How do you find exposed bedrock?

[Just_curious]

Hi everybody. I've been bitten by the gold bug pretty severely. The only problem is, I haven't found any yet. I'm in Alabama, around Phenix City, Fort Benning, and Columbus area. I have traveled to the Gold Belts in both Georgia and Alabama, worked the streams and Creeks while panning and also metal detecting. In all of the rivers and streams that I have been to, none of them have had exposed bedrock and/or crevices. I am fully dedicated to this and have spent so many hours upon hours researching, driving around, walking through the sticks, and driving my wife crazy.

I am curious as to if you all have a trick to locating Good rivers and streams with exposed bedrock. I have been using Google Earth, along with historic and current topographic maps. Literally every spot that I think would be good, I have had zero luck with I'm looking for sand bars, gravel bars, gravels, inside curves, outside curves, boulders, drop offs, depressions, highbanks, you name it. All of the spots that I have conducted a Recon with on Google Earth we're all in very near vicinity of past and present claims.

I would love to find an actual old forgotten mine to metal detect the tailing piles, but I have not found anything like that during my research or travels. So as of now my main focus is finding these Rivers that have exposed bedrock and crevices and attempt to crevice for gold. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

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[Assembler]

Hello and welcome as a new member Just curious.
Try visiting some local associations or clubs and asking there to start with. There should also be some resource books and maps that the association can show you as well. Look and read all the forum topic threads hear that apply.

 

[winners58]

welcome to the forum, don't know if you've seen some of the prospecting lessons on Doc's page
Gold Mining School - Gold Prospector Training

the gold and gem gazette has some good write ups for Georgia, looks like just a map for Alabama
Gold and Gem Gazette Magazine ? Gold and Gem News from around the world.

 

[Just_curious]

Thanks for the advice brother. I'll check it out. I feel like I've read just about everything at this point lol. I just want to find some indicators that would point to it on Google earth or a topo map. I have to drive about 2 hours to enter the gold belt, so it would be nice to know beforehand

 

[Just_curious]

Not available on mobile devices I assume

 

[Goldwasher]

Study some geology maps. Learn what the key means.

Try to find someone who prospects in the areas you are interested in.

When you do come across some bedrock pay attention to its characteristics and its relationship to surface where you are.

Look for commonality in other areas.

 

[Goldwasher]

Google Earth isn't going to help that much.

start here http://mylandmatters.org/Maps/GeologyAL/GetMap

 

[Goldwasher]

Trying to do this research by smart phone is also limiting you

 

[GrizzlyGoldTrap]

Welcome to the forum...
Most area have historic geological reports/papers that will give you a good overview of the exposed and underlying geology. For instance, I have researched several geologic reports on the Denver CO (home area) front range area to get an understanding of the gold bearing formations and where they outcrop today. With this information, I created an overlay of those formations (imported graphic file) in Google Earth to see where streams and rivers in area cut through these formations. In addition, I can see where bedrock formations are cut through on these same streams and rivers. With that information, I started exploring the streams and rivers in area and came up with some nice areas to prospect in.

As others have mentioned, Land Matters is go to site for making sure you are not on other people's claims.

Sample Google Earth with geologic overlay

 

[bobw53]

In some spots, its just isn't there... Well, it is, its just REALLY REALLY deep...

There is a lot of rock and dirt on this earth, and it has to go somewhere, and that 'somewhere' is usually on top
of the bed rock.

Scroll down in this forum.. In the past few months there was a post about the Ruby Mine in Cali..
They were digging in ancient gravels and river channels over 3000 feet deep.. They finally hit bedrock and
potential vein at 3700 feet or something.

Why the fascination with bedrock? Too many vids of people in california?

Water doesn't create gold, and bedrock doesn't create gold... Water can move gold and bedrock can trap gold..
But so can a lot of other things..

When I first got into this gold game, being a desert dweller I though it would be so awesome to go to a stream, set
up a sluice and dig.. Simple.. Get gold.. BUT.... No water.... No streams... So I had to "branch out"...

At this point I'm thankful I DO NOT live near water.. I've learned and found so many interesting things
about how gold gets from here to there... All the way from digging in a vein to shoveling gravel, and everything
in between.... Ancient cemented channels, pre-historic gravels, pocket gold, even sweeping up gold in the
middle of the road...

Keep researching and digging and sampling.. Don't be afraid to think "outside the box" a bit....
What happened a 100 years ago What did that hill look like 10,000 years ago.. Was there
even a stream here 100,000 years ago.. What happened 10 million, 50 million, 200 million years ago...
What brought the gold to the surface? How long ago?



The old timers got a
lot of the gold... But they didn't get it all..

 

[coolfinie]

You know, a clay layer can be as good as bedrock. Nothing that arrives later sinks through it.

Then there are layers of false bedrock like eg calcified old river bed layers. In one place I go, bedrock is 45 feet down. But there happens to be a nice calcified gravel layer about 6" below the present day river bed and we get along ok on that.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

At this point I'm thankful I DO NOT live near water..

I spent a day driving around Randsburg and Johannesburg (So Cal) area. I felt really out of my element.
Probably takes some time to adapt to how gold gets deposited in the desert and where to look for easy gold.

I didn't have a handle on where there was open ground or good places to look so I spent most of the time just exploring.

The basement is always a good place to look since gold eventually keeps migrating downward.
I worked on a bridge project where they excavated a 25' x 25' x 35' deep shaft through virgin gravel to bedrock.
I envisioned the bedrock being littered with nuggets. Bedrock turned out to be hard and smooth. The gold was in very defined pay layers ( 4" to 6" thick) - not on the bottom.

 

[Skunked68w]

Looks for rapids. Rough water usually means hard bedrock or giant boulders. But you are in the south. Bedrock could be 2 feet or 2000 ft.

 

[Just_curious]

So I plotted all the Gold claims that Alabama and Georgia has recorded. I looked at those and found some pretty good patterns. At least what I think is patters. One of these patterns was a straight line heading from Central Alabama running from south west to North East up through Georgia. I took the time to map out placer deposits, veins, occurrence, etc. In the middle of the line, was a gap of no claims. There was nice creeks with sharp bends, a good ridge line with vallies, and met all the same criteria as the other mines I had plotted. I drove up there yesterday and the lay of the land was great. There was tons of bedrock on the creek, quartz EVERYWHERE, pyrite everywhere you looked, iron stained minerals, cuts through the land from where the creek used to flow, etc. I just KNEW this was the place. So what's the problem? I didn't find ANYTHING. I got signals on my metal detector, dug them up, and it would be a nail, or boot tack, or a piece of old Barbed wire fence. I couldn't believe it. I just cant imagine what I am doing wrong.

Another issue I keep running in to is all the spots that I find is private property. Luckily, the man that owned the property yesterday gave me permission to go back to the creek. I'm taking about land in the middle of nowhere with HUNDREDS of acres that you would assume is state forests or federal land, but it isn't. I had written a note and placed it on my car explaining that I was sorry if I wasn't supposed to be there, but didn't see any no trespassing signs, gates, fences, etc. just in case. Luckily, he ran in to me as I was packing up my stuff to head into the wood line, chatted with me for a second, and let me go on my way. But this is a constant reoccurring issue. I will find a spot on google earth, drive 2 hours to get there, and it'll be private property or gates everywhere. There's not many NTL forests or state parks along all my plots, so I kind of have to wing it and hope for the best. Before I headed out he told me about an app called LandGlide which shows all the land parcels and who owns them. When I got home, I pulled up the app and looked EVERYWHERE on the map. It's ALL owned. I tried googling Alabama public lands, federal land in Alabama for sale/auction, tax delinquent land, etc. and haven't had any luck. What do you all do to avoid this??

So between private properties standing in my way, or not finding the right areas, or not finding anything when I think I found the right areas, I'm exhausting myself, time, and resources and still haven't found a single piece of gold. I knew that I was going to spend tons of hours researching, driving, and walking, and of course the $$$ for it, but I figured I would have found at least a tiny, TINY piece of gold by now. Especially with the place I found yesterday. Hopefully it will all pay off when I finally do find that special spot....but I'm very close to giving up, but I really don't want to.

Any advice to get me on my way? Do you all experience these difficulties and short-falls as well?

 

[bedrock bubba]

Best thing to do is go where there is a history of gold deposits!

And talk to claim owners about where bedrock is. Clay layers cab be just as good.

 

[Clay Diggins]

So I plotted all the Gold claims that Alabama and Georgia has recorded. I looked at those and found some pretty good patterns. At least what I think is patters. One of these patterns was a straight line heading from Central Alabama running from south west to North East up through Georgia. I took the time to map out placer deposits, veins, occurrence, etc. In the middle of the line, was a gap of no claims. There was nice creeks with sharp bends, a good ridge line with vallies, and met all the same criteria as the other mines I had plotted. I drove up there yesterday and the lay of the land was great. There was tons of bedrock on the creek, quartz EVERYWHERE, pyrite everywhere you looked, iron stained minerals, cuts through the land from where the creek used to flow, etc. I just KNEW this was the place. So what's the problem? I didn't find ANYTHING. I got signals on my metal detector, dug them up, and it would be a nail, or boot tack, or a piece of old Barbed wire fence. I couldn't believe it. I just cant imagine what I am doing wrong.

Another issue I keep running in to is all the spots that I find is private property. Luckily, the man that owned the property yesterday gave me permission to go back to the creek. I'm taking about land in the middle of nowhere with HUNDREDS of acres that you would assume is state forests or federal land, but it isn't. I had written a note and placed it on my car explaining that I was sorry if I wasn't supposed to be there, but didn't see any no trespassing signs, gates, fences, etc. just in case. Luckily, he ran in to me as I was packing up my stuff to head into the wood line, chatted with me for a second, and let me go on my way. But this is a constant reoccurring issue. I will find a spot on google earth, drive 2 hours to get there, and it'll be private property or gates everywhere. There's not many NTL forests or state parks along all my plots, so I kind of have to wing it and hope for the best. Before I headed out he told me about an app called LandGlide which shows all the land parcels and who owns them. When I got home, I pulled up the app and looked EVERYWHERE on the map. It's ALL owned. I tried googling Alabama public lands, federal land in Alabama for sale/auction, tax delinquent land, etc. and haven't had any luck. What do you all do to avoid this??

So between private properties standing in my way, or not finding the right areas, or not finding anything when I think I found the right areas, I'm exhausting myself, time, and resources and still haven't found a single piece of gold. I knew that I was going to spend tons of hours researching, driving, and walking, and of course the $$$ for it, but I figured I would have found at least a tiny, TINY piece of gold by now. Especially with the place I found yesterday. Hopefully it will all pay off when I finally do find that special spot....but I'm very close to giving up, but I really don't want to.

Any advice to get me on my way? Do you all experience these difficulties and short-falls as well?

All of the land in Alabama is private and/or closed to prospecting. You really need to put together a plan to contact the property owners before you even consider trying to prospect anywhere in the State. If you don't have the permission of the property owner you are trespassing and possibly also destroying private property and stealing (minerals). I noticed that in Alabama simply putting an 8 inch x 1 inch purple stripe on a tree is the same as a no trespassing sign.

There is a respectful way to prospect private lands but in all cases the actual permission of the owner is required.

There are no mining claims in Georgia or Alabama. I suspect you are looking at old mine sites? Often those mine locations are very far from their mapped position. Just knowing where there were some mines can help you find areas worthy of prospecting but you really have to realize that only some mines were for mining gold. Even more common are lead, copper, tin and coal mines. Make sure you know what the miners were mining or you will end up on a lot of wild goose chases.

Research is the key but not all research has to be from a book. Visit some of the bars, libraries and VFW in your area of interest and try to meet locals that actually know about mining in the area. You will learn more and find out who might give you permission to prospect a lot quicker and easier with personal contact than you will looking through books and wandering the countryside. That area of Alabama can be a bit rough on newcomers but in my personal experience there are many fine people to be found there once you break the ice.

I wish you luck in your search. There is some good gold still to be found in Alabama but please do your prospecting with permission and respect. Do it right and those that come after you will have an easier time. Do it wrong and the local property owners may never let anyone prospect their land.

Heavy Pans

 

[TheOculus]

Well said CD!

Gold prospecting is practically dead here in Tennessee. I did a lot of research in my area for deposits and I did find trace amounts of gold/copper. No one locally could point me in right direction until I started asking the old timers. The elderly still remember when mining was active in the area and what they were mining for. My area was primarily mined for Manganese ore during the World Wars. I had to filter through which mines were mined for what ore.

 

[Bejay]

Interesting comments so far. Exposed bedrock is natures way of making the gold easy to get....simply because of classification...nature removes the fluff/sediments/and light gravels (overburden) and leaves the heavies nicely pocketed in the crevices. I spent 15 years mining the exposed bedrock on my placer claims. Makes it nice...to say the least. Even in Az I found a section of creek that had recently undergone major flooding that removed the overburden gravels and left 200 yds of exposed bedrock. Easy gold pickens...some even with tweezers and fingers.

But I got to tell you: I have never mined via the inet......nope...never. All the bedrock was found walking the creek(s). And it often changes year to year. Nature does it her way. Simply walk the creek/river after winter floods and find it. I have even drifted certain rivers in a drift boat....looking for newly exposed bedrock. I carry my suction gun/gold pan/and meat lug when I drift in a boat. You never know what or where it might be.

So find an open/unclaimed section of river/creek and go check it out....boots on the ground. I have a few spots I visit yearly and extract gold year after year from the same cracks and crevices/pockets.

Bejay

 

[ncclaymaker]

An easy way to find exposed bedrock is to try my method... no work on my part to find virgin bedrock at all. Check out the link to a thread that I created at -

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...-virgin-bedrock-power-company-dams-great.html

When this arctic blast is over, I'm heading out in my electric powered Pelican boat to prospect a site right next to a hydroelectric power plant. The dam is anchored by a huge chunk of granite bedrock, with white quartz veins running through it. I'll be bringing my gas powered Keene 195 pump to clean out the fissures with a small diameter hose, and super strong electromagnet to sample the magnetite/black sands on the adjacent sand and gravel bar just for chuckles.

 

[gusser]

Cavender Creek Georgia