Gold! GOLD!!! GoLd!!!! .....damn, pyrite :)

[Boarteats]

Had some flash flooding. Kind of a pain, but at least the waters left this rock behind for me to find. The shiny bits are mostly pyrite. Does appear to be some gold too, but can't conclusively test without destroying this little guy.

Interestingly, rock was brown and boring until I put it under an oxidizing flame. Heating the rock transformed it to what is seen in the attached pic. Probability some sulfide mineral(s). Pretty amazing transformation!

Not sure that it'd be worth crushing the rock for whatever gold might be in it, so will probably keep it as is.

 

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[Boarteats]

Can't believe how much the flood changed the characteristics of my stream. Washed in a large amount of what looks like beach sand. Stream bed had been clay and stones. Now has a pretty deep layer of sand. Inches in some places. Feet in other. As it turns out, the sands brought free gold with it. Before flood, available gold was tied up with magnetite pebbles/stones.

Not a bad pan. Camera flash washed out gold color, so everywhere you see white (at top of pan), think gold. .

 

[arizau]

Break out a sluice if your not using one. The stream characteristics will probably change again with the next high flow event.

 

[Boarteats]

Break out a sluice if your not using one. The stream characteristics will probably change again with the next high flow event.

Good point! I'll have to see what I can make over the weekend. I know that there are some really easy diy sluice ideas floating around.

 

[Duckshot]

Good point! I'll have to see what I can make over the weekend. I know that there are some really easy diy sluice ideas floating around.

Nice pan!

If you got a circle saw and know how to use it, you can probably screw up an 8' 1x8" or 1x10" into a 4' drop riffle sluice in less then twenty minutes and for less than $10.