Tips of Crevicing?

[H&F909ORO]

Hi All,

I tried out crevicing last time I was up at the Mother Lode and got good results. I had no idea what I was doing besides digging the dirt out with a pick, then panning it out. That's as much as I know. Do you guys have any tips for me? Going up again soon, and I wanted to know if someone could answer my question. When getting the dirt out of the crevices do you want to go deep into the bedrocks crevice to get better gold? Or just get the surface dirt and wait for it to fill up again. I'm talking about small crevices not huge ones the you could fit a shovel in. Any answers and tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
H&F

 

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[H&F909ORO]

Thanks for the knowledge I had no idea part of it was claimed at mineral bar. Definitely will be looking out for everything you told me. I really appreciate it.

 

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[goldenmojo]

Thats the local metavolcanic slate. It can be a good gold trap, as Lanny pointed out, but it's not a source of gold. Lot's of cracks in this stuff. Take the largest sledge you can find (I use an old 16 pound one) and give the base rock a good wack. Watch for dust or water rising from minute cracks. Keep hitting it in different areas until you see a pattern of crack signs, or identify a single major crack.

You will find good hidden cracks this way. Even though a crack may appear to be hairline on the surface you will be surprised how often the crack "opens up" as you work your way in deeper. These are the most productive cracks in my experience and you already know you are the first one to open them. I keep a high quality rock point and a 3 pound sledge to help open these small cracks. It helps to have a friend with you because the dust or water pops out pretty quick and tends to be pretty narrow and hard to see when you are slamming with your sledge.

Uphill to your East is the Marine Graywacke, it's a kind of course metamorphosed sandstone. Gray in general appearance with a hackly fracture you can see the coarse grains of quartz and mixed minerals in it. The Graywacke doesn't produce any gold either and usually doesn't make a good gold trap.

Just up the hill to your West right about where the road does the sharp switchback is a small serpentine belt. The margins of the Serpentine do produce some gold and the coarser flakes you find on the bar are probably from that source. There is a small old landslide that has moved that gold bearing material down into Mineral Bar.

At Mineral Bar you are on the northern extreme of a good mineralized zone. Upriver from the bar the metavolcanic slate predominates for about the next five miles. There are no other significant gold sources within that stretch of the river. With the exception of a small area of exposed Tertiary gravels, on the divide just North of Colfax, all the significant gold mineralization is far to your East. You may get some small stranded flood deposits on the banks or some crevice material but that stretch of the River is pretty slim pickins until you get below the Iowa Hill diggins.

The northern portion of the campground and the river on both sides for 1/4 mile upstream at Mineral Bar are claimed and are not legally prospectable. It's been claimed there for more than 50 years - long before any withdrawals of the SRA. Don't be fooled into prospecting another man's claim. Always check the land status before prospecting. It's your legal obligation as a prospector on the public lands.

The lower serpentine belt and the landslide area that is moving the gold deposit onto the bar are part of that claim. The extreme uphill portion of that small serpentine belt (above the road switchback) is unclaimed and would be a good area to look. Although you won't have the advantage of flowing water nearby you will be the first to open up those cracks.

Heavy Pans

Hey Clay Diggins As I remember you stated a few weeks back that the Northern claim line below Yankee Jim's Bridge is about 200' North of Bunch Creek. Is it open land then from the bridge to that claim. I find no claims on that area but I did see the claim for the one around Bunch Creek on the Mine search service that I had for the free 1 week offer. The fees were paid on it as I remember and they were $280.00 for a 40 acre claim. Any help on knowing the Yankee Jim Bridge area would be great.

Thanks

GoldenMojo

 

[Clay Diggins]

Thanks for the knowledge I had no idea part of it was claimed at mineral bar. Definitely will be looking out for everything you told me. I really appreciate it.

You are welcome H&F909ORO. Glad I could help.

Heavy Pans

 

[Clay Diggins]

Hey Clay Diggins As I remember you stated a few weeks back that the Northern claim line below Yankee Jim's Bridge is about 200' North of Bunch Creek. Is it open land then from the bridge to that claim. I find no claims on that area but I did see the claim for the one around Bunch Creek on the Mine search service that I had for the free 1 week offer. The fees were paid on it as I remember and they were $280.00 for a 40 acre claim. Any help on knowing the Yankee Jim Bridge area would be great.

Thanks

GoldenMojo

Locate the North bank of the bend just upriver from Bunch Creek. If you run an East - West line from that point and include the South side of the river as you move east from there you have pretty well described the Northern end of the claim where it meets the river. The lower portion of Bunch Creek is included in the claim.

The land status there is pretty touchy. It's BLM managed most of the way to the bridge but south of the claim it's private land for miles. The BLM portions are part of a Power Site withdrawal that allows gold claims.

The BOR (Bureau of Reclamation) has two mineral closure areas between the claim and bridge. One begins just downriver from and goes to about about 3/4 mile upriver of the bridge and the other covers a good part of the bar and river on the big curve south of the bridge.

About two river miles North of the bridge the river is back on private property. The land managers change several times north of the bridge. Some areas are closed to mineral entry and others are only partially withdrawn or are open.

There are claims in Shirttail Canyon, Devils Canyon and in Mexican Gulch as well as Bunch Creek. Parts of Shirttail and Bunch Creek are still open.

That description doesn't include the bridge management and easements or the roadbed and ROW but it should get you a little closer to knowing the limits there.

Hope that helps Mojo.

Heavy Pans

 

[goldenmojo]

Clay Diggins Thanks for the detailed info. That helps me to know just how convoluted it actually is. Looks like I cross about five, six or maybe 10 different jurisdictions on a normal tramp. I will have to check closely for the boundary lines as I want to be on the right side of this.

Thanks A Plenty

Goldenmojo