I dig and I dig but nothing!!!!

[Coin Head]

This weekend I took a big traco and dug 20 feet deep holes and all times hit solid rock no cobble stone just dirt then solid rock where is my pay dirt or is it just not always there and keep in mind im in the heart of gold country (North Carolina) near reeds gold mine

 

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[AU_Solitude]

Just because you are in gold country doesn't necessarily mean that you are on gold bearing land, I know in the mother-lode here there are areas with very sparse or next to no gold. What's the history of the land you are working? Do you know if there was a significant mining operation there in the past? Best regards. Woody.

 

[Coin Head]

Just because you are in gold country doesn't necessarily mean that you are on gold bearing land, I know in the mother-lode here there are areas with very sparse or next to no gold. What's the history of the land you are working? Do you know if there was a significant mining operation there in the past? Best regards. Woody.

There was a mine near by and there's tons of Quartz and black sand to

 

[AU_Solitude]

Well where on your land in regards to geography are you trenching? Again, I think it is necessary to reiterate, just because there was a mining operation nearby, doesn't mean that you are sitting on gold bearing land. Gold deposits are usually deposited in pockets and streaks, you could be digging in an area where there is no gold deposits. Are you near an old riverbed, hills, what minerals occur in your grounds, whats your area like?

Also, if you have access to a good auger you can throw on the back of the track-hoe or a tractor, I would grid out your land and take samples - pan and create a map/table of your gold yields.

 

[Coin Head]

Well where on your land in regards to geography are you trenching? Again, I think it is necessary to reiterate, just because there was a mining operation nearby, doesn't mean that you are sitting on gold bearing land. Gold deposits are usually deposited in pockets and streaks, you could be digging in an area where there is no gold deposits. Are you near an old riverbed, hills, what minerals occur in your grounds, whats your area like?

Also, if you have access to a good auger you can throw on the back of the track-hoe or a tractor, I would grid out your land and take samples - pan and create a map/table of your gold yields.

We have a lot of shell rock and quartz crystal that's what we run across most of the times

 

[Peachy]

Dig a hole, dig a hole

 

[Buckshotnc]

This weekend I took a big traco and dug 20 feet deep holes and all times hit solid rock no cobble stone just dirt then solid rock where is my pay dirt or is it just not always there and keep in mind im in the heart of gold country (North Carolina) near reeds gold mine

Not knowing your level of experience, a couple of questions and/or suggestions: why did you choose to dig where you did and are there any more experienced gold miners in your area ? I know there are a couple of gpaa clubs in the neighborhood and recommend you contact some of them and let someone look at your property and make suggestions and possibly do some testing. You need to be in some gravel or on a vein or in a stream. Do you have a stream you could possibly do some testing in ?

 

[huntsman53]

This post is cross-posted on your other Thread on the same subject!

Other than using a (I guess you mean) trackhoe to dig 20 foot deep holes in hopes of finding Gold, what else are you doing? Are you panning, highbanking, dredging or what? As Kevin stated, you might be digging in the wrong spot. However, you could be digging in the right or a good spot but have not got into the trapped Gold. While there is some Placer Gold that eroded out of rock layers in your area, a lot of the Gold there is still in Quartz veins in the Slate layers that you may be digging down to. If you can dig down and remove several feet or more of the vertical Slate layer, do so, then examine it for visible Quartz and Gold. If none is seen, you should still crush the removed rocks, and pan the material to see if there is any Gold. Do keep in mind that you could dig a few holes and not find Gold but 10 to 20 feet in another direction, you could dig and find Gold. Also, if you happen to dig through a Slate layer and find large, medium and small cobbles (stones), then take some test samples from this material as you may have exposed an ancient Tertiary stream loaded with Placer Gold. There is or was a pay mine not too far from you that has some Placer Gold in the stream there but the real Gold was in Quartz in the Slate layer deeper down. The owner figured this out and when I was last there, they were getting a lot of Gold. Below, I have included a .jpg file showing the Carolina Gold Slate Belt.


Frank

P.S. You only need to post one Thread in one Forum to get help or answers.

 

[Bonaro]

I really don't know what is going wrong but I do know there are only two possible answers.
1. you are digging in a place that has no gold. Solution: move to a different spot and try to target where gold will likely collect
2. Your gold recovery skills (panning, sluicing etc...) are not proficient enough to recover the gold that is present. Solution: learn these skills.

No matter what kind of prospecting you do, at the end of the day you will have a gold pan in your hand. If you are not a completely confident panner you will never know if there was no gold in your spot or if you simply lost it all.

 

[Hoser John]

It always comes right back to that good old panning expertise. John

 

[Bonaro]

It always comes right back to that good old panning expertise. John

Amen, You can have the worlds most efficient dredge, trommel etc... and if you are a poor panner you still not see any gold.
I tell my clients that being a bad panner is like being a noisy hunter. If you are noisy you never see any game, was it there or did you spook it off?

 

[Aufish]

Ok don't know why my post was deleted but uh... yeah also much of the reed mines activity took place at depth hardrock. The placer gold found initially by reed was likely eroded down from the gold hill occurrence / fault


(I'd like a message next time someone feels the need to delete my post, thanks)

 

[enamel7]

Come to the GPAA Matthews meeting in Kannapolis. We meet the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Ask for Gilbert. I'm the equipment manager and have plenty of time to help you out. Good people and a family atmosphere!

 

[huntsman53]

Ok don't know why my post was deleted but uh... yeah also much of the reed mines activity took place at depth hardrock. The placer gold found initially by reed was likely eroded down from the gold hill occurrence / fault


(I'd like a message next time someone feels the need to delete my post, thanks)

Aufish... You may have confused this Thread with the Thread in the "Prosectors Journals" Forum http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/prospectors-journals/456316-i-dig-dig-but-nothing.html as I have several times. Check there to see if your posts are there. I also posted a reply to your post there and hope it helps you to understand the lay of the land where the O.P. is digging!


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

Coin Head,

It would be nice to get an update as to any progress or finds as well as some feedback!


Frank