Can Metal Detectors Detect Mercury?

Ever dropped mercury and wondered if a metal detector could find it? Dive in to unravel this metallic mystery!

Are you new to detecting mercury treasures as a metal-detecting hobby? or are you someone who has been trying this hobby for quite a few years and now struggling to get new ideas for metal-detecting? 

If you are someone who falls into either of the above-mentioned categories this article will be so helpful for you. 

From a young age, I’ve been curious about and interested in finding old mercury barometers, Mercury-containing lamps and other finds. This led me to take up mercury metal detecting as a hobby when I grew older. 

During a recent metal-detecting session in Arizona, I discovered some truly unique mercury flasks, which opened up many new possibilities for me. 

So, let’s find out, Can metal detectors detect mercury?

Yes, metal detectors can detect mercury, especially if it’s in sizable quantities or within metal containers. However, factors like the form of mercury, detector type, and surrounding materials can influence detection accuracy. Always handle mercury with care due to its toxic nature.

So, in the rest of the article, I will be explaining to you all the myths and legends regarding detecting mercury from metal detectors. 

And I will be very happy to share my experiences with my fellow metal-detecting enthusiasts. 

Furthermore, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions as well.

So, let’s jump in!

Will Metal Detectors Detect Mercury

Yes, metal detectors detect mercury.

As someone who has been in the metal detecting hobby for 12 years, sometimes you run out of things to discover and find. 

During such time one of my friends leads me into detecting heavy metals. The most important heavy metal on the earth is Mercury, so I thought why not start with that?

A question that often bugged my mind when started to detect heavy metals was, could I be able to find anything pursuing this? 

Will my time be wasted in this futile experiment? But, as every great person has told, there is no success without risking something.

With that thought in my mind, I spent about two to three weeks researching and finding answers to all the questions I had in my mind theoretically. 

All left to do was to find the practical answers to those questions. 

For everyone out there who is wondering about will my metal detector be able to find mercury, I assure you that it can. 

I spent countless hours gathering information about various topics, so let me share with you what I found during this time. 

Metal detectors work by emitting electromagnetic radiation that travels through soil particles until struck by a metal object. 

Then the struck object produces a counter-current system that travels back to the surface of the Earth until met by the magnetic coil of the metal detector. 

Then our metal detector produces an audio or a visual signal to let us know that there is some item of interest beneath the surface of the earth at that location. 

So, we can either dig up or use a pinpointer to pinpoint the exact location of the item. 

Read to know the Best Places to Find Mercury Metal Detecting!

Metal detectors are capable of finding ferrous as well as non-ferrous metals. Mercury falls into the category of non-ferrous metals. 

There are a few factors that help any item to be found hidden under the surface of the earth. 

The item must have strong magnetic properties as well as strong electrical conductivity. 

Even though Mercury lacks high magnetic properties as a metal, the electrical conductivity of Mercury makes up for it. 

So, modern-day metal detectors are well capable of finding mercury from underground sources. 

And most of the time mercury isn’t alone as a pure metal, but associated with other heavy or non-heavy metals as a mixture. 

So having a metal detector with specific settings as well as adjustments will help you to be more successful at finding mercury. 

So, here are the answers and reasoning if you were waiting to find answers about if mercury is detectable by a metal detector. 

Read the rest of the article to find out, what are the best-performing metal detectors in finding mercury and how to identify mercury items if you ever come across one. 

Hang around till the end and find out more interesting details about mercury metal detecting. 

How Does Mercury Look Like?

You might be wondering how you are supposed to identify Mercury and separate it as a special metal among other metals. Don’t worry I’m here to help you. 

Here are some successful ways that I use to identify mercury from other metals:

Physical Appearance

Mercury is the only metal in the whole universe that is present in the liquid state at room temperature. 

Room temperature is the normal day-to-day temperature without extreme hot temperatures or extreme cold temperatures. 

So, this is one of the most significant ways of identifying mercury in the natural environment. This appears as a silver shiny puddle, looking just like molten silver. 

The significance of the liquid state is, this allows mercury to flow and form puddles of mercury. 

These puddles of mercury are very helpful in finding mercury with your metal detector. 

High Reflectivity

Another very distinct factor which helpful in determining and setting mercury apart from other metals is its highly reflective surface. It almost looks like a mirror.

So, if you ever come across a mirror-type metal while metal detecting, there is more than a 90 percent chance of that being mercury. 

High Density

Mercury is the heaviest metal in the world. It is what makes it stable even in the liquid state. 

This high density of the metal allows it to form globules when spilled. 

So, if you ever find some tiny silvery shiny globules you be sure that it is mercury. 

Non-Sticky Nature

Mercury isn’t a metal that sticks to other surfaces. So, what this means is in nature mercury is found almost isolated from the other metals. 

So, it is very easy to identify and detect by a metal detector. 

This also contributes to the liquid nature of the metal allowing it to form crystals and balls of mercury without getting combined with other impurities

Best Metal Detectors for Mercury 

Here are some of the best metal detectors out there that you can use to find mercury in every situation.

 From various sources and as well as hands-on experience, I have selected a list of the top 10 best metal detectors, that you can use to find mercury.

If your metal detector isn’t on the list, don’t worry. 

Because rather than spending loads of cash on a piece of new equipment, you can rather ask someone to lend their metal detector for a couple of hours or just try with our metal detector. 

Who knows it might give you better results than any other metal detector. 

Here’re teh best metal detectors to find mercury treasures,

1. Minelab Equinox 800: this is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment every metal-detecting enthusiast dreams of. The multi-frequency capability allows the metal date to detect more low-conductive targets and identify them separately. 
2. Garrett AT Pro: Garrett AT Pro is one of the best metal detectors for finding small targets. Its enhanced target separation allows it to find smaller targets. 
3. XP Dues: This is a very lightweight wireless metal detector, which allows the user to have more time on the field without feeling tiresome. Apart from that the wireless feature allows to have more precise and controlled sweeps which helps find small mercury targets. 
4. Fisher F75: This metal detector is composed of advanced discrimination settings which allow the metal detector to filter out unwanted targets and focus on the target object more precisely. 
5. Teknetics T2: Teknetics T2 has a higher sensitivity among all the metal detectors listed here. The higher sensitivity allows it to detect much smaller mercury targets. 
6. Nokta Marko Simplex: This is a waterproof metal detector, which allows the user to find mercury particles and droplets embedded in watery environments. And apart from that this is one of the cheaper options on the list. 
7. Whites Spectra V3i: This metal detector is equipped with adjustable and rather higher frequency settings which allows it to search for much smaller targets among various metals.
8. Bounty Hunter Platinum: this is one of the beginner-friendly metal detectors on the list. A simple user interface and frequency separation s settings allow it to be used by anyone who is new to the subject and still excels at mercury detecting.
9. Tesoro Sand Shark: this is designed for beach and underwater metal detecting. This metal detector allows the user to find mercury particles hidden in a beach area or possibly in shallow sea areas. 
10. Marko Racer 2: This metal detector has a faster recovery speed. Allowing the users to detect much smaller mercury particles and have success in finding them. 

How To Identify If a Metal Is Mercury 

Earlier I have educated you with ways you can roughly identify if a metal is mercury in the field. But identifying a metal roughly doesn’t work in the area of metal detecting. 

Just like any other metal we find, we have to know the exact amount of mercury present, if there are any impurities, and more information like that. So, identifying a metal is much needed. 

Here are some of the ways that I use to identify if a metal is mercury,

Visual Examination

The first step to good identification always is having a thorough visual examination. 

So, if you find something make sure to look for any specialties in it which will make it stand out from other metals and distinguish it as mercury. 

Another important thing regarding pure mercury Is, it always is in liquid form. So, it is so easy to identify it as a pure metal during metal detection. 

Another important feature is the highly reflective nature of the surface. This will also aid in visual guidance in identifying the mercury. 

Physical Properties

The major physical property that set mercury apart from other metals is the nonstick nature of the metal. 

So, if you find some metal and it doesn’t stick into anything, that might be a good indication that it is mercury.

Mercury Test Kits

The most suitable way to identify if your finding is mercury is to run some chemical tests. There are abundant chemical tests available to find mercury. 

So, this is the final way of identifying if the item you uncovered is mercury or not, and this is the most accurate way of them all. 

Tips For Using Metal Detectors to Find Mercury

With the experience of over 2 years in detecting mercury and over 12 years of experience in finding metals, I would like to share some tips with fellow metal detectorists to up their game in finding metals. 

Research

Just like any other metal detecting procedure doing thorough research before going out to metal detecting is the only way to be successful always. 

And this helps in saving time and energy too.

Type of Metal Detector

I couldn’t stress this enough, the best metal detector isn’t the most expensive metal detector in the market, it is what you are most comfortable working with. 

So, take the metal detector that you are most comfortable working with and start searching for mercury. I am sure that you will be successful. 

The Technique

At last, whether you find a piece of metal while metal detecting comes down to the technique. The technique of sweeping cannot be taught by someone else. 

You have to make the significant sweeping technique that works for you. And practice it all the way. 

With a bunch of experience, you will be more successful every time you go out for metal detecting. 

Mercury Finds

Here are some objects or finds that contain mercury which could be potentially detected with a metal detector:

• Thermometers: Older thermometers contained mercury to measure temperature.
• Barometers: Some older barometers use mercury to measure atmospheric pressure.
• Tilt Switches: Some types of tilt switches used in older electronics might have mercury beads inside.
• Dental Amalgams: Though it might sound unusual, if someone lost or buried a set of dentures or a singular dental piece with a mercury amalgam filling, this could potentially be detected.
• Mercury Relays: These are switching devices used in some older electrical equipment.
• Mercury Batteries: These were used in certain types of cameras and other equipment, although they’re now largely phased out due to environmental concerns.
• Cinnabar: This is a mineral form of mercury sulfide (HgS). It’s the most common ore for refining elemental mercury and often appears as red crystals.
• Flasks or Vials of Mercury: Historically, mercury was sometimes stored in small containers for various uses.
• Mercury-containing lamps: Fluorescent lamps and some other types of bulbs contain small amounts of mercury vapor.
• Medicinal bottles: In the past, mercury was used in some medicines, so old medicinal bottles could contain residues.
• Gold Amalgamation: In gold mining, mercury was used to form an amalgam with gold, facilitating its extraction. It’s conceivable that fragments or residues from such activities might be found, especially near old gold mining sites.

Red Mercury Metal Detecting

Red mercury is a substance that is made by mixing with sulfides to get the characteristic red color. 

Metal-detecting red mercury is just like mercury. But don’t confuse red mercury with mercury because they are two different materials.

Due to the presence of two metal minerals, it is fairly easier to detect than pure mercury. Some people believe these have nuclear capabilities but it is nothing but true. 

Does Mercury Set Off Metal Detectors at The Airport?

No. Metal detectors at airports don’t set off due to the presence of mercury. These airport metal detectors are used to detect life-threatening amounts of metals being taken into or out of the country. 

So a small percentage of mercury isn’t capable of triggering airport metal detectors. 

Congrats folks! Now you know everything you need to know about, Can metal detectors detect mercury and how to detect mercury items from ground?

Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature, with a melting point of -38.83°C (-37.9°F).

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So, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.

FAQs

Did I cover all you wanted to know about: Can Metal Detectors Detect Mercury?

In this article, I’ve deeply explored can metal detectors detect mercury and the proper method of detecting mercury items without messing things up.

Metal detectors primarily identify metals like iron, gold, and silver. Detecting liquid mercury is challenging due to its unique properties and lower electrical conductivity. While possible in certain conditions, standard metal detectors might not easily detect mercury, especially in small amounts. Specialized equipment is more effective for mercury detection.

Mercury (Hg) is a unique metal. In its elemental form, it’s liquid at room temperature. Metal detectors primarily detect metals by their electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility.

You need to be extra careful when detecting and handling mercury items because mercury is both dangerous and toxic. 

Its potential health effects depend on its form (elemental, inorganic, or organic) and the route of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact).

Hope you’ve gained good knowledge about mercury metal detection from this article. Follow the given guidelines and collect cool mercury finds in your next metal-detecting adventure!