Black Sand Runoff Deposits

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Hey Goldhounds, so I can't go anywhere without having gold on my mind.
On my job site today I noticed river washed gravels at the head of a little runoff and retention ditch. The runoff had formed little streamers of black sand deposited below the gravels.
My question is if anyone here has made good with a situation like this? I will find out tonight as I scooped up about 5lbs of sand and am itching to see if there is any goods.
Just makes me think that paved roads, sidewalks, or any hardscape is really just a sluice box awaiting to trap that yellow stuff.

 

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[arizau]

Check this out. In his first post he mentions finding gold in the black sands of his driveway as well as other mentions later. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/p...quite-adventure-i-haven-t-found-much-yet.html
Depending on where you are you have a good chance.

 

[motohed]

This is an interesting topic , not unlike my own gravel mining days that I saw black sand and granite bedrock . I just wish back then I had the gold bug , we produce millons of yards of material over a 23 year period before I sold the operation .

 

[Lanny in AB]

I'd test it. What the heck! You never know until you go (to the river to pan it).

All the best, and let us know how you did,

Lanny

 

[Jeff95531]

This is an interesting topic , not unlike my own gravel mining days that I saw black sand and granite bedrock . I just wish back then I had the gold bug , we produce millons of yards of material over a 23 year period before I sold the operation .

Yep. LOL! Just like when I was fishing in AK for pinks back in the day and NOW know that I was standing on one of the best banks ever to get nuggets. Sigh

 

[goldenIrishman]

When I first moved up to the N.W. Arizona area I was out prospecting a wash and came across a few ribbons of black sand that were a couple of inches thick. i wasn't set up for that kind of materials so I didn't really test them. Now that I've got the lab pretty much setup I'm going to have to grab a buckets worth of that stuff and do some testing on it. Just might be chock full of micro gold and well worth running through the rod mill and seeing what I can get out of it. There's an area further upstream that I wanted to check out with the detector so I'll be heading out that way one of these days anyway. The black sand I can drive right to. The detecting area is going to be a hike to get into but has the best promise of some nuggets in that area.

 

[wildminer]

Good eye Grizzly. The other day I found a small amount of black sand and a dozen pieces of micro gold below a 5 ft. culvert out of 3 unclassified pans. I'll be keeping an eye on that spot, but need the rain and runoff to back off a bit first before I work it some more. I'm sure it's not the motherlode, but I'm a FOG and don't want to get too excited anyway. Good luck on your sample!

 

[motohed]

Ok , we are all waiting for a report , the suspence is killing me . LOL

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Only one fly poop... Colorado is cruel like that. There is gold EVERWHERE!!...but the goods are few and overlookable. Best not to take chances and sample everything.

 

[Jeff95531]

The Smith is a tease here too and I totally agree. Kinda like MD'ing...dig every target cuz everyone knows the best way to store gold coins is in coffee cans...or Wells Fargo chests.

 

[wildminer]

Dang it.

 

[Lanny in AB]

As is said in the classic mining movie, The Mother Lode, "There's always one place you haven't looked." And, it's that one place that will finally make the difference as you follow the tried and true three rules of prospecting: 1. Test, 2. Test, 3. Test

All the best, and thanks for the update,

Lanny

 

[goldenIrishman]

In my mind, the old saying of "It's always in the last place you look" does not apply to prospectors at all. For the so called "normal" people it's because they stop looking once they've found what they're looking for. With us prospectors, we're always looking for more! and more.... and more..... so we NEVER stop looking.

 

[motohed]

Just dig deeper and keep going if I had a yard like that . I would have my mini excavator in there in a second . I think if I found something good , I would retire . Oh wait a minute I am retired , duh !!!!!!!!!

 

[ohiochris]

I pan everything I see , even though gold is scarce in my area and never found in any great amount or natural to the area. I am just curious what could end up in the bottom of the pan , the hydrolic suspension and separation of things based on weight and size has become a weird curiosity for me. Black sand accumulations don't mean anything because its found everywhere , but there are discoveries out there waiting to be found and the more unlikely the circumstances the more unlikely anyone else is looking , so its like having a world of possibilities all to yourself. Once I satisfy my curiosity I can move on to something else

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Well not 100% true, black sands are composed if magnetite, hematite, ferrous oxides, oxidized sulfides and many other minerals. Black sand is certainly not found everywhere and is the first thing anyone should look for in their pan while sampling.
Some black\brown sands are worth their weight in Silver. I can point to many many situations while sampling where the amount of gold has a direct correlation to the amount of black sand we were finding.
Second to Gold, Black is my favorite color to find. There is no other color that can point you in the right direction better.
Of course black sands can be devoid of gold, but finding gold with no dense black sands in association with its deposition is rare, and almost exclusively reserved for a few types of quarts hardrock ore. This black sand had little gold with it, but the next one could be loaded. Black sand means that the other "heavy" stuff will be close. Trust me, black sands mean a whole lot! Even in Ohio, don't look for red or blue sands... Black will lead to Gold.

 

[Cassews]

Amazing how one can look in one place find that ever elusive stuff then move a half foot and not find anything and that is so true of Colorado. Pretty finicky for sure and the hubs and I chase it ! LOL (But we have fun doing the chase!) :-)