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Materials Block Metal Detector Signals


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It depends on the size and depth of the target and the amount and exact nature of the charcoal or coal. The best that can be said is a metal detector should find the metal object but it is possible the signal could be lessened or blocked. Too many variables here.

From http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/davejohnson/DavesGoldbook-reders.pdf

“In spots where there has been intense fire, such as a campfire site or where a stump was burned during land clearing, the soil minerals may be altered by oxidation so that their ground balance setting is lower than that of the surrounding soil. In such cases, search slowly and change the ground balance setting as frequently as necessary.

In some areas, electrically conductive industrial minerals such as fuel coke, slag, clinkers (left over from burning mineral fuels) or charcoal have been dumped or used as landfill. Such lumps will usually have a broad signal, not crisp like a gold nugget usually is. If you’re searching an area where there is a lot of contamination by such materials, do not dig unless a signal is crisp and repeatable.”

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In part of my local gold field which also has coal, have not noticed any effect from the coal even though at rare times can get a specimen of quartz gold and coal.

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