Bedrock and Gold: The mysteries . . .

[Lanny in AB]

Do you love to chase the gold? Please join me--lots of gold hunting tips, stories of finds (successful and not), and prospecting poetry.

Nugget in the bedrock tip:

I had a visit with a mining buddy this past weekend, and he told me of an epic battle to get a nugget out of the bedrock, and of what he learned from the experience. I thought some of you might like to learn from his mistake.

While out detecting one day, he came across a large sheet of bare bedrock. The bedrock was exposed because the area had been blasted off with a water cannon (a monitor), by the old-timers! It was not fractured bedrock, in fact it was totally smooth.

He was not optimistic at all of the prospects of a nugget. But, for some reason (we've all been there) he decided to swing his detector over that bedrock. After a long time, just as he was about to give up on his crazy hunch, he got a signal, right out of that smooth bedrock.

There was no crevice, no sign of a crevice, nada! So, he had to go all the way back to camp to get a small sledge and a chisel. The signal in the rock intrigued him, but he still wasn't overly optimistic. For those of you that have chased signals in a similar situation, sometimes there's a patch of hot mineralization in the bedrock that sounds off, but this spot, according to him, was sharp and clear right in the middle of the signal, not just a general increase of the threshold like you get when you pass over a hot spot in the bedrock.

Anyway, he made it back to the spot and started to chisel his way into the bedrock. If any of you have tried this, it's an awful job, and you usually wind up with cut knuckles--at the least! Regardless, he kept fighting his way down, busting out chunks of bedrock. He kept checking the hole, and the signal remained very strong.

This only puzzled him all the more as he could clearly see that it was solid bedrock with no sign of any crevice. He finally quit at the end of the day, at a depth of about a foot, but still, nothing in the hole.

An experienced nugget shooting friend dropped by the next morning to see him, and asked him how the hunt was going. My buddy related his tale of the mysterious hole in the bedrock, and told the friend to go over and check it out, and see if he could solve the riddle.

Later in the day, the other nugget hunter returned. In his hand was a fine, fat, sassy nugget. It weighed in at about an ounce and a quarter! After my friend returned his eyeballs to their sockets and zapped his heart to start it again, he asked where the nugget had come from.

Imagine his surprise when he heard it came from the mystery hole!! He asked how deep the other guy had gone into the bedrock to get it. "Well, no deeper" was his reply.

So, here's the rest of the story as to what happened. When the successful nugget hunter got to the bedrock, he scanned the surface got the same strong signal as my buddy. He widened out the hole and scanned again. Still a solid tone. He widened the hole some more so he could get his coil in, and here's the key and the lesson in this story, he got a strong signal off the side of the hole, about six inches down, but set back another inch into the side of the bedrock!!

My unlucky friend, the true discoverer of the gorgeous nugget's resting place had gone deep past the signal while digging his hole!!

Now, of course, a good pinpointer would easily solve this problem. The problem was, my buddy didn't have one, so why would he widen the hole, right? Well, the other guy was the one with more experience, and that's why he did. It was a lot more work, but what a payoff!

So, my buddy's butt is still black and blue from where he kicked himself for the next week or so for having lost such an incredible prize.

Some nugget hunting lessons are harder than others to learn. . . .

All the best,

Lanny


P.S. When in gold country--check the bedrock, regardless of whether it looks likely or not! Mother Nature likes to play games sometimes.

 

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[Lanny in AB]

It pays to be alert to old shafts that may or not have been covered or partially filled by oldtimers. Aside from indicating good potential for modern miners, we have to be aware of such hazards. Back nearly 30 years ago I came within a few feet of losing my life by backing into an unfenced, deep bedrock cut that was shrouded in brush and not visible until right on the sharp precipice... a fall of fifty to sixty feet into jagged rocks.

Since that time Lanny, I've always kept my eyes open for such, and located an additional eleven uncovered shafts and deep pits within the next few years. One very deep shaft was right at the side of an old, but much frequented mining road by hunters, tourists, and mineral collectors. It wasn't visible until you were right on top of it too... and that is exactly what happened to me. I couldn't hear a dropped stone hit bottom... black as Hades. I promptly informed the mining authority at the time and it was sealed the very next day.

That must have been quite a day in the brush for you, we just never know what may come our way through mere happenstance. Did you have any luck that day finding any gold, relics or coins?

Jim.

Jim,

Your advice is solid gold about watching out for shafts. They pop up in the most unexpected places; luckily for me where I'm currently hunting, most are old placer shafts going through clay and gravel, and the water table is high enough that most of the logs have rotted and they've caved in close to ground level.

I've been in hard rock country where it's an entirely different game, out with Doc from Vegas nugget shooting in Arizona for instance, as well as out hunting with my mining buddy further down in Arizona, and lots of hard rock shafts all over the place (Nevada is full of them to boot, so I'm always careful when out running around in the desert near Vegas). Your tip on safety is a great thing to remember as the dang things are downright unpredictable sometimes.

To answer your questions, I found some really nice gold that day, and I found an old silver coin from the '20's to boot, so I was a happy gold chaser. The relics consisted of tin cans, broken bottles and the hoist bucket, but that bucket didn't go home with me; it's still right there.

Sometime, I'll get around to matching the pictures to the stories to add a little golden bling to things and to throw in some scenery to flavor it all.

All the best Jim,

Lanny

 

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[trinityau]

Hello guys, thanks for all the wonderful comments about my book "Detecting for Gold, Adventures Trips and Tips". I am glad that you are enjoying the book so much. I have been very busy the last few months with my job at the Cal Vet Veterans Home here in Redding, Ca. It is a brand new facility and we are continuing to fill up with residents. I have also been writing articles for several mining magazines along with getting out as much as possible at the local creeks to take pictures of gold in cracks underwater. These underwater photos will be used in my next book "Gold Sniping with a Mask and Snorkel". Next to detecting this is my next love when it comes to gold mining. I think sniping is the absolute easiest and cheapest way to go. A mask, snorkel, screwdriver, squeeze bottle and a wet suit. I have been selling my book at many of the local gold associations in Northern California when they have their monthly meetings and I usually talk to the group for about an hour. I am also starting to do two hour seminars with a question and answer session. The first seminar will be in Sacramento 11 July 2015. Along with those activities I still have the wife and grandkids, and I try to throw some sleep time in when I can. I really thought that when I hit sixty things would slow down a bit, yeah, right.

I am not sure but I think the G2 is pretty close to the F-75. I have an F-75 for sale on my website right now. The F-75 was a trade-off with Fisher for testing and it is priced to sell at $500.00. It is just the detector with the eleven inch coil. I just do not need it. TRINITYAU.COM

I have been keeping up with the forums and reading all the post's, I just have not had enough time to answer. Thanks again guys. I hope everyone has a wonderful mining season. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Ray… thanks for jumping into the discussion… it is good to hear from you. I suppose now you probably know that my second signed copy from you went to our friend out in Alberta. It seemed to me that Lanny would appreciate reading about your experiences and discussion about the practical techniques you’ve developed for finding gold. The frank, detailed information in your book has earned and warrants our admiration and discussion. I see no reason why it shouldn’t be brought to the attention of the forum readership.

For those reading along here, the book makes for a very enjoyable and instructive read. At night over coffee, I’d find my bookmark… and within moments be drifting down some lonesome gully where the author Ray Mills teaches us how to look for elusive gold nuggets… how to interpret the geology, equipment selection, and how to deal with the search conditions. It’s a remarkable value that we highly recommend to anyone interested in prospecting regardless of experience or knowledge.

Me and the wife will definitely look forward to your next book ‘Gold Sniping with a Mask and Snorkel’ so please put me down for two signed copies if that would be possible. Let’s spice-up this post with a not-so-sassy silver nugget photo just for the heck of it… but thankyou for adding your comments to the discussion Ray… what a nice surprise.

Jim.

​

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hello guys, thanks for all the wonderful comments about my book "Detecting for Gold, Adventures Trips and Tips". I am glad that you are enjoying the book so much. I have been very busy the last few months with my job at the Cal Vet Veterans Home here in Redding, Ca. It is a brand new facility and we are continuing to fill up with residents. I have also been writing articles for several mining magazines along with getting out as much as possible at the local creeks to take pictures of gold in cracks underwater. These underwater photos will be used in my next book "Gold Sniping with a Mask and Snorkel". Next to detecting this is my next love when it comes to gold mining. I think sniping is the absolute easiest and cheapest way to go. A mask, snorkel, screwdriver, squeeze bottle and a wet suit. I have been selling my book at many of the local gold associations in Northern California when they have their monthly meetings and I usually talk to the group for about an hour. I am also starting to do two hour seminars with a question and answer session. The first seminar will be in Sacramento 11 July 2015. Along with those activities I still have the wife and grandkids, and I try to throw some sleep time in when I can. I really thought that when I hit sixty things would slow down a bit, yeah, right.

I am not sure but I think the G2 is pretty close to the F-75. I have an F-75 for sale on my website right now. The F-75 was a trade-off with Fisher for testing and it is priced to sell at $500.00. It is just the detector with the eleven inch coil. I just do not need it. TRINITYAU.COM

I have been keeping up with the forums and reading all the post's, I just have not had enough time to answer. Thanks again guys. I hope everyone has a wonderful mining season. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

Nice to have you drop in Ray. Thanks again for writing your book, and thanks for all of the tips you've included in it.

It sounds like you've been extra busy of late, and your work at the Veterans Home must be very rewarding.

Underwater sniping is something I've only ever worked at a few times, but I have recovered a few nuggets, so I know it works. The nice thing about it is that it's a fairly inexpensive way to try to access gold that's out of reach of the ordinary panner or detectorist, good gold that's just waiting to be found.

I'm sure you'll do a great job on your next book as well, and I know I'll be looking forward to it's publication date.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hi Ray… thanks for jumping into the discussion… it is good to hear from you. I suppose now you probably know that my second signed copy from you went to our friend out in Alberta. It seemed to me that Lanny would appreciate reading about your experiences and discussion about the practical techniques you’ve developed for finding gold. The frank, detailed information in your book has earned and warrants our admiration and discussion. I see no reason why it shouldn’t be brought to the attention of the forum readership.

For those reading along here, the book makes for a very enjoyable and instructive read. At night over coffee, I’d find my bookmark… and within moments be drifting down some lonesome gully where the author Ray Mills teaches us how to look for elusive gold nuggets… how to interpret the geology, equipment selection, and how to deal with the search conditions. It’s a remarkable value that we highly recommend to anyone interested in prospecting regardless of experience or knowledge.

Me and the wife will definitely look forward to your next book ‘Gold Sniping with a Mask and Snorkel’ so please put me down for two signed copies if that would be possible. Let’s spice-up this post with a not-so-sassy silver nugget photo just for the heck of it… but thankyou for adding your comments to the discussion Ray… what a nice surprise.

Jim.

​

Jim, as always, it's good to hear from you, and that's a fantastic picture of a very sassy silver nugget!

I hope your summer is a productive one with lots of silver linings.

All the best, and thanks again for gifting me such a great book,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

A big hello and welcome to everyone as it's been a while, but I have been busy out in the wilds chasing that elusive, sassy gold, and the season for chasing gold here in the land of the chosen frozen is brief indeed.

The gold hunting so far has been productive, and I've captured an ever growing poke of nuggets and pickers, all found with the detectors (Minelab X-Terra 705, Gold Bug Pro, Minelab GPX 5000).

I'm still giving the Gold Bug Pro a run, but I'm not orphaning my Minelab 5000 as it's a gold hunting wonder, even if it does have a far steeper learning curve than the Bug Pro, for it will do things the Gold Bug just can't do when it comes to severe ground and gold in deeper ground. As well, the little X-Terra 705 has features the Bug Pro doesn't have that I enjoy, and I can see why Steve H. has always been so frank in his evaluations of various makes and models of detectors over the years: no one detector has every advantage over any other, and that's what makes recommending or choosing just one from among the crowd of available models such a complicated choice.

I'm still learning, still refining, still eager for tips from other successful nugget shooters as success in nugget hunting is something that I will always spar with but likely never truly master, and that's what keeps it a challenge and makes it interesting.

(Pictures and stories will have to wait for the off season I'm afraid.)

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Terry Soloman]

Stay healthy and lucky out there Lanny!

 

[Lanny in AB]

Quick report: I've been learning more about the Minelab 5000 and its amazing capabilities, moreover, I've been fine tuning my hunting skills with the Gold Bug Pro. The nuggets are still getting under my coil somehow and both detectors are doing what they've been designed to do so well.

All the best, and I hope the rest of you are having some fun chasing some gold,

Lanny

 

[goldenmojo]

I was hiking back along the river on Saturday with my prospecting buddy and we passed two small boulders suspended on a bedrock ledge and about twenty five feet above the current waterline. I pointed to the scraped clean area under the boulders and said "that had a lot of fist sized cobbles in there along with a gram of gold. Lanny taught me that" I just want to say Thanks for all of the information and experiences that you share. I use the techniques every time I get out.

G.M.

 

[Jeff95531]

G.M. Me too. Just yesterday, I finally got to bedrock (that was along side bedrock) in a drop zone. You could see the tennis ball to melon size cobble and rocks all laid out in a progressive line from bank to stream at the base of this "mini" ridge. The hole I made where it all came together kept getting smaller and smaller...down to a teaspoon at a time and my frustration was mounting. I grabbed my pry bar and started jabbing around when suddenly the bar went into a void and dropped several inches. Newly motivated, I attacked the hole with a fervor, bloody and sweating till I found an inch of clay on the bottom bedrock, which I also broke up and brought home to sluice today. I didn't even bother to sample at first because this area was undisturbed and exactly as Lanny told me to look for. As I classified into a small ridged pan, I panned some of the very dry material I dug and was seeing flakes and fines. I couldn't even sleep last night...stoopid dirt!

Lanny has given me so much to work with these past couple of years (and another buddy I have yet to meet). I really hated not finding color when I started and no longer is that an issue. TYVM to you and this thread Lanny. Bedrock and Gold is one of your legacies here and is an excellant go-to manual that is not only very educational...it's fun to read too.

 

[Lala]

Now, for a few things I've learned about working bedrock.

When checking bedrock, always look very closely at the surface. This means that you have to clear ALL of the material off of it first. Moreover, any clay, and associated material, that is sticking close to the bedrock, carefully save it, so you can pan it out. This means that you'll need some sniping instruments to clean out all the VISIBLE cracks and crevices as well.

Go to a wholesale supply store, a place that sells lots of various hardware/automotive items, to get some things. Several screwdrivers of various sizes is a place to start. Take a slot screwdriver and put it in a vice and bend a couple of inches of the end into an "L". This will make the screwdriver into a little digging/scraping tool: very handy for cleaning out crevices. You might buy an awl as well. Also, if you're in the right type of store, you can buy dental instruments--they come in all kinds of hook and scraping conformations--excellent for getting into very narrow crevices, and they're made of stainless steel so they won't rust, and they're quite tough too.

Buy several sizes of wire brushes, from the small, almost tooth brush sized ones to the larger ones that you'd scrape a wall down to get it ready to paint. You'll need a variety of chisel sizes as well to break open crevices--the good gold goes down deep, and even if the crevice is narrow, it wasn't always that way. I've taken nice nuggets out of crevices that, in their current configuration, were far too narrow at the top to let in the nuggets they held.

This opens up all kinds of theories as to how the nuggets got there, but the key point here to remember is that they ARE there, and who cares how or why they got there. Bust open those crevices until you're sure you're at the bottom, and then really rip up the bottom until you're in solid bedrock--a note on this later.

You can buy tiny little chisels at hobby/automotive stores. You'll need a variety of sizes. You might want to have a few larger chisels as well, and you can buy ones that have a protective shield on them so you don't smash you hands and fingers. So, you'll also need a small sledge--buy a fiberglass handled one--they're much tougher than the wooden handled ones, and the water doesn't affect them. As well, paint all of your sniping tools fluorsecent orange--trust me, you'll leave things lying around, especially when you find some good gold, and it's much easier to spot them later.

You'll need a variety of brushes, from stiff bristles to softer ones as well. Also, you'll need something to sweep your sniping concentrates into. Those little plastic shovels that kids take to the beach work well for tight places, and plastic dust pans work great in larger spaces. A plastic gardening/planting scoop works wonders too. It's also a good idea to have to have a steel one as well--a lot tougher for digging.

Stainless steel spoons of various sizes are handy for digging and for collecting, and sometimes a tough, small plastic spoon can get you into an otherwise inaccessible spot.

An important point, one I alluded to earlier, and this has to do with the bedrock itself, is that after you've cleared all the visible cracks and crevices, and cleared/washed the bedrock, take a very close look at the bedrock to see if you can notice any subtle differences. Also, watch out for a purple stain with any adhereing clay--for whatever the reason, this purple color sometimes indicates hidden crevices and gold.

Moreover, watching for subtle differences is critical. The reason for this is that sometimes, eons ago, the stream was running little bits of material the exact same color as the bedrock. This material, in combination with binding minerals, formed a matrix that cemented in cracks and crevices, and often, gold was already trapped in the crevices. Why bother? The cemented material makes the crevices virtually invisible, but if you look very closely, and if you chip away at any suspicious looking spots, you may discover a hidden crevice. Furthermore, any cemented material should be carefully crushed and panned. I've found a lot of nice gold this way.

Now, the best way to find these obscure crevices is with a detector; if the nuggets are big enough. I've found many a sassy nugget completely hidden in a totally invisible crevice--one cemented so tightly, and invisibly, that I could not tell with my eye that it was there.

In other words, mother nature did a perfect job of hiding that ancient crevice. Not only that, but the matrix is as strong as the host bedrock, and the bedrock will break off with the matrix as you chisel the nuggets out. Always work well to the sides, above or below, the target signal, so you don't damage the nugget as you chisel it out.

This is where it's critical that you have the right detector for the temperature of the bedrock--by temperature I mean that a cool temperature would be a low mineralized bedrock that a VLF would run smoothly on; and by hot I mean bedrock that only a premium Pulse machine will operate on. If your detector just screams and gives up, go borrow or buy one that will run on that bad bedrock as there just may be some pretty little nuggets trapped in invisible crevices.

So, if any of you can offer advice on bedrocking while dredging, or things to watch for on the bedrock while dredging--signs to be alert for that may indicate hidden gold, or likely areas to rip up or investigate, I'd love to hear your input. Also, if any of you have further tips on sniping, I'd love to hear them as well. I know there's more I need to learn.

All the best,

Lanny in AB

What is the Yellow Buttery Sand. I keep finding this stuff!

 

[Lanny in AB]

What is the Yellow Buttery Sand. I keep finding this stuff!

I hope you're not talking about gold?!

Often with pay layers you'll find a variety of colors, yellow, orange, red, deep purple as heavier items will run with the pay. Very often there's yellow rocks, yellow dirt as well. The maddening thing is that some of those yellow rocks look so much like nuggets, that if it wasn't for specific gravity, they'd fool you, as they sure can fool your eyes.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Quick update:

I was out yesterday detecting some bedrock that I knew was downslope of where some incredible placer was located.

At first glance, I was somewhat discouraged as the bedrock looked as clean as if it had been pressure washed!

But, I've been at this a while, and I love the quote from the Charleton Heston movie, Mother Lode, where he says, "There's always one place you haven't looked." I detected a bit and found a couple of small pieces of foil and that was it (some people think it's amusing to leave little rolled up chunks of foil in the crevices).

I was using the Gold Bug Pro, with the tiny sniper coil and as I passed the coil over a section of bedrock, I got a whisper. I stopped, paid more attention to the sweep and got a nice sound. I moved the coil and there it was, a sun baker! I didn't have to dig or work, all I had to do was pop it in the bottle.

I slowed down and spent a while longer and came up with three other pieces, and the only reason I found them was because I was able to slide the edge of the coil down in between the sheets of bedrock and slowly check the bottom and sides. One of the targets was in the side and the others were down in the bottom.

Great day for it, sunny, warm yet the whole atmosphere tinted by forest fire smoke. It's been that kind of a summer, a summer of burning, but the gold has been plentiful.

When I get the chance, I'll do some write-ups and post some pictures.

Still more sassy nuggets to chase before the short season here is over.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

I was hiking back along the river on Saturday with my prospecting buddy and we passed two small boulders suspended on a bedrock ledge and about twenty five feet above the current waterline. I pointed to the scraped clean area under the boulders and said "that had a lot of fist sized cobbles in there along with a gram of gold. Lanny taught me that" I just want to say Thanks for all of the information and experiences that you share. I use the techniques every time I get out.

G.M.

You are most welcome!

Thanks for dropping in to say so.

As for me, I would know hardly anything without the unselfish help others have so generously given over the years, so I'm glad the tip worked for you.

All the best, and thanks for your note,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

G.M. Me too. Just yesterday, I finally got to bedrock (that was along side bedrock) in a drop zone. You could see the tennis ball to melon size cobble and rocks all laid out in a progressive line from bank to stream at the base of this "mini" ridge. The hole I made where it all came together kept getting smaller and smaller...down to a teaspoon at a time and my frustration was mounting. I grabbed my pry bar and started jabbing around when suddenly the bar went into a void and dropped several inches. Newly motivated, I attacked the hole with a fervor, bloody and sweating till I found an inch of clay on the bottom bedrock, which I also broke up and brought home to sluice today. I didn't even bother to sample at first because this area was undisturbed and exactly as Lanny told me to look for. As I classified into a small ridged pan, I panned some of the very dry material I dug and was seeing flakes and fines. I couldn't even sleep last night...stoopid dirt!

Lanny has given me so much to work with these past couple of years (and another buddy I have yet to meet). I really hated not finding color when I started and no longer is that an issue. TYVM to you and this thread Lanny. Bedrock and Gold is one of your legacies here and is an excellant go-to manual that is not only very educational...it's fun to read too.

Wow Jeff!

What can I say after kind works like that?

You are most welcome, and I'm so very happy you're finding gold by using some of the tips.

I'm still learning, and I've learned more about detecting again this summer, and the nuggets are the benefit of the learning.

I've tackled completely different conditions this year that I've never tackled before, and I've found some nice, sassy gold because of it.

All the best, and thanks for your kind words of appreciation,

Lanny

 

[Baptiste Brown]

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold...

 

[Lala]

I hope you're not talking about gold?!

Often with pay layers you'll find a variety of colors, yellow, orange, red, deep purple as heavier items will run with the pay. Very often there's yellow rocks, yellow dirt as well. The maddening thing is that some of those yellow rocks look so much like nuggets, that if it wasn't for specific gravity, they'd fool you, as they sure can fool your eyes.

All the best,

Lanny

Well, Yeah. I find them in pockets of red clay all the time. Is this a good thing? I'll have to snap a photo of it next time I'm out there. It looks similar.

 

[Lanny in AB]

If it's pockets inside of clay, it sounds like a little lens. Always check the contents of a lens; sometimes they can hold gold, and other times you'll get absolutely nothing. But, if you follow the three rules of prospecting (1. Test, 2. Test, 3. Test.), you'll quickly find out what's in those lenses.

So, pan and test to be sure. Nature has strange ways of setting up deposits. Thus the old saying, "Gold is where you find it."

I remember once thinking I was funny by responding to the old saying by replying, "Well, if gold is where you find it, then it must not be where you don't find it." I don't make fun of the original saying now, seeing some of the strange places that gold shows up.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold...

I love that quote . . . Been there, done some of the strange things to boot.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Aufisher]

Congratulations on the sun baker Lanny! Those are the best!