Searching for a pay streak, where would you dig?

[arthos]

Taking a great idea from ET1955 which I really found cool. Where would you start your search on this bit of land? I'm limited to hand tools and sluice at this location.

I was thinking of looking for a line at 9b-8a-7Z-7Y area. And on the next bend at 13J-14I-14H.

 

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[arthos]

I was imaging these lines as being likely.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

If your stream has lots of flour gold, or gemstones, the area you marked in red would be my choices. I'm assuming stream flows from left to right. Just as an aside...I rode in the 1971 Elsinore Grand Prix.
Jim

 

[TerryC]

Generally, on the inside bends. Also, Check for "shelves" above the normal flow. ╦╦Ç

 

[KevinInColorado]

Generally, on the inside bends. Also, Check for "shelves" above the normal flow. ╦╦Ç

I am agreed with Terry. Focus your initial inside bend work on:
- the head of the cobble bar, the upstream end
- the high point of the unvegetated/minimally vegetated part of the bar
- the widest point of the bar

those areas are likely to be richest.

also, the very tail of the bend may have a profusion of fine gold if fine gold (-100 mesh) is present.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I would be sampling in places indicated

 

[arthos]

Just as an aside...I rode in the 1971 Elsinore Grand Prix.
Jim

Thats awesome. It did you ride it on a Honda Elsinore?! Haha just kidding I think the first model was 1974.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Nope...I was riding a Yamaha 250MX. I was in the Air Force at the time. Stationed at Norton outside San Berdoo. I rode a Norton 370 AJS for desert racing. The 400 Elsinore could outrun me on the flats, but the AJX more than made up the ground in the rough terrain. Hard to believe how long ago that was....LOL
Jim

 

[TerryC]

Nope...I was riding a Yamaha 250MX. I was in the Air Force at the time. Stationed at Norton outside San Berdoo. I rode a Norton 370 AJX for desert racing. The 400 Elsinore could outrun me on the flats, but the AJX more than made up the ground in the rough terrain. Hard to believe how long ago that was....LOL
Jim

When I was much younger, I rode the deserts and mountains of southern Cal on a Mako 500. Good bike! ╦╦Ç

 

[goldog]

Dig deep. Some of the bigger/ more abundant gold is found down a few feet.


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[et1955]

Taking a great idea from ET1955 which I really found cool. Where would you start your search on this bit of land? I'm limited to hand tools and sluice at this location.

I was thinking of looking for a line at 9b-8a-7Z-7Y area. And on the next bend at 13J-14I-14H.
View attachment 1495079

I would start at C-10, next T-10, also I-12 and H-9, one indicator you may want to check is around the plants, during floods they act as riffles and gold will fall around them and also seeds for new plants will drop down on slow points during a flood plus gold. Good Luck

 

[Jim in Idaho]

When I was much younger, I rode the deserts and mountains of southern Cal on a Mako 500. Good bike! ╦╦Ç

Good bikes, those Maicos, Terry.
Jim

 

[TerryC]

Good bikes, those Maicos, Terry.
Jim

I think the name was Mako back in the 80s. At least that is what my old brain is telling me. I saw the Maico name on the web yesterday. Tnx. ╦╦Ç

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I always remember it as spelled Maico, but my memory ain't what it used to be, either..Ha!
Jimr

 

[oneguy]

I always remember it as spelled Maico, but my memory ain't what it used to be, either..Ha!
Jimr

That's the way I remember it also Jim? Old and tired but I also remember the "old days" of dirt (Maico, Bultaco, Greeves, CZ's, etc. etc.)..... Saw Roger Decoster race, Hodaka Ace 90 was my 1st bike at age 11 and been riding ever since but less now. Currently have one very slow Honda CRF230 for dirt and 3 Harleys....'39, '54, '83.

Sorry to get off track....

I'd also prospect your areas where the old stream flowed in all the usual spots plus a few unusual spots....? Where I've been scratching is glacier stuff that's been dropped so a guy can find the stuff about anywhere, a pocket here, a pocket there..... Good luck and enjoy your claim, wished I had one!!!!

 

[arthos]

I would start at C-10, next T-10, also I-12 and H-9, one indicator you may want to check is around the plants, during floods they act as riffles and gold will fall around them and also seeds for new plants will drop down on slow points during a flood plus gold. Good Luck

I like those spots!

 

[arthos]

So I dug at U,8.5, and got some color, th. The entire length of the "Red line" pictured above is side by side diggerholes 8-15' in diameter 4-6' deep! Found the hole 4 feet deep left it around 6' about 15 buckets ran. The material i ran coming from the bottom of my hole 6 feet down contained bird shott... >.> So thats a testament of just how well heaves can work there way down through gravel.

I find it to be a strange place, the entire area is one big gravel pile with rocks ranging from softball size to the size of kitchen stoves. There is no bedrock to be found, could easily be 30 feet below river level likely more would be my guess. There are higher level areas which have gravels mixed with brown dirt, compared with the lower levels nearer the current river which is sand mixed with rocks. but I came across no actual defined sediment layers to be found.

Given the lay of the land here would you guy approach this area any differently? Or do all the same rules apply.


Oh and the river flows right to left. Bottom left of picture is down stream on the grid map previously posted.

 

[Goldwasher]

that is a very dangerous hole you have going

 

[arthos]

that is a very dangerous hole you have going

No doubt. That's as deep as i was willing to go, and even that was a bit much considering i had to put my head in the bottom to scrape rock joints to get any material to run.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Nice! That's a lot bigger flakes than I recover on the Snake!
Jim