Hard rock sampling tips?

[IDAu]

It appears I’m in a place with high grade pockets and little to none in between. Does anyone have tips they can share or how to go about this?

If I had the equipment to process tons I’d just chug away at the whole vein keeping notes as I went along. But right now it’s a small PITA grinder and a pan.

Here’s what I did. On this hydrothermal breccia vein I trenched from top to bottom and bagged 3 separate samples. Top, bottom, and a solid quartz vein in the middle (circled).

They all seem to be about the same. Averaging 1 tiny color per pan. I’m guessing this is nowhere near worth mining so I’m going to have to hope I hit random high grade pockets that I can later ID. Paying for an assay seems kind of pointless in this situation.

 

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[Assembler]

It appears I’m in a place with high grade pockets and little to none in between. Does anyone have tips they can share or how to go about this?

If I had the equipment to process tons I’d just chug away at the whole vein keeping notes as I went along. But right now it’s a small PITA grinder and a pan.

Here’s what I did. On this hydrothermal breccia vein I trenched from top to bottom and bagged 3 separate samples. Top, bottom, and a solid quartz vein in the middle (circled).

They all seem to be about the same. Averaging 1 tiny color per pan. I’m guessing this is nowhere near worth mining so I’m going to have to hope I hit random high grade pockets that I can later ID. Paying for an assay seems kind of pointless in this situation.

I'm guessing that you can't take a look at the location where the producing ore rock was processed or even just crushed ?

Looking for metamorphic rock is likely a place to start for crushing and panning.
Any out of place rock also could be a place to start along a contact zone area.

 

[IDAu]

I'm guessing that you can't take a look at the location where the producing ore rock was processed or even just crushed ?

Looking for metamorphic rock is likely a place to start for crushing and panning.
Any out of place rock also could be a place to start along a contact zone area.

I cannot access the old location.

So far from another sample, I got about a color in each pan from the top half and nothing from the lower half.

I'm going to fire assay a sample from the top soon. Not really sure if I should invest the money just to process something like this without knowing if and when a hot spot may be located in it.

 

[Mountaineer2020]

I cannot access the old location.

So far from another sample, I got about a color in each pan from the top half and nothing from the lower half.

I'm going to fire assay a sample from the top soon. Not really sure if I should invest the money just to process something like this without knowing if and when a hot spot may be located in it.

Sampling for me is like playing a slot machine! Every time I think I have the winning combo I pull the lever again and it changes. But it's always a kick to take it back to the mini mill and run it through. Once you do find some decent color you'll get to know what it looks like compared to waste rock. Been working an andesite vein with quartz stringers and have found that where there's some black sooty material there will sometimes be decent ore in that area. But not always. On a different mine I work it's argillite country rock with a quartz breccia. Where the vein is just crushed and pulverized the values aren't there but where the quartz starts to predominate and have form there are values. Each veins different and all we can do is sample. That's why alot of theose old mines had an assay office onsite. A quick and dirty mill setup would be a chain flail grinder and one of those dream mat micro gold sluices set up just right. Could process a bucket right quick with that and get a real good idea what you have.

 

[IDAu]

Sampling for me is like playing a slot machine! Every time I think I have the winning combo I pull the lever again and it changes. But it's always a kick to take it back to the mini mill and run it through. Once you do find some decent color you'll get to know what it looks like compared to waste rock. Been working an andesite vein with quartz stringers and have found that where there's some black sooty material there will sometimes be decent ore in that area. But not always. On a different mine I work its argillite country rock with a quartz breccia. Where the vein is just crushed and pulverized the values aren't there but where the quartz starts to predominate and have form there are values. Each veins different and all we can do is sample. That's why alot of theose old mines had an assay office onsite. A quick and dirty mill setup would be a chain flail grinder and one of those dream mat micro gold sluices set up just right. Could process a bucket right quick with that and get a real good idea what you have.

I sampled the same material further up and found no free milling gold. This seems more like placer mining. Areas with good color, but a few feet to the right in the same material nothing.


I’ll have my hammer mill and table set up on sight in the spring so that should help.

I started doing my own assays. I got this from a sample that produced no free milling gold. I’m not 100% on the gold content. I tried parting with nitric and it mostly dissolved. Here’s a pic before and after.

 

[Mountaineer2020]

I sampled the same material further up and found no free milling gold. This seems more like placer mining. Areas with good color, but a few feet to the right in the same material nothing.


I’ll have my hammer mill and table set up on sight in the spring so that should help.

I started doing my own assays. I got this from a sample that produced no free milling gold. I’m not 100% on the gold content. I tried parting with nitric and it mostly dissolved. Here’s a pic before and after.

Well it's something! I haven't tried the nitric yet. Even if it's not free milling gold if you can concentrate it enough to smelt the sulfides or whatever the gold is trapped in that might work. Tried doing that with my pyrite sulphide ore but there was too much sulphides to smelt so I tried some roasting. Roasting really reduced the cons but the head ore was only running 0.05 opt. I was a victim of the pocket effect on one of my assays.

Sounds like a real pockety vein. I'm still looking for the big ore shoot too so know what you're going through. Maybe it will be the next pick strike! If there's alot of development or exposed vein it's a matter of repeated sampling. In the area where I am at the big ore shoots general grade was 0.4 - 0.5 opt. There were rich pockets but the lower grade ore tended to have more persistent shoots.

 

[russau]

GOOD LUCK on your adventure and I hope you find your BIG PAYDAY SOON !

 

[IDAu]

Well it's something! I haven't tried the nitric yet. Even if it's not free milling gold if you can concentrate it enough to smelt the sulfides or whatever the gold is trapped in that might work. Tried doing that with my pyrite sulphide ore but there was too much sulphides to smelt so I tried some roasting. Roasting really reduced the cons but the head ore was only running 0.05 opt. I was a victim of the pocket effect on one of my assays.

Sounds like a real pockety vein. I'm still looking for the big ore shoot too so know what you're going through. Maybe it will be the next pick strike! If there's alot of development or exposed vein it's a matter of repeated sampling. In the area where I am at the big ore shoots general grade was 0.4 - 0.5 opt. There were rich pockets but the lower grade ore tended to have more persistent shoots.

Man I'd kill for a consistent 1/2OPT. If I could consistently get than and run a ton per week I'm making a living.

I just don't know what to do. If it's pockety, it seems to me like you couldn't be sure you're not missing one without running the whole thing? If it's as spotty as it seems to be for me, taking these 25-50 pound samples to test may actually take more time than just taking the whole thing. I cannot believe how GOOD my last sample looked but contained no free mill just a 10' to the right on the same vein.


I could be wrong, but I have a feeling what these guys overlooked could be a pay day for me. Hopefully once I get back into it there are lots of "overlooks" they skipped. I'm not even sure it this is the material they were running.

 

[Assembler]

Man I'd kill for a consistent 1/2OPT. If I could consistently get than and run a ton per week I'm making a living.

I just don't know what to do. If it's pockety, it seems to me like you couldn't be sure you're not missing one without running the whole thing? If it's as spotty as it seems to be for me, taking these 25-50 pound samples to test may actually take more time than just taking the whole thing. I cannot believe how GOOD my last sample looked but contained no free mill just a 10' to the right on the same vein.


I could be wrong, but I have a feeling what these guys overlooked could be a pay day for me. Hopefully once I get back into it there are lots of "overlooks" they skipped. I'm not even sure it this is the material they were running.

If you can figure out what materials the guys where running should help you sort out materials. Just saying.
Will the low grade ore cover costs?

 

[Assembler]

Well it's something! I haven't tried the nitric yet. Even if it's not free milling gold if you can concentrate it enough to smelt the sulfides or whatever the gold is trapped in that might work. Tried doing that with my pyrite sulphide ore but there was too much sulphides to smelt so I tried some roasting. Roasting really reduced the cons but the head ore was only running 0.05 opt. I was a victim of the pocket effect on one of my assays.

Sounds like a real pockety vein. I'm still looking for the big ore shoot too so know what you're going through. Maybe it will be the next pick strike! If there's alot of development or exposed vein it's a matter of repeated sampling. In the area where I am at the big ore shoots general grade was 0.4 - 0.5 opt. There were rich pockets but the lower grade ore tended to have more persistent shoots.

Will the low grade ore cover costs?
Perhaps there is some indicators such as temperature changes of the sulfide carrier dropout in the low grade next to the higher grade materials / pockets?

 

[Assembler]

Did the guys who worked the mine before have any gravity separation gold or other values only in the pockets?

Did the guys who worked before just dump the low grade ores?

 

[Assembler]

My guess is that the guys who worked the mine before did not roast many tons of ore materials??

Finding any different type of rocks on the tunnel floor could be some clues as to other rock that was worked??

 

[Assembler]

Why not wet sluice the materials on the mine floor out side of the tunnel to see if you can get better colors then what you have pointed out so far?
When you find a spot that gives you way better colors perhaps that is near where a pocket was?
Perhaps a metal detector could be used near that area as well??

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Man I'd kill for a consistent 1/2OPT. If I could consistently get than and run a ton per week I'm making a living.

I just don't know what to do. If it's pockety, it seems to me like you couldn't be sure you're not missing one without running the whole thing? If it's as spotty as it seems to be for me, taking these 25-50 pound samples to test may actually take more time than just taking the whole thing. I cannot believe how GOOD my last sample looked but contained no free mill just a 10' to the right on the same vein.


I could be wrong, but I have a feeling what these guys overlooked could be a pay day for me. Hopefully once I get back into it there are lots of "overlooks" they skipped. I'm not even sure it this is the material they were running.

he typed '0.05 opt.' which =/= half OPT

 

[IDAu]

he typed '0.05 opt.' which =/= half OPT

He also typed 0.4-0.5OPT in the big shoots….

 

[IDAu]

Will the low grade ore cover costs?

It depends. I just spoke with someone who had experience in my mine many years ago.

It sounds like I need equipment to drive a new adit before I can safely get into it. I'm in over my head a bit and did not realize the size of it. He drew me a map....apparently I have several levels down to 5-600+ feet. They were hitting 20 OPT at this level, but it's likely impossible to rehab those shafts due to the insane cost. It does sound like they probably overlooked a lot of lower grade stuff. He mentioned several times the amount of good gold that's come out of this mine.

Recommended using an excavator to come in from the top on the breccia vein posted. I am trying to get it all set up but I can't do much more until spring.


I probably need an investor just to get into it. And I have no idea how to write this up. Someone said 60% profit until the moneys paid back and 2-3% royalties after that. To me, that doesn't sound like a very enticing offer.

 

[Assembler]

It depends. I just spoke with someone who had experience in my mine many years ago.

It sounds like I need equipment to drive a new adit before I can safely get into it. I'm in over my head a bit and did not realize the size of it. He drew me a map....apparently I have several levels down to 5-600+ feet. They were hitting 20 OPT at this level, but it's likely impossible to rehab those shafts due to the insane cost. It does sound like they probably overlooked a lot of lower grade stuff. He mentioned several times the amount of good gold that's come out of this mine.

Recommended using an excavator to come in from the top on the breccia vein posted. I am trying to get it all set up but I can't do much more until spring.


I probably need an investor just to get into it. And I have no idea how to write this up. Someone said 60% profit until the moneys paid back and 2-3% royalties after that. To me, that doesn't sound like a very enticing offer.

Two levels down at 5-600 ft. is a long ways to go. If you can find better lower grade materials this could keep you going?
A speck here and there will likely not cover your costs.

Was all of the rock moved out by the upper tunnel / shaft?
You could find other such rock on the floor of the tunnel?

 

[Assembler]

It sounds like a lot of rock was processed at a different location. Can you find out?

 

[IDAu]

Two levels down at 5-600 ft. is a long ways to go. If you can find better lower grade materials this could keep you going?
A speck here and there will likely not cover your costs.

Was all of the rock moved out by the upper tunnel / shaft?
You could find other such rock on the floor of the tunnel?

That’s the plan. It’s highly likely they left a lot of lower gray stuff in the upper level. The problem is getting to it right now. They had every intention of continuing mining. So much that a pneumatic rail mucker is back there behind collapse along with a slusher.



It was all moved out through the upper tunnel.

 

[Assembler]

That’s the plan. It’s highly likely they left a lot of lower gray stuff in the upper level. The problem is getting to it right now. They had every intention of continuing mining. So much that a pneumatic rail mucker is back there behind collapse along with a slusher.



It was all moved out through the upper tunnel.

Some equipment that is not worn out is a plus to get to that level. The gray stuff could be a better grade in the outer parts next to the contact zone?
Why did it cave in?
Did the other people run out of better materials?