SunshineMiner
Full Member
- Jun 2, 2014
- 230
- 252
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett Infinium LS
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
Thanks to UPI and AMRA, I've got access to some nice creeks near Moccasin, CA. Thanks also to the Marshes Fire for clearing up a lot of the area for exploring 
Unfortunately this trip I was prepared to hit a hole hard and didnt even bring a pan, just a couple buckets, digging tools, and my homemade trommel... Oops 
. Someone was already digging in my hole, but first come first serve right? Although the guy offered to let me set up next to him, there honestly wasn't a whole lot of room with two guys swinging shovels around. Thanks for the offer dude 
Anyway, time to do some exploring. I'd post pictures, but I have to size them down still >.<. If you've ever driven along highway 49 along Don Pedro, and south towards Coulterville, you'll see large tailing piles stacked along the river, essentially making banks and mounds of boulders. As you go further south it lessens out a bit but is still very prevalent. I'm currently playing where Jackass Creek dumps into Moccasin Creek at the 2nd bridge on SB Hwy 49 from Moccasin, CA. As you cross the river thats been scoured to bed rock, you climb the other side where it flattens out a bit. There are some areas where people are punching a couple holes and getting into what looks like concreted gravels with a tinge of blue
. Just above bedrock, and lots of large rocks you've got to work around. Good stuff! 
I had my sites set on further up the hill. Now, from 49, looking west, you see the creek, cross that, and you hit the holes punched, keep going and you go up the hillside to the ridge that runs north south. Using this same reference, just upstream from the area that has flattened out, there is a HUGE pile of rocks and boulders(i dont think any are smaller than basketball) that I almost want to say is a tailing pile.. but tailings of what? It looks almost like all the rocks were washed pretty good as now they're only covered in lichen, and piled there. But my big question is, if all the other tailings were left along the river and its banks, why would these be stacked up further inland? Say 200 yards further than the other tailing piles. I heard they used to do hydraulic mining in the area, and im assuming thats what those washed rock piles are. Now, my other question is, did they hydro a lot of the area and just never cleaned some of their areas out? Is that what some of these are?
Second area of extreme interest was along another large stack of rocks, but this one ran to the edge of a drop off into what i can only assume was a drainage at the time. I think a lot can change in over a 100 years
The thing that puzzled me the most was what appeared to be shale bedrock chunks that look to be purposely stacked on top of each other to create a platform, where they then stacked those large(basketball+ size) rocks on top of it. They did this on what looks to be more one side than the other, but the other side appears to be the bedrock they maybe were trying to scour away? And if you watch the 2nd video, there is a VERY large boulder that has lodged itself into the drainage and you'll start to see what im talking about.
Just thought I'd share some maddening pictures, because I honestly have no clue what I'm looking at, and the collective knowledge here is overwhelming, maybe we can all learn something
Edit: my pics are 6mb at the moment, i'll update the post with the pics when i get it done.
1st video from standing on top of the rock pile. Its pretty freaking huge 40yards wide and several feet if not tens of feet deep, and way above the waterline on the hillside, maybe 400 yards from the river, and a good 2-300ft above the waterline
2nd video from the bottom of the rock pile. You can really see the stacked shale and the boulders stacked on top of those. Why all that effort to stack them that way? Why such a big pile? Was the pile Hydro'd and never moved? This last one doesnt seem as likely imo, its too uniform.
After watching the 2nd video again, it looks like the shale was stacked at the bottom to give the mound a better base to rest on, and then they stacked rocks as they went up the side of the hill on existing bedrock? Anyone elses thoughts?
Unfortunately this trip I was prepared to hit a hole hard and didnt even bring a pan, just a couple buckets, digging tools, and my homemade trommel... Oops . Someone was already digging in my hole, but first come first serve right? Although the guy offered to let me set up next to him, there honestly wasn't a whole lot of room with two guys swinging shovels around. Thanks for the offer dude Anyway, time to do some exploring. I'd post pictures, but I have to size them down still >.<. If you've ever driven along highway 49 along Don Pedro, and south towards Coulterville, you'll see large tailing piles stacked along the river, essentially making banks and mounds of boulders. As you go further south it lessens out a bit but is still very prevalent. I'm currently playing where Jackass Creek dumps into Moccasin Creek at the 2nd bridge on SB Hwy 49 from Moccasin, CA. As you cross the river thats been scoured to bed rock, you climb the other side where it flattens out a bit. There are some areas where people are punching a couple holes and getting into what looks like concreted gravels with a tinge of blue
. Just above bedrock, and lots of large rocks you've got to work around. Good stuff! I had my sites set on further up the hill. Now, from 49, looking west, you see the creek, cross that, and you hit the holes punched, keep going and you go up the hillside to the ridge that runs north south. Using this same reference, just upstream from the area that has flattened out, there is a HUGE pile of rocks and boulders(i dont think any are smaller than basketball) that I almost want to say is a tailing pile.. but tailings of what? It looks almost like all the rocks were washed pretty good as now they're only covered in lichen, and piled there. But my big question is, if all the other tailings were left along the river and its banks, why would these be stacked up further inland? Say 200 yards further than the other tailing piles. I heard they used to do hydraulic mining in the area, and im assuming thats what those washed rock piles are. Now, my other question is, did they hydro a lot of the area and just never cleaned some of their areas out? Is that what some of these are?Second area of extreme interest was along another large stack of rocks, but this one ran to the edge of a drop off into what i can only assume was a drainage at the time. I think a lot can change in over a 100 years
The thing that puzzled me the most was what appeared to be shale bedrock chunks that look to be purposely stacked on top of each other to create a platform, where they then stacked those large(basketball+ size) rocks on top of it. They did this on what looks to be more one side than the other, but the other side appears to be the bedrock they maybe were trying to scour away? And if you watch the 2nd video, there is a VERY large boulder that has lodged itself into the drainage and you'll start to see what im talking about.Just thought I'd share some maddening pictures, because I honestly have no clue what I'm looking at, and the collective knowledge here is overwhelming, maybe we can all learn something
Edit: my pics are 6mb at the moment, i'll update the post with the pics when i get it done.
1st video from standing on top of the rock pile. Its pretty freaking huge 40yards wide and several feet if not tens of feet deep, and way above the waterline on the hillside, maybe 400 yards from the river, and a good 2-300ft above the waterline
2nd video from the bottom of the rock pile. You can really see the stacked shale and the boulders stacked on top of those. Why all that effort to stack them that way? Why such a big pile? Was the pile Hydro'd and never moved? This last one doesnt seem as likely imo, its too uniform.
After watching the 2nd video again, it looks like the shale was stacked at the bottom to give the mound a better base to rest on, and then they stacked rocks as they went up the side of the hill on existing bedrock? Anyone elses thoughts?
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John
