Small, Pink Crystals with Black Sand

[Reserved]

I've just recently gotten into panning and encountered something I haven't seen or read about so far in my research.

I was working a local river just to test my panning out and get a feel for it before I start exploring creeks for color. I was digging up sand from the places I've read are good -- behind large rocks in the current, cracks in bedrock, crevices between boulders, the inside of bends, etc. However, I noticed that when I would pan most of these sweet spots I would a large amount of sand-sized grains of pink crystal that would accumulate with the black sand. It washed off just before the black sand did, so it must be on the heavier side of things.

I'm inclined to think it was pink quartz, as I was also bringing up good sized chunks of regular quartz. What do you guys think this is? Have you encountered it before?

Edit: just thinking to myself, could it be another quartz variety -- amethyst? It is the state gemstone, after all.

 

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[AlwaysBusyJ]

I've just recently gotten into panning and encountered something I haven't seen or read about so far in my research.

I was working a local river just to test my panning out and get a feel for it before I start exploring creeks for color. I was digging up sand from the places I've read are good -- behind large rocks in the current, cracks in bedrock, crevices between boulders, the inside of bends, etc. However, I noticed that when I would pan most of these sweet spots I would a large amount of sand-sized grains of pink crystal that would accumulate with the black sand. It washed off just before the black sand did, so it must be on the heavier side of things.

I'm inclined to think it was pink quartz, as I was also bringing up good sized chunks of regular quartz. What do you guys think this is? Have you encountered it before?

Edit: just thinking to myself, could it be another quartz variety -- amethyst? It is the state gemstone, after all.

Sounds a lot like garnet to me. I run into a lot of it in the gravel beds I pan out here in WA. Usually that's a good sign that I'm close to the gold. It settles in some of the same areas that gold does. Sometimes there's so much it seems like my pan has pink sand instead of black sand. I've seen it vary in color from light pink to darker red and out in Montana I saw some that looked almost brown. Not worth anything since it's so small and common, but at least it's an indicator you're probably picking good spots to dig. Doesn't really sound like quartz to me as most small bits of quartz tend to wash out well before the black sand in my experience. As a general rule if I don't see garnets with my black sand when I'm test panning I keep moving till I start hitting garnet. Sounds like you're ready for the next step, go get some nice gold!

 

[Reserved]

Wow, that's really exciting! Maybe I'll hit the place up again later today and dig a little deeper to see if I turn up any gold. I was only digging by hand because I forgot the shovel that day, so it's possible that I didn't go deep enough to find color.

 

[Mitch Dickson]

It is acording to where you are!!!!! Those pink crystals could be quartz or garnet but certain areas carry cinibar! Cinibar is also pink crystals. Put some in a retort and see if it turns to mercury when heated. Mercury is a bit heavier than lead with a specific gravity of around 14. Cinibar is safe enough as long as you don't heat it or put acid on it. I wish I had a dump truck load of it Sells at gold shows and prospector meets like hookers on a troop train!

Before you enviromental koolaid drinkers have a small fit about the use of mercury remember this: 99% of all mercury contamination comes from making electricity with coal and oil and the making of chlorine bleach! Unless you have had your electricity turned off and told the little woman she can no longer use Clorax then your not much of a mercury contamination protestor are you? And don't forget that Congress just mandated that every home, room, and office must use those little swirrley pigtail light bulbs. Those are mercury vapor Be careful, don't drop one!

 

[yodi]

sounds like garnets to me I have a couple vials full of then in different colors

 

[NorCalPilot]

I've found pans of garnets in the NC mountains without gold. Don't waste too much time if you don't find gold with it.

 

[Capt Nemo]

Find pink garnets all the time in trout streams here in WI. I also get a lot of black/brown (salt n pepper) garnet in beach sands.

Only thing they're good for is sandpaper.

 

[Mad Machinist]

It is acording to where you are!!!!! Those pink crystals could be quartz or garnet but certain areas carry cinibar! Cinibar is also pink crystals. Put some in a retort and see if it turns to mercury when heated. Mercury is a bit heavier than lead with a specific gravity of around 14. Cinibar is safe enough as long as you don't heat it or put acid on it. I wish I had a dump truck load of it Sells at gold shows and prospector meets like hookers on a troop train!

Before you enviromental koolaid drinkers have a small fit about the use of mercury remember this: 99% of all mercury contamination comes from making electricity with coal and oil and the making of chlorine bleach! Unless you have had your electricity turned off and told the little woman she can no longer use Clorax then your not much of a mercury contamination protestor are you? And don't forget that Congress just mandated that every home, room, and office must use those little swirrley pigtail light bulbs. Those are mercury vapor Be careful, don't drop one!

You might want to check your facts on mercury.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629081932.htm

One volcano emitted more mercury than some countries.

 

[Capt Nemo]

Like the volcano artical! Amazing how much pollutants a volcano can put out! Environutz like screaming at a coal plant that puts out 230 tons of sulphur dioxide a year. Kilauea volcano puts out 10-20 times that in a day! And they don't even track the amount of CO2 it puts out!