Native Silver and Copper??

[AugustMoose87]

So I know that prospecting for native silver and copper is even less profitable than gold, but it is one of those things the wife and I think would be neat to find. So I thought I'd see if anyone had any tips or tricks - where to look, what to look for, etc. Especially if anyone can point me in the right direction in Colorado (cough cough, Kevin....)

 

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[Ocean7]

Colorado Gold Locations

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/panning-gold/231215-panning-silver.html\

may help- have fun!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Sorry I got nothin' for ya...I'm a gold guy 100%!

 

[NeoTokyo]

I found what I thought to be native copper up here on Iron Mountain (West of Redding Ca) but when I broke it in half there was an intact stick in the middle, it was just a spill from old timers.
I continued to detect the area and I found a LOT of copper spill around where there appeared to be a shack along with a lot of iron and square nails.
I plan to keep detecting the area, I made a video but I feel silly now for saying that it was native in the video. LOL

Now it didn't come out looking like this, it looked like a regular piece of really old iron, hints of green coming through the dirt told me to clean it up more.

 

[ikesdad]

I have worked underground hardrock for too many years and you wont find much silver and copper in this state. Arizona and New Mexico is the place to go for those 2. Now for some real good native copper, try da UP.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Oh also on that copper find, the Nokta FORS Gold came in at an 82 once it was cleaned up.
While it was still dirty it was bouncing around a bit because the soil stuck to it was very mineralized and tiny bits of iron stuck to it too.

 

[BurntBear]

Read up on Mindat.org, MyLandMatters.org and USGS reports and you'll find more deposits than you can swing a pick at!

 

[ikesdad]

I just remembered something not too far from the Op....check out the area between Encampment Wy and the Big Creek area, north and west of Walden. You might find a bit of copper. But there is much private ranch land around there.

 

[AugustMoose87]

Those aren't the answers I was looking for!!! You were supposed to say "oh yea, XYZ Creek has TONS of silver, and ABC Creek has a bunch of copper"

Thanks for the leads, I'll post up if I find anything. And I know about da UP copper... I've been drooling over it in the rock shops... I don't know what it is about copper, but it has me in its trance...

 

[KevinInColorado]

You can find silver compounds (sulfides and oxides) in waterways around and south of Leadville but it won't be silver, it'll just look like heavy black sands.

 

[ikesdad]

You can find silver compounds (sulfides and oxides) in waterways around and south of Leadville but it won't be silver, it'll just look like heavy black sands.

Very true. Finding native silver is a rare thing indeed.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

I found what I thought to be native copper up here on Iron Mountain (West of Redding Ca) but when I broke it in half there was an intact stick in the middle, it was just a spill from old timers.
I continued to detect the area and I found a LOT of copper spill around where there appeared to be a shack along with a lot of iron and square nails.
I plan to keep detecting the area, I made a video but I feel silly now for saying that it was native in the video. LOL

Now it didn't come out looking like this, it looked like a regular piece of really old iron, hints of green coming through the dirt told me to clean it up more.

View attachment 1107307

View attachment 1107308

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View attachment 1107311

View attachment 1107312

I can tell you there is definitely copper in that. Copper makes compounds that are mostly blue/green/blue-green. Your material may not be 100% copper, but it sure looks pretty good to me. Most copper ores that are mined contain about 50-60% copper. Again, real nice looking material.

 

[Peyton Manning]

Those aren't the answers I was looking for!!! You were supposed to say "oh yea, XYZ Creek has TONS of silver, and ABC Creek has a bunch of copper"

Thanks for the leads, I'll post up if I find anything. And I know about da UP copper... I've been drooling over it in the rock shops... I don't know what it is about copper, but it has me in its trance...

the people who have made big discoveries didn't listen to others who said it's not there

 

[NeoTokyo]

Dave, yup, it certainly is copper but it was spill from someone's melt or they were smelting in a dug hole.
I still have to clean the area that it came from and the little shack that fell down.
I think that this might have been an old smelters shack because I found smelted iron as well, again I thought it was native until I cleaned that up more too and found a well formed hole with a bolt in it. lol
Its funny how the way they smelted and poured iron that it has grain like a plank of wood.

It would be nice to find a 100lb chunk of that copper melt.

I think its pretty cool that the stick inside didn't burn, its not charred at all, really weird.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Dave, yup, it certainly is copper but it was spill from someone's melt or they were smelting in a dug hole.
I still have to clean the area that it came from and the little shack that fell down.
I think that this might have been an old smelters shack because I found smelted iron as well, again I thought it was native until I cleaned that up more too and found a well formed hole with a bolt in it. lol
Its funny how the way they smelted and poured iron that it has grain like a plank of wood.

It would be nice to find a 100lb chunk of that copper melt.

I think its pretty cool that the stick inside didn't burn, its not charred at all, really weird.

Well, even if it is not native copper, it still is nice to have; especially with a bit of the history to go with it. And 100 lb piece at $2.49 a pound would be a nice find!