MA/VT/NH Panning

[dvdtharaldson]

Hi ,

This is the first time I have posted on this website. I live in Western MA and am planning a trip during the last few days of September to Vermont to try my luck panning. I was going to try Buffalo Brook and Five Corners in the Bridgewater area. Does anybody know how far down you ordinarily have to dig to hit black sands in those areas? Any comments on whether you have to dig deep or just stay on the surface? I was thinking Irene probably deposited alot of flood gold on the surface. Does anybody know if some of the small brooks high up in the mts. north of Bridgewater contain gold? All I ever hear is Buffalo Brook and Five Corners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. As you probably could tell I am new to panning for gold.

Thanks,

David

 

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[Adventure_Time]

Just wondering. Has anybody come across any asbestos containing rocks? I was prospecting last week and found some highly foliated rocks. They appeared to have filament-like structures contained within them. They didn't look exactly like what is pictured on-line with respect to asbestos. But close enough to get me thinking. So here's the question. Does one have to be concerned with handling rocks that contain asbestos? Rocks were partially submerged and always wet when I worked with them. Any help would be appreciated.

David

Was it light in color or more towards the black spectrum? Could just be amphibole.

 

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[dvdtharaldson]

Was it light in color or more towards the black spectrum? Could just be amphibole.

It was a greenish brown color, at first I thought it was shale. It definitely had a saprolitic feel to it. The layers were extremely thin and easily broke into shards. I was thinking amphibolite myself, when I researched it all the websites kept talking about asbestos.

I have another question for you, I was reading a report about the geology in the camel's hump area of Vermont. It went into some detail about the Underhill, Hazen's notch, and Pinney Hollow formations. I understand most of the technical terms but I don't know how to relate the results of the report to the deposition of gold. For example the report detailed the percentage amounts of both Ti02 and Si02 in different parts of the study zone. I was wondering how that might affect the precipitation of gold in that study area. If I pm you with the website of the report or just some specific questions would you be willing to give me your take on the subject?

I don't get a chance to get up there very often, even though it is one of my favorite places, when I do I would like to be able to choose one of the more likely places to find some colors.

Thanks for commenting on this thread and sharing your geologic expertise with all its readers.

Best Colors,
David

 

[Adventure_Time]

I will be up in NH for good as of next week, if anyone wants to do some panning let me know! I'll be up in the littleton area.


Edit: dvd just saw your post... either asbestos or a feldspar rich amphibole. Asbestos reminds me of string cheese when it breaks apart... easiest way I could describe it. Can you post a picture?

And I'm always looking for something to do, shoot me a link and I'll dig into it for you.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

I will be up in NH for good as of next week, if anyone wants to do some panning let me know! I'll be up in the littleton area.


Edit: dvd just saw your post... either asbestos or a feldspar rich amphibole. Asbestos reminds me of string cheese when it breaks apart... easiest way I could describe it. Can you post a picture?

And I'm always looking for something to do, shoot me a link and I'll dig into it for you.

Adventure_ Time here is the link to the report I was talking about. I will give you a chance to read it, then I will either post or pm my questions/observations. Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy the article.
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/SpecialBulletins/Thompson_1991SpB12.pdf

 

[dvdtharaldson]

I have a couple of questions about placer deposits in a river. I went prospecting with WMG yesterday and he found a large flat rock at the side of the river. Using a small trowel he scooped out enough material to fill his super sluice pan three or four times. In that material he found around 10 pieces. He probably removed the top 8 inches of material behind the center of the rock. He continued to excavate the rock to a depth of around a foot or so, without finding any other colors.

In Massachusetts whenever you can find 4 or 5 colors in a pan your doing pretty good. The rock was a near perfect obstruction, but it wasn't on bedrock. The rock was large and flat and had a nice 90 degree bend between the top and back side. At high water the whole rock would have been submerged. The rock probably stuck up about a foot from the river bed.

What I am trying to find out is it usually worth the time to excavate the rock deeper if your initial pay streak runs out? Does gold migrate down stream as it sinks deeper when behind a large obstruction?

Thanks,
David

 

[E.MassAuMan]

Hi David

Found this on the Web, I suspect this may be in the general vicinity of where you may have been prospecting, so, yes, Asbestos does occur in Massachusetts.

I am on the sidelines, so to speak, recovering from an onset of Bells Palsy, hope to be out in your neck of the woods later in the month.

Pelham asbestos mine, Pelham, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, USA

 

[dvdtharaldson]

EMassAuMan,

Sorry to hear about your ailment, wishing you a speedy recovery. Also sorry you missed our little get together on the east branch. Hopefully you can make it next year.

Best Colors,
David

 

[nh.nugget]

I feel your pain brother, I have had bells also it suckz. I got about 80% back in my face RH side. get your self into therapy quick they do electro therapy on you to keep the other nerves going. I'm sure you've been told the bells nerve controls all the other ones in your face. The therapy is basically a tens unit like they use on your back no biggie. Been there done that you don't want it to be permanent.

 

[timberjack]

Spent a couple of days prospecting, got color in the white river in vermont, one the east branch of the swift river in byron maine i did better getting some small flakes and an almost picker,,and did pretty well in a brook on the western flanks of the white mountians in n.h...did not get skunked anywhere,,but also did not find any great ammount,,,,,but it was great to get out,,,,a littel in all 3 states!

 

[dvdtharaldson]

timberjack,
Thanks for posting on the thread. I am going to be heading up to mid Vermont soon myself. I usually like to prospect the third branch of the white, but the last time I was up there I ran into major construction on rte.12a. The area is so scenic and wild. I can't seem to keep away. The last time I was there I walked up on two deer drinking from the stream. We just stared at each other for a few minutes, they took another drink and then bounded away.

I will probably try some trib of the Ottauquechee, or try some unknown waterway south of Rutland. If you don't mind me asking, were you in one of the tribs of the White or the main stem?

Best Colors,
David

 

[timberjack]

I got written premission from a large woodlands owner that i log for somtimes,,, i was on the very headwaters of the white there then i was below angel falls? (I think thats the name) a littel furtrther downstream got a littel in both places. Got a fair ammount of birdshot a some small peices of steel on the privet property but very very small gold,,,did much better in the river on state land

 

[dvdtharaldson]

I just got back from my trip to Vermont and what a strange trip it's been. I drove all the way up to a stream off the Mettowee, probably 5 plus hours. I was so excited to be back there. The plan was to prospect the whole length of the stream. The last time I was there, I found a couple of pieces in less than a half hour. The stream looked like it held lots of colors. The first pan at the mouth I found a nice color. After that, nothing. I prospected about 4 different spots to the point where I couldn't move anymore. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper.

On the last day of my trip I decided to take a detour and sift some gravel. After two days of loosening up I figured I could pan for about a half hour before my back would tighten up. I now have a new favorite spot. I found 9 colors in about 45 minutes. The colors were all around the 50 mesh size. Much larger than what I have been finding lately. Central Vermont, near the well known places.

 

[Adventure_Time]

I just got back from my trip to Vermont and what a strange trip it's been. I drove all the way up to a stream off the Mettowee, probably 5 plus hours. I was so excited to be back there. The plan was to prospect the whole length of the stream. The last time I was there, I found a couple of pieces in less than a half hour. The stream looked like it held lots of colors. The first pan at the mouth I found a nice color. After that, nothing. I prospected about 4 different spots to the point where I couldn't move anymore. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper.

On the last day of my trip I decided to take a detour and sift some gravel. After two days of loosening up I figured I could pan for about a half hour before my back would tighten up. I now have a new favorite spot. I found 9 colors in about 45 minutes. The colors were all around the 50 mesh size. Much larger than what I have been finding lately. Central Vermont, near the well known places.

I just got back from my trip to Vermont and what a strange trip it's been. I drove all the way up to a stream off the Mettowee, probably 5 plus hours. I was so excited to be back there. The plan was to prospect the whole length of the stream. The last time I was there, I found a couple of pieces in less than a half hour. The stream looked like it held lots of colors. The first pan at the mouth I found a nice color. After that, nothing. I prospected about 4 different spots to the point where I couldn't move anymore. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper.

On the last day of my trip I decided to take a detour and sift some gravel. After two days of loosening up I figured I could pan for about a half hour before my back would tighten up. I now have a new favorite spot. I found 9 colors in about 45 minutes. The colors were all around the 50 mesh size. Much larger than what I have been finding lately. Central Vermont, near the well known places.

Hey bud sorry I totally forgot to get back to you about the camels hump area. I completely forgot about it, was reading over the thread and went to doublecheck the area before I made this suggestion. From Stockholm to Granville then east the Connecticut River is some of the most promising area in VT (Hancock and just west of it is the most ideal), short of taking a trip to near the border of VT - Canada, this area I believe has the best potential for native gold locked in the schists / gneiss / quartzite of VT. The best gold you will find will be in high bench deposits in applicable settings in these areas. Crevice Crevice Crevice if you want good gold.

I'll try to dig into that report for you DVD, I did start to read it, I just got distracted and totally spaced getting back to you on it. If you have specific questions feel free to ask, but if you were just trying to get an idea for the potential for gold... well your research / instincts are leading you down the right path let's say.

 

[WesternMassGold]

My new mining spot in western Mass , bedrock City, found my biggest gold of the year .

 

[WesternMassGold]

ok cleaned out the snuffer bottle from my bedrock dig.


On the left is our "normal Massachusetts" gold , on the right is my bedrock gold.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

I just want to give a public shout out to Adventure Time for sharing his technical expertise with me on so many different gold related topics. It was like hydrology101. Never heard of a ice-jam cow-plow before.

 

[vaquero44]

hey there massachuesetts that's some of the best gold I've seen come from that state for sure!

 

[dvdtharaldson]

I decided that I would take a day off from working around the house and spend some time in nature. I had heard that it is supposed to rain for the next five days straight. That's alright, we certainly need it. North is my favorite direction to head so my wife and I set off for the Mohawk Trail in northwestern Massachusetts.

We found a nice pond to sit by and eat lunch. While we were sitting there enjoying the solitude and the scenery a stocking truck pulled up and dumped it's cargo of trout. The trout were so stressed by their new location that some of them actually swam up on shore. I have been fishing for 50 plus years and that was the first time I have ever seen a stocking truck.

After lunch we decided to take a trip over to the Cold River, which is a trib of the Deerfield. Absolutely stunning scenery. The section I was in was mostly steep terrain and gorges. Rocks the size of cars. I panned for about an hour trying about 4 different spots. The Cold River has the most black sand of any river that I have seen in Massachusetts, but not a lot of colors. I found a #80 size piece and an impossibly small piece, so small I had a hard time trying to get it into my vial. Next time around I am going to try further down stream where there is more deposition than erosion. It is a trade off scenery or gold.

 

[bobw53]

enjoying the solitude and the scenery a stocking truck pulled up

Am I the only one that re read that 4 times wondering how he knew it was a "stocking" truck?

Did it say Legg's on the side? Then I read the next 3 words.

 

[Adventure_Time]

For those so inclined... the green represents the metamorphosed greenstone schist belt, the area circled in red is the relatively low grade metamorphic remains of a submarine volcanic system that predates the greenstone belt. Some of it is Pre-Cambrian even, however most of it is of Cambrian age. Theres more gold, and other metals, in maine than people give it credit for. Maine is just a huge state and very few people heh.