Hobbyist Gold Prospectors in Ankara: They Extract 20 Grams of Gold a Day

Hamza Kındımoğlu, living in Ankara, and his team of about 30 people can find up to 20 grams of gold per day with their hobby-oriented placer gold mining activities. Conducting their search operations in streams and rivers across various regions of Turkey, the team takes great care not to harm nature. After their work, the team cleans the area and plants walnut saplings, thereby both protecting nature and contributing to the economy. Kındımoğlu believes that when done consciously, placer mining can offer serious benefits to the country's economy. This amateur activity also holds the potential to help reduce gold imports.

Kındımoğlu states that his team includes individuals from various professions such as soldiers, police officers, mechanical engineers, and tradesmen, along with nine masters. Exploring nature and searching for gold in streams, the team meticulously carries out the neighborhood cleaning of the areas where they operate. Additionally, everyone joining the team is obligated to plant at least two saplings. Kındımoğlu emphasizes that gold is likely to be found in almost every province in Turkey, but conscious searching is required for this. He adds that it is impossible for those who venture into this business without training to be successful.

Stating that reading stream and river conditions accurately is of great importance in placer gold mining, Kındımoğlu notes that understanding the structure of rocks is one of the key factors in finding gold. He expresses that gold will not be found at every point in a stream, and therefore, one must act patiently and consciously. He explains that the amount of gold found varies depending on the characteristics of the worked area, with recoverable amounts ranging from half a gram to 20 grams per day. Reminiscing that they could not find any gold for a year at the beginning, Kındımoğlu states that they gained experience over time and their exploration capacity expanded.

Touching upon the legal dimension of the activities, Kındımoğlu emphasizes that no work should be done in mining sites and protected areas. He notes that when working with sluice boxes of specific sizes and methods that do not harm nature, there are no prohibitions. He expresses that the activities carried out by the streams without deforming nature can be considered both an eco-friendly and sustainable hobby. Kındımoğlu argues that environmental cleaning after the activity is mandatory to protect natural life. He believes this approach also breaks the prejudices that hobby mining is harmful to the environment.

Drawing attention to the potential of placer mining to contribute to the country's economy, Kındımoğlu says that the gold lying by the streams remains outside the economy. He states that even if thousands of hobbyists extract only one gram of gold per day, Turkey's gold imports could be significantly reduced. Explaining that the recovered gold can be melted and certified in assay offices before being sold at jewelers, Kındımoğlu emphasizes that the process operates in compliance with the laws. He states that in this way, an economic income door is opened for individuals, and a contribution is made to the country's gold reserves. Consequently, it emerges that conscious and environmentally respectful placer mining is an important activity both economically and ecologically.