Parker Mines HUGE Gold Nuggets From Bolivia’s Largest Mining Ground! | Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail
In a surprising twist on “Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail,” mining prodigy Parker Schnabel took his quest for gold to Bolivia, where he teamed up with the Golden Eagles Cooperative, a group of 32 mine owners. The cooperative’s reported monthly yield of half a kilogram of gold raised eyebrows, prompting Schnabel to suspect that the actual figures could be much higher.
Upon arrival, Schnabel and his crew were introduced to the local mining methods, which starkly contrast with the high-tech equipment used in the Yukon. The Bolivian miners relied on a rudimentary wooden gravimetric gold table and utilized mercury to bind the gold—a technique that is both hazardous and outdated, yet remains effective under local conditions.
The use of mercury in gold processing is notorious for its environmental and health risks. However, Schnabel noted that the miners employed safer practices, such as using retorts to recycle the mercury and prevent its release into the environment. This method helps reduce the mercury’s detrimental impact, though it still poses significant long-term health risks.
The highlight of Schnabel’s visit was the gold weighing session, where the reality of the cooperative’s challenges came to light. The yield was significantly below expectations, amounting to only a third of what Schnabel had hoped for—an outcome that led him to doubt the efficiency of their gold recovery techniques. He suggested that modifying the sluice box and adding different riffles could potentially increase their recovery rate from 65-70% to at least 85%.
Despite the initial intrigue and potential for substantial gold deposits, Schnabel decided against making an investment. The complexities of the cooperative model, combined with the subpar gold output and the overwhelming number of stakeholders, were deterrents too significant to overlook. Schnabel’s experience in Bolivia was an educational foray into traditional mining methods and an eye-opening encounter with the realities of gold mining on a cooperative scale.
