Is it worth crushing all quartz found in a rich gold district?

[NovaScotiaGold]

I just got a hint of the gold fever and thought I'd give a quick hunt a try. I probably should have studied up a lot more before beginning this, but as I do ... im into it and don't know what I'm doing lol

I made my way around Waverley, Nova Scotia (a known gold town around here -70,000oz pulled out of the area over the years) for a hunt for gold bearing quartz.

I found a few large stones and a few smaller ones I believe may have gold / silver inside of them and trace amounts on. (Small round flakes found on surface / jammed in surface cracks)

A few quartz stones are light and a few are much heavier than I would have expected.

Wondering if its worth exploring into the stones or if the gold would be on the exterior of the rocks only if it were to have existed. Should I gather the soils from the areas I found the stones instead of smacking the rock with a mallet until it pops?

Anyone want to post the typical link for newbies on how to begin processing samples for viability?

 

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[Bejay]

I have often picked up "gold typical quartz" in known gold producing locations. I carry a loop magnifying glass (had it sense I was a young geology student). I look for a specific kind of quartz which has some iron sulfides etc in it....or other mineralization. I examine every nook and cranny of the stone (always in bright sunlight). I look for a trace speck of gold (most often not visible with the naked eye). I then take them back and crush them a little...examining each piece closely. I have often found that the interior of the rock/stone is laced with gold....and then sometimes the rock/stone only has a spec.

It makes for some interesting days out in the field. One must be able to determine if the speck is not fools gold (FeS2). Panning a crushed stone can usually make that determination clear...but the scratch test with a dental tool works extremely well. Good luck....I think you will get the fever good upon discovering some gold in quartz.

Bejay

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

This is what i found today:



I think pic #4 is obvious gold!?!

Left a few behind to go grab another time im in the area.

 

[arizau]

Just to add a little fuel to your fire (fever)........This interesting article turned up while researching gold sources in your area. New Nova Scotia gold rush: Miners seek riches in flecks of precious metal - Nova Scotia - CBC News. It refers to the fact that the company referenced is actually finding signs of gold in claystone which I assume is a type of country rock. Gold is not normally found in country rock but sometimes can be found in the veins that intersect it. I don't recall ever hearing of it before but with research you may find descriptions and look for it on your outings along with quartz.

In my opinion and if I were you I would get a gold pan, learn how to use it and look for placer gold deposits. The ice age ground down mountains, some with gold veins in them, and redeposited the ground up material along the way and when they receded. I would search for placer gold in streams that cut and drain through those glacial deposits. There is nothing wrong with examining individual rocks with a loupe either as Bejay suggested but I would only do that after I had determined that there was placer gold being found in the same vicinity.



Good luck.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

I have often picked up "gold typical quartz" in known gold producing locations. I carry a loop magnifying glass (had it sense I was a young geology student). I look for a specific kind of quartz which has some iron sulfides etc in it....or other mineralization. I examine every nook and cranny of the stone (always in bright sunlight). I look for a trace speck of gold (most often not visible with the naked eye). I then take them back and crush them a little...examining each piece closely. I have often found that the interior of the rock/stone is laced with gold....and then sometimes the rock/stone only has a spec.

It makes for some interesting days out in the field. One must be able to determine if the speck is not fools gold (FeS2). Panning a crushed stone can usually make that determination clear...but the scratch test with a dental tool works extremely well. Good luck....I think you will get the fever good upon discovering some gold in quartz.

Bejay

I hit the ground running today. Simply went on a walk to look and came home with head sized samples

I have zero tools im supposed to have (will purchase a loop for sure) but I did have my dslr with a 100mm macro lens, got some sparkle in the field, thought solid arsenic? Mercury? ... cleaned samples up and thought / think I see gold in at least pic 4.

Got it a bit worse now yea ... got to buy my first pan!
(Kitchen plate is fun and all, but garbage to get anything done with my skill set)

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Just to add a little fuel to your fire (fever)........This interesting article turned up while researching gold sources in your area. New Nova Scotia gold rush: Miners seek riches in flecks of precious metal - Nova Scotia - CBC News. It refers to the fact that the company referenced is actually finding signs of gold in claystone which I assume is a type of country rock. Gold is not normally found in country rock but sometimes can be found in the veins that intersect it. I don't recall ever hearing of it before but with research you may find descriptions and look for it on your outings along with quartz.

In my opinion and if I were you I would get a gold pan, learn how to use it and look for placer gold deposits. The ice age ground down mountains, some with gold veins in them, and redeposited the ground up material along the way and when they receded. I would search for placer gold in streams that cut and drain through those glacial deposits. There is nothing wrong with examining individual rocks with a loupe either as Bejay suggested but I would only do that after I had determined that there was placer gold being found in the same vicinity.



Good luck.

Yea, thats fake news, ignore that lol
No gold here .....

Thanks for the shout out, I live close to the area I found the samples ... historic mine (1864 - 1944 I believe) ... I know the area semi well ... I will go back to my site and gather up more of these rocks for later crushing . Quite a few still attached to other stones Im assuming I should crack off on site instead of splitting and dragging the whole stone back for investigation.

Im hearing there is a lot of gold in southern Nova Scotia, new mines opening ... something just told me to go look and see what happens. Had a good day, even if I am left confused by my results at this point

 

[bobw53]

The rock thing.... I had to start wearing a belt because my pants kept falling down from all the rocks in my pockets.

Look up currency microscopes on e-bay... They are CHEAP!! buy a bunch of them, they do break and all your friends will want one..
Buy a pile of batteries while you are there. 100 cheap batteries delivered was cheaper than 3 of them down at the hardware store.

RESEARCH... Figure out WHY the gold is there, and figure out HOW the gold got there, and figure out what the gold was traveling in
in your area... It took me a long time to not pick up every pretty piece of milky white quartz I came across.. In some areas its not
going to be in the pretty quartz.. might be in the smoky quartz, or the rosy quartz.... Around my house the gold is near, but not in
the black quartz...

Where I go play a lot, I don't even pick up the quartz anymore. The ore that came out of that area is UGLY.. Greenish grey, and then trends more
towards a white as you move to the west... The more pyrite thats in it, the more gold, from my own experience...

Here is a cool example I found this spring... I hadn't seen this before, so the rock came home with me.. The greenish grey that I outlined is what
the ore looks like in the area.. Its like a little mini spider vein.

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH... And then go play..... The fever hit me last week, and I didn't have the time to get out... Grabbed a few buckets out of the drainage
ditch in front of the shop, really no historical gold here at all... 4 pieces of 120-250 and a dozen pieces of -250... Hardly worth the time and effort, but it
sure was nice to see some shiny, even if there wasn't much and it was TINY!!

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Went back this morning and hauled a stone out of the woods by hand. (Weighs like 65lbs)

This is what Im finding ... the sample has what im calling a round flake of gold still mashed onto the stone. (8 o'clock from dime)

Should I keep scavenging for this stuff?

Here is another showing it attached to its host rock.

Given the size / weight im trying to figure out if I should haul back complete stones or simply remove the white stone for processing.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I don't see anything in those rocks that would trigger me into packing them home.

I would increase your odds by focus on suspect rocks in the immediate vicinity of mines known for free milling gold, or pocket gold.
You have to remember faults and quartz veins are common all across the crust of the earth (as are shiny gold colored minerals).

Gold can look different depending on various factors, but by in large it is easily distinguished from other non-gold minerals.
Google "gold ore" and you will see a common theme.



If you trudge around old mines long enough, you will run across a pile of ore that was not processed.

By the way, scratch the gold colored area near 8 o'clock by your dime...I will bet it's insect related..

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

As to the initial question...Is it worth crushing all quartz rocks found in a gold bearing area....crush up and pan a single 5 gallon bucket and you will know your answer.

It's a lot of work, even if you have a small jaw crusher and milling/pulverizer.

No it's better to prospect first.

 

[Assembler]

As to the initial question...Is it worth crushing all quartz rocks found in a gold bearing area....crush up and pan a single 5 gallon bucket and you will know your answer.

It's a lot of work, even if you have a small jaw crusher and milling/pulverizer.

No it's better to prospect first.

Yes it is a lot of work indeed. However is one way to find out the values in a given volume of rock.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Yes it is a lot of work indeed. However is one way to find out the values in a given volume of rock.

Thats my theory as well. I crushed a really tiny stone I found into dust easily in a crushing bowl. May as well dedicate some time into exploring for trace amounts I figured by building a better crusher using capped pipe and a crushing rod.

Just placed my first order on Amazon for starter equipment ... ordered a 100 mesh sifting pan, a gold pan and a rock hammer

Next order will be for a 70 mesh sifting pan, sniffer / snuffer combo, magnifying tweezers, magnetic seperation tool and a dental tool for scratching sample I figure I can prep some crushed material in the mean time for processing.

Im setting a goal to hobby acquire 20 grams of gold by this time next year

Next stops in the next few days are to the 2 mining museums set up in the area im searching. Im banking on samples of rich local ore being on display and being able to easily acquire target sites based on what I learn.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

As to the initial question...Is it worth crushing all quartz rocks found in a gold bearing area....crush up and pan a single 5 gallon bucket and you will know your answer.

It's a lot of work, even if you have a small jaw crusher and milling/pulverizer.

No it's better to prospect first.

I will use your advise and sample 5 gallons of rock to test for viability of samples. Typical goal in 5 gallons to have worthwhile location would be trace or measurable amounts?

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

I don't see anything in those rocks that would trigger me into packing them home.

I would increase your odds by focus on suspect rocks in the immediate vicinity of mines known for free milling gold, or pocket gold.
You have to remember faults and quartz veins are common all across the crust of the earth (as are shiny gold colored minerals).

Gold can look different depending on various factors, but by in large it is easily distinguished from other non-gold minerals.
Google "gold ore" and you will see a common theme.



If you trudge around old mines long enough, you will run across a pile of ore that was not processed.

By the way, scratch the gold colored area near 8 o'clock by your dime...I will bet it's insect related..

I don't doubt you at all on the round flakes ... finding 8 or so duplicate round samples marked them as not worth the time to collect. (Going to float test what I have before I chuck it, my guess is floaters)

 

[Assembler]

Thats my theory as well. I crushed a really tiny stone I found into dust easily in a crushing bowl. May as well dedicate some time into exploring for trace amounts I figured by building a better crusher using capped pipe and a crushing rod.

Just placed my first order on Amazon for starter equipment ... ordered a 100 mesh sifting pan, a gold pan and a rock hammer

Next order will be for a 70 mesh sifting pan, sniffer / snuffer combo, magnifying tweezers, magnetic seperation tool and a dental tool for scratching sample I figure I can prep some crushed material in the mean time for processing.

Im setting a goal to hobby acquire 20 grams of gold by this time next year

Next stops in the next few days are to the 2 mining museums set up in the area im searching. Im banking on samples of rich local ore being on display and being able to easily acquire target sites based on what I learn.

If the area you are prospecting has a history of larger gold maybe one can spot some in the rocks by crushing some then look at by eye with the aid of a lens as well as metal detect. Crushing down to 100 mesh size will start to tell you the amount of values per volume of rocks. One may want to try different screen sizes for your prospecting area.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

If the area you are prospecting has a history of larger gold maybe one can spot some in the rocks by crushing some then look at by eye with the aid of a lens as well as metal detect. Crushing down to 100 mesh size will start to tell you the amount of values per volume of rocks. One may want to try different screen sizes for your prospecting area.

I was going to build a sifting box for the larger 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 materials and then buy the 30, 50 and 70 micron filters in time. I have no metal detector at this point, so I am stuck using my eyes and brain.
I have figured you get what you pay for so I should bank $1000.00 before I even start looking for a detector. (Would people suggest saving cash and buying a spot detector before a large coil?)

 

[Assembler]

I was going to build a sifting box for the larger 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 materials and then buy the 30, 50 and 70 micron filters in time. I have no metal detector at this point, so I am stuck using my eyes and brain.
I have figured you get what you pay for so I should bank $1000.00 before I even start looking for a detector. (Would people suggest saving cash and buying a spot detector before a large coil?)

One should be able to spot with there eyes larger gold when screening the 1/2" - 1/8" sizes. One maybe able to 'See more of the larger gold' with the metal detectors with the same screen size that is the difference. Be sure to spread out the screen sized rock out into a single layer to help look at as well as metal detect. The metal detector should be one that is designed for "Gold detecting".

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I will use your advise and sample 5 gallons of rock to test for viability of samples. Typical goal in 5 gallons to have worthwhile location would be trace or measurable amounts?

Depends on what your trying to do. If you are hoping to find some gold in the samples you pick up, then trace it to the source and develop a hard rock mine, a trace amount of gold would be a good sign. I would suggest concentrating on an area that is open to claiming in case you do find a deposit.

If your just after some gold, then I would go directly to the tailings pile of an abandoned (un-claimed) gold mine. Rake through the pile while keeping your eye out for gold or unusual looking rocks. They will ALL have some discarded ore in them. It's was difficult to keep the country rock separated 100% from the ore when they were blasting and mucking.

Once you find a tailings pile that has some discarded gold ore, don't forget to go down hill and look for similiar looking rocks that eroded off the deposit. Dig around in the draws below the mines. Sometimes bedrock is only 3 or 4 feet deep and they skipped over it for lack of water.

However be sure that you are in an area known for high grade deposits - not micro gold that had to be chemically processed to be recovered.

Here is a piece I found earlier this year in a tailings pile.


And another that I found just by looking with my eyes.


Beware of tailing piles that are 100% country rock. There are many tunnels that were excavated either to get to a deposit, or to drain water, circulate air, explore, ect.
You don't want to waste your time looking through those types of tailings. To avoid that, I would focus on shallow mines, surface diggings, open cuts, ect. where they didn't waste time and effort on anything other than easy ore.

 

[Assembler]

Depends on what your trying to do. If you are hoping to find some gold in the samples you pick up, then trace it to the source and develop a hard rock mine, a trace amount of gold would be a good sign. I would suggest concentrating on an area that is open to claiming in case you do find a deposit.

If your just after some gold, then I would go directly to the tailings pile of an abandoned (un-claimed) gold mine. Rake through the pile while keeping your eye out for gold or unusual looking rocks. They will ALL have some discarded ore in them. It's was difficult to keep the country rock separated 100% from the ore when they were blasting and mucking.

Once you find a tailings pile that has some discarded gold ore, don't forget to go down hill and look for similiar looking rocks that eroded off the deposit. Dig around in the draws below the mines. Sometimes bedrock is only 3 or 4 feet deep and they skipped over it for lack of water.

However be sure that you are in an area known for high grade deposits - not micro gold that had to be chemically processed to be recovered.

Here is a piece I found earlier this year in a tailings pile.
View attachment 1488835

And another that I found just by looking with my eyes.
View attachment 1488836

Beware of tailing piles that are 100% country rock. There are many tunnels that were excavated either to get to a deposit, or to drain water, circulate air, explore, ect.
You don't want to waste your time looking through those types of tailings. To avoid that, I would focus on shallow mines, surface diggings, open cuts, ect. where they didn't waste time and effort on anything other than easy ore.

Very good information there and thank you for posting of the pictures IMAUDIGGER.

 

[Assembler]

Hello
The idea of the screen method is to help one find out what rock the values may be coming from unopened rocks. One eyes can spot larger gold as well as the old timers did.