.  Drag stones are still used to crush the ore which, mixed with water, becomes a paste.  Mercury (quicksilver) is then added, which precipitates out the silver.  Aside from being slow and labor intensive, it's not a bad method.

It's an arrastra. This is a really neat find. Arrastras are usually associated with gold mines but they are also a low cost, self-sufficient way to process silver ore. Drag stones are still used to crush the ore which, mixed with water, becomes a paste. Mercury (quicksilver) is then added, which precipitates out the silver. Aside from being slow and labor intensive, it's not a bad method.