Large Quartz and metals/minerals - which ones to smash?

rtp_guy

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2014
58
30
Durham, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
Minelab CTX 3030
Fischer B 2
Garrett AT Gold
Minelab Excalibur 2
White's MX5
Titan 9000
Falcon MD20
Garrett AT PP
Minelab Pro-Find 35
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hello all. I’ve located an area in NC that was allegedly a large volcano ~700 million years ago. Walking through on a 20 minute hike I grabbed about 200 lbs of large quartz deposits. Very interested in getting a diagnosis of what all is within the rocks other than quartz. Also, which ones should i smash to check for gold. I’d like to keep some intact for looks, so looking for good leads on the visuals. In addition to wanting to find gold or precious metals, I'm interested in knowing what you guys think the green areas are. They feel metallic. I also think the small green one looks like native copper nugget. Thanks so much in advance for the help!

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rtp_guy

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2014
58
30
Durham, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
Minelab CTX 3030
Fischer B 2
Garrett AT Gold
Minelab Excalibur 2
White's MX5
Titan 9000
Falcon MD20
Garrett AT PP
Minelab Pro-Find 35
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I made another run today, but am really just loading up large quartz rocks in a 72 hour bag and hiking out. In other words, I have no idea what I'm really looking for at this site since I have seen gold exposed yet.
 

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Eu_citzen

Gold Member
Sep 19, 2006
6,484
2,111
Sweden
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If you aren't sure, select a few random pieces and see what goes.
 

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RTR

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Nov 21, 2017
8,180
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Smith Mt. Lake Va.
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Teknetics Liberator
Falcon MD-20
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What does Your MD-20 say ?
 

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XGPX0001

Greenie
Mar 19, 2018
13
25
Little Rock, Arkansas
Detector(s) used
Teknetics - Omega 8500
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Looks you got nada for "crystal lookin quartz" its the end of a vein and metamorphosed maybe? Break em all you may get some shiny shards like you are looking for.
 

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rtp_guy

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2014
58
30
Durham, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
Minelab CTX 3030
Fischer B 2
Garrett AT Gold
Minelab Excalibur 2
White's MX5
Titan 9000
Falcon MD20
Garrett AT PP
Minelab Pro-Find 35
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just got reunited with my MD20, so I can give you those results when this downpour ends this evening.
 

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rtp_guy

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2014
58
30
Durham, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
Minelab CTX 3030
Fischer B 2
Garrett AT Gold
Minelab Excalibur 2
White's MX5
Titan 9000
Falcon MD20
Garrett AT PP
Minelab Pro-Find 35
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Looks you got nada for "crystal lookin quartz" its the end of a vein and metamorphosed maybe? Break em all you may get some shiny shards like you are looking for.

Thanks. I couldn't make sense of the block-like side of a number of these, but this seems to make sense. Any ideas on the green nugget-looking stone in picture 3?
 

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rtp_guy

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2014
58
30
Durham, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
Minelab CTX 3030
Fischer B 2
Garrett AT Gold
Minelab Excalibur 2
White's MX5
Titan 9000
Falcon MD20
Garrett AT PP
Minelab Pro-Find 35
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Interesting pieces you have there, some look like they're akin to some from my place, Treasure Valley NC

Buckshot,

Hello, my friend! You're quite correct. There are also several intrusive ultramafic rocks like at your place, though not nearly as large as the ones on your property. I'm hoping I can make it out to your place over the next few months. Let me know if you have any good events where I can tag along.
 

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rtp_guy

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2014
58
30
Durham, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
Minelab CTX 3030
Fischer B 2
Garrett AT Gold
Minelab Excalibur 2
White's MX5
Titan 9000
Falcon MD20
Garrett AT PP
Minelab Pro-Find 35
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just got reunited with my MD20, so I can give you those results when this downpour ends this evening.

As luck would have it, my MD20 appears to be in need of recalibration. Constant noise on the red line. Inconsistent results while on the black line. I'm going to reach out to the guys at Falcon for instructions.
 

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smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,682
40,646
Maryland
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XP Deus II
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I've seen the same rocks near a town northeast of Charlotte near where there was some gold mining. I'd use a rock crusher for the smaller pieces of quartz, see if there is anything there, then move to the others.
 

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Rawhide

Silver Member
Nov 17, 2010
3,590
2,185
SouthWestern USA
Detector(s) used
Nox 800, Etrac, F75, AT Pro. Last two for sale.
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What I have experimented with is dissolving stones to see the crystals inside exposed. This makes a specimen out of the rock, and is more valuable to me. While a MD20 is gonna help you. Rock crushing and processing is a bear. I try to work smarter, not harder. Simple things around the house like peroxide or vinegar can work wonders. A weak muratic acid(driveway cleaner) is a little more aggressive and requires some basic knowledge of safety and mixing acids with water. Good luck.
 

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