First Foray into Processing Crushed Rock

[JohnWhite]

This song used to motivate me when I was chasing ancient Spanish mining reals…If there was one lost Cripple Creek, there just might be another…Or at least that is what I used to believe…And that belief was very motivating…

Ed T

 

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[Assembler]

This song used to motivate me when I was chasing ancient Spanish mining reals…If there was one lost Cripple Creek, there just might be another…Or at least that is what I used to believe…And that belief was very motivating…

Ed T

Good point anything that help to motivate is a big help as not every day goes like you may want it too.

 

[desertgolddigger]

It may be time to look outside of the claim area. Did you find any in the rocks dry washing?

Many club claims have seen better day's.

Assembler, I've dug up some rocks in the wash, and nothing. As for outside the claim, it's impossible to know whether you're on someone's claim, as most apparently don't mark their claims with the four corner posts and discovery marker.

I've tried detecting on and off the claim, and again, impossible, as there is so much man made junk in the ground, it's almost enough to drive you crazy. It's mostly rusted , or stuff from shooting.

I'll keep hiking around, in the hills with the detector like I did when I finally figured out what that isolated segment of road actually was. That day was mostly quiet with the detector only sounding off twice on a shell casing, and small metal fragment.

I think I have two more canyons adjacent to the club claim I haven't walked and detected. Beyond those, I believe there are several supposed claims according to "Land Matters".

The next two weeks are supposed to have intermittent rain showers. Here in the desert, those can be dangerous to be out in, as it can result in a flash flood. I have about a month and a half of cool weather to explore. After that, the heat will probably be back on.

The club had a couple other claims. I just need to be shown wherentheynare, as the written directions really were useless. One set of claims is about 40 miles away. You have to drive through JTNP in order to get to them, and supposedly, one of our members went off searching, and found a good bit of gold off claim. That's probably my last chance at finding a place I can stake a claim, as there are only a couple of registered claims in that area. Just need to know how to get there, and make sure the roads are passable for my Nissan Frontier 4x4.

So It's not over, but nearly so. Just wish people who have registered claims would mark them properly. There is a rule about that, isn't there?

 

[Assembler]

Assembler, I've dug up some rocks in the wash, and nothing. As for outside the claim, it's impossible to know whether you're on someone's claim, as most apparently don't mark their claims with the four corner posts and discovery marker.

I've tried detecting on and off the claim, and again, impossible, as there is so much man made junk in the ground, it's almost enough to drive you crazy. It's mostly rusted , or stuff from shooting.

I'll keep hiking around, in the hills with the detector like I did when I finally figured out what that isolated segment of road actually was. That day was mostly quiet with the detector only sounding off twice on a shell casing, and small metal fragment.

I think I have two more canyons adjacent to the club claim I haven't walked and detected. Beyond those, I believe there are several supposed claims according to "Land Matters".

The next two weeks are supposed to have intermittent rain showers. Here in the desert, those can be dangerous to be out in, as it can result in a flash flood. I have about a month and a half of cool weather to explore. After that, the heat will probably be back on.

The club had a couple other claims. I just need to be shown wherentheynare, as the written directions really were useless. One set of claims is about 40 miles away. You have to drive through JTNP in order to get to them, and supposedly, one of our members went off searching, and found a good bit of gold off claim. That's probably my last chance at finding a place I can stake a claim, as there are only a couple of registered claims in that area. Just need to know how to get there, and make sure the roads are passable for my Nissan Frontier 4x4.

So It's not over, but nearly so. Just wish people who have registered claims would mark them properly. There is a rule about that, isn't there?

The other claims sounds better.
Keep an open mind as many have found values worth mining by looking where others have not dug. Try to find any spot that has a fair amount of colors then look out from there. Hey if you feel it is not over then you stand a good chance when you can start finding a fair amount of colors. This is what happens to about 90% (or more) of the people determined to find it.

Don't worry about the size of the gold as it is really about finding a deposit of the mineral.
Keep going it just means you have eliminated where not to look for it.

 

[JohnWhite]

I got one heck of an Christmas present this year…lol…Thank God I was double boosted…I thought I was coming down with the flu…

Oh well, life will go on…

Ed T

 

[desertgolddigger]

Today was another Zilch. I'm just wondering if those gold glints I think I've been seeing in the rocks I've broken, were just a figment of my imagination. The rocks I just decided to pick up without any examination are the only ones that've actually produced any gold. Luck or a sixth sense. I've also found placer gold by just thinking, gee that's a good place, without any idea why I decided on that area.

Anyway, I finally got smart about locating one of our claims. Instead of following the directions the club made up, I found the location by coordinates as I cursored over the Goggle map. I just wish I could figure out how to get claim coordinate info, and plot it on Google Earth. It would be a lot easier if I could have boundaries shown in that program. Then I could explore where there aren't any claims.

 

[JohnWhite]

I saw an interesting report about the 3 word method. The report stated that the entire Earth has been mapped out in 10 meter sections, I believe. And any place on the planet can give you exact location by giving you 3 established words…I wonder if it could work for you?

3 word location - Google Search

Call me paranoid…But I never carried any modern electronic with me into the field…

I was wrong…it seems it is 3 meter sections…

Ed T

 

[desertgolddigger]

I finally found the other club claim I've had difficulty locating. Today wasn't any different. I took a few wrong turns that put me in the position of having to back quite a ways to fin a turn around point,

I finally found the road, and immediately recognized the two washes I had to traverse.

I picked up two half buckets of what everyone seems to call float. They had gold glints in them, but after running a test sample through the Mill, I think it was fool's gold.

I picked up three types of rock that showed these glints, so I won't know for sure until I run those. But I get the feeling the claim abounds with this type of pyrite, as well as the silvery kind. At least I didn't process any more lead. So the lead might be the Humbug claim norm.

I got lucky today with the storms predicted coming through at night. That was the only reason I got out, and found this claim. The washes did show a trace of recent flowing water, so I'll probably not be going back for a few weeks. I have to crush and check the rocks I have at home, and hope a couple actually have some gold in them.

So far I've run things six different times, and got nothing. My luck has to improve eventually.

Of course, I didn't have time to wander around a lot with the detector. All I got today was some metal fragments.

 

[desertgolddigger]

I'm not sure what I plan on doing is smart, but it may eliminate the frustration factor.

Since it seems the detectorists have beeped everywhere an old timer mine exists in the area where I live, I'll take another approach which should eliminate my carting hundreds of pounds of rock home.

I'll take my 6x8 inch steel plate and two pound sledge hammer, and crack the rocks on the spot. If nothing is inside, it gets tossed into a discard heap. I just finished cracking open every rock I brought home with me today, and I didn't see any semblance of a glint of even micro fine gold on the insides of the rocks.

I'd been going by small glints on the outside of the rocks. What I believe I was seeing is loose pyrites that somehow got attached to those rocks. In other words, I got fooled in another way.

If possible, I'm going to crack open all the ore I sorted as promising tomorrow. I refuse to run something through the chain mill if it doesn't at least show a glint of real gold. I'm wearing out chains and screens too quickly right now.

If anyone sees a logic error in what I plan, please let me know why it's an error. I'm just tired of breaking rock with the Mill, and getting nothing to show for it.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Another day with zilch. I finally ran a magnet through what I had thought was lead, but it's magnetic. I guess it might be a mixture of several metals. I've a lead melting pot, I'm going to dump that stuff in, just to see if anything separates.

I packed up some of the rock I have brought home, and weather permitting, it gets dumped in the wash near our claim.

I'm not picking up any more rock without confirming something is inside,

I'll go out to the other club claim, but not to look for rock on it. I'll be, from now on, taking my detector, a bucket, magnifying lense, and hammer until I find something. If it's a good spot, I'll be sampling a few times before I have to learn how to file a claim. If it's too expensive, I'll just have to work the place until someone files, and boots me.

I just can't be any more frustrated looking out in the desert for my own place, than I am lugging worthless rock home. I doubt anything will produce anything like southfork has in his backyard, and around his area, but a few grams now and then would make my day

 

[southfork]

Another day with zilch. I finally ran a magnet through what I had thought was lead, but it's magnetic. I guess it might be a mixture of several metals. I've a lead melting pot, I'm going to dump that stuff in, just to see if anything separates.

I packed up some of the rock I have brought home, and weather permitting, it gets dumped in the wash near our claim.

I'm not picking up any more rock without confirming something is inside,

I'll go out to the other club claim, but not to look for rock on it. I'll be, from now on, taking my detector, a bucket, magnifying lense, and hammer until I find something. If it's a good spot, I'll be sampling a few times before I have to learn how to file a claim. If it's too expensive, I'll just have to work the place until someone files, and boots me.

I just can't be any more frustrated looking out in the desert for my own place, than I am lugging worthless rock home. I doubt anything will produce anything like southfork has in his backyard, and around his area, but a few grams now and then would make my day

We break a lot of worthless rock I check with a loupe if I find one speck it goes into the crush bucket. My son only hauls rock that makes the detector beep almost guaranteed to have a little gold. But he detects sunup to sundown most days, but we live in the middle of what was and is still rich. I know we made more than minimum wage almost double yesterday for three of us but barely lol. But we had fun doing it after a week of covid lock down.

 

[desertgolddigger]

We break a lot of worthless rock I check with a loupe if I find one speck it goes into the crush bucket. My son only hauls rock that makes the detector beep almost guaranteed to have a little gold. But he detects sunup to sundown most days, but we live in the middle of what was and is still rich. I know we made more than minimum wage almost double yesterday for three of us but barely lol. But we had fun doing it after a week of covid lock down.

I guess you're saying not to be hasty, but to break those rocks, and check them. I guess you're right, but so far I've seen absolutely nothing in seven rounds of rock breaking, and crushing. I keep getting spoofed by the really little gold glints, even with a magnifying 30X loupe. I wish I could somehow disregard to gold pyrites, but I can't tell the difference when they're so small.

 

[JohnWhite]

It usually helps if you know what type or types of country rock the gold has been found in…The USGS usually has publications which states what others have discovered gold and other minerals in…If you can get to the point of knowing what to look for your odds get much better in finding minerals of interest…Not every quartz deposit is gold bearing…

Good luck in your search…It can be very frustrating at times…It is just like any other endeavor…It takes a lot of trial and error…

Ed T

 

[desertgolddigger]

It usually helps if you know what type or types of country rock the gold has been found in…The USGS usually has publications which states what others have discovered gold and other minerals in…If you can get to the point of knowing what to look for your odds get much better in finding minerals of interest…Not every quartz deposit is gold bearing…

Good luck in your search…It can be very frustrating at times…It is just like any other endeavor…It takes a lot of trial and error…

Ed T

Minedat.org wrote about the geology of the 29 Palms area : "The region is underlain chiefly by quartz monzonite and gneiss, with smaller amounts of granite, diorite, and gabbro. Also there are some pegmatite and diorite dikes. The deposits consist of narrow quartz veins containing free gold, pyrite, and often abundant iron oxide. A number of small but high-grade pockets have been recovered."

So there's gold, but it isn't as extensive as in some places that have digs running for miles. These are generally not large or extensive in length. It pretty much means that the majority of deposits are small. The old timers found all the visible ones, and maybe some that were just barely covered, but apparently there's more based on what one person told me. It's a matter of metal detecting, and maybe test panning to find the source, if a source buried can leach out gold. Otherwise, it's up to the metal detector to discover a covered lode. In other words, sheer luck is involved.

The area I want to check has an abundance of quartz float, but I haven't seen any visible mining. There are two placer claims, and a third about a mile from those two. The hard rock mines are several ridges over from those, so no other claims in the area that I know of.

 

[JohnWhite]

If I were you I would probably take a break from your quest for gold, at least for a while…Have you thought about checking out the pegmatites for any possible gem material? Tourmaline and other gems have been associated with granite pegmatite…

Just a thought…

Ed T

 

[desertgolddigger]

If I were you I would probably take a break from your quest for gold, at least for a while…Have you thought about checking out the pegmatites for any possible gem material? Tourmaline and other gems have been associated with granite pegmatite…

Just a thought…

Ed T

From what I understand those gems aren't found in our area. Of course, that doesn't mean they're not there. It just means no one has found any. Of course, I could find something by accident. :-)

As for taking a break, I could do that, but I found I start feeling sluggish when I'm not out doing waling or digging to stay in shape. I don't want to regain the weight I've worked so hard to lose.

 

[JohnWhite]

I met a guy in Mexico over 30 years ago…He used a pick axe and drove a shaft through a hill in his search for gold…He was so proud of his accomplishment…He even showed me his site…I tried to explain to him it was a granite pegmatite and that he should be looking for other rare minerals other than gold…I even pointed out some lepidolite…But he kept on insisting he would continue his search for gold…Sadly he passed away several years ago…And he continued his search for gold up to the day he passed…

He did make a living by selling some of the minerals he came across in his searches…But I don’t think he ever found his gold mine…

Ed T

 

[southfork]

in San Bernardino County, California​

Claims looks like you have more possibility's than we do

• 103,023 Total
• 8,540 Active
• 94,483 Closed

 

[Assembler]

From what I understand those gems aren't found in our area. Of course, that doesn't mean they're not there. It just means no one has found any. Of course, I could find something by accident. :-)

As for taking a break, I could do that, but I found I start feeling sluggish when I'm not out doing waling or digging to stay in shape. I don't want to regain the weight I've worked so hard to lose.

Try shifting your work out efforts to just digging and panning. When you start to find a reasonable amount of colors then start checking out the rock right there and fan out in the direction you think the rock is coming from. May be time to get out the detector too at that point.

 

[desertgolddigger]

in San Bernardino County, California​

Claims looks like you have more possibility's than we do

• 103,023 Total
• 8,540 Active
• 94,483 Closed

southfork, yeah, a lot of them. I know of a couple, but the roads are no longer passable. I know, as one road to one of them just ended over a deep wash.

The area I want to try is fairly easy to walk around. The road is fair. And based on what metal detecting I did, very little man made metal trash. Tomorrow will be a walk about, as I have to get back through the main washes before the predicted rain hits.