“Fool’s Gold” Not ‘Gold Rush’ in Hanover

Following the mad gold rush that swept through the community of Chester Castle, Hanover, officials from the Mines and Geology Division (MGD) in the Ministry of Transport and Mining have declared that the resident’s recent discovery is not the valuable metal known as gold but the mineral pyrite, also known as fool’s gold.

Over the weekend, a series of videos circulating on social media claiming that gold had been found in Hanover quickly went viral in Jamaica as anticipation and amazement consumed viewers. The alleged “gold mine” was discovered during the digging of a soakaway pit, and residents flocked to the area in hopes of finding even a handful that they could claim as their own.

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The owner of the property, Yanique Cole, and her common-law husband expressed their disappointment as residents invaded the area and disassembled the pit during the search, impeding the process of their work. Unlike his neighbours, Cole’s husband did not believe the mineral found was gold, as he had reportedly run tests on it himself.

“We run a little check pon it, put it through heat process, and we realise seh it burn up … . We test it, and we beat it, and we see seh it powder out,” he stated.

However, the MGD has conducted its own testing and has concluded that the mineral found was pyrite and iron sulphide. According to reports from the Jamaica Observer, the MGD came to its conclusion after a geological team did a visual inspection of the mineral’s properties, such as colour, crystal shape, and the ability to be crushed.

Called fool’s gold because its metallic lustre and pale brass-yellow colour are easily mistaken for real gold, pyrite holds little economic value, especially when compared to gold.