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?

 

[dave wiseman]

Veins that do not surface are called blind veins.Money is made out of a hard rock gold mine by the fine gold that is found and extracted,not from a rich specie or even pockets of gold.Gold goes in and out in a vein.Some parts of the vein carry gold in varying amounts(ore shoot) and other parts may be barren.Seems like your breaking up quartz float to find what.....From the Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde..Every rock one breaks by day,becomes one's heart by night.

 

[Assembler]

History of the area.

Veins that do not surface are called blind veins.Money is made out of a hard rock gold mine by the fine gold that is found and extracted,not from a rich specie or even pockets of gold.Gold goes in and out in a vein.Some parts of the vein carry gold in varying amounts(ore shoot) and other parts may be barren.Seems like your breaking up quartz float to find what.....From the Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde..Every rock one breaks by day,becomes one's heart by night.

Good points. Does the area have a history of fine values in a vein or is there other deposits as well? Breaking rocks in a tailing pile could be worth the time. Breaking up quartz float if you don't know the source of can be 'Heartbreaking'.
The goal should be to find a source and history is a good indicator for this. Maybe there is some tailing piles in the area?

 

[Assembler]

Hello
If there is a history of only fine gold in a vein and if the vein 'Cuts out' for say 40 feet this could be the reason why the mining stopped in that area. The 'Old timers' often moved on because of this. This is the nature of 'Hard rock mining'.
If one finds only fine values this could be a factor of how to mine in that area. Any one can find 'Colors' the question is how much 'Colors' per ton'?

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Hello
Until some values are found it is hard to say what kind of quartz the values are in as well as near by. The values could be in very small pockets to even veins in or near the quartz. If there is any written history about this could be a good place to start looking.

Entirely fair, Gold Rush Days ... a local heritage celebration in Waverley begins this week. I plan on attending the info session on gold panning they are holding (assuming they will be providing rich materials for thier demonstration) and looking for any historian breaking down what went on back then. Museum will be open and I'll poke around for display samples.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Good points. Does the area have a history of fine values in a vein or is there other deposits as well? Breaking rocks in a tailing pile could be worth the time. Breaking up quartz float if you don't know the source of can be 'Heartbreaking'.
The goal should be to find a source and history is a good indicator for this. Maybe there is some tailing piles in the area?

Both of the mines in Waverley and Montague were started upon discovery of quartz boulders bearing gold. They took surface rocks, panned streams and Lakeview, mined ore out of veins. I know they milled the ore and did bleed the gold out using chemicals. The disguarded tailings have approx 30-40% gold value remaining after that process was complete from what Im hearing. Going to attempt to acquire info on tailings from images at the museum and chatting with the oldest people who attend the festival lol. My guess is anyone alive who worked there would be pushing 95 years old or better at this point.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Hello
If there is a history of only fine gold in a vein and if the vein 'Cuts out' for say 40 feet this could be the reason why the mining stopped in that area. The 'Old timers' often moved on because of this. This is the nature of 'Hard rock mining'.
If one finds only fine values this could be a factor of how to mine in that area. Any one can find 'Colors' the question is how much 'Colors' per ton'?

The mines were closed in 1940 .... The miners went after Nazis instead of gold. Community grew over the neglected site. Simply abandoned ... no lack of supply. Been studying geological maps from the early 1900's. ... What Im gathering is huge gold reserves in a vein system running hundreds of kilometers from moose river, through tangiers, into montague, through Waverley and up through cobequid pass. A lot of questions still, but given the naming of the waterways in relation to old mining families and companies I think I should be able to get on track quick finding a decent spot for a positive hit.

 

[Assembler]

The mines were closed in 1940 .... The miners went after Nazis instead of gold. Community grew over the neglected site. Simply abandoned ... no lack of supply. Been studying geological maps from the early 1900's. ... What Im gathering is huge gold reserves in a vein system running hundreds of kilometers from moose river, through tangiers, into montague, through Waverley and up through cobequid pass. A lot of questions still, but given the naming of the waterways in relation to old mining families and companies I think I should be able to get on track quick finding a decent spot for a positive hit.

Interesting history. There must have been a few people since the 1940's that have done some prospecting. This is also enough time for nature to expose some new source rock as well. There should be maps from the 1949's that can be looked at.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Interesting history. There must have been a few people since the 1940's that have done some prospecting. This is also enough time for nature to expose some new source rock as well. There should be maps from the 1949's that can be looked at.

In waverley in the 70's they reopened the main site for a while, used modern equipment to re-work tailings and cast aways. When the quick cash was gone they shut down. The community had developed subdivisions on the hillside / rock face where mine operations had taken place in the 40's and 50's during clean up. The next area to be expanded onto the old mine works was turned into subdivision in the 70's which would have yielded results if mining was the priority future for that land. They have just restarted operations at moose river recently, and montague due to the current price of gold. Lakeview is a newer gold mine in the same area.
The quartz ore is known to contain arsenopyrite, calcite, chalcopyrite, gold, pharmacosdirmite, pyrite, and sphalerite. Stats from method used late 1800's says 1.75oz gold per tonne of ore. (30-40% left behind at the time)

 

[Twobrothers]

The mines were closed in 1940 .... The miners went after Nazis instead of gold. Community grew over the neglected site. Simply abandoned ... no lack of supply. Been studying geological maps from the early 1900's. ... What Im gathering is huge gold reserves in a vein system running hundreds of kilometers from moose river, through tangiers, into montague, through Waverley and up through cobequid pass. A lot of questions still, but given the naming of the waterways in relation to old mining families and companies I think I should be able to get on track quick finding a decent spot for a positive hit.

That's the story for a lot of small-medium gold producing mines in North America. In the USA there was the executive order that forbade gold mining as a primary commodity in an effort to focus mining production on minerals of strategic importance. When WW2 fighters got home needing a much needed break from the horrors of war there were a lot of less risy options to life, limb, and finances during the 1950 post war boom. GI education benefits. Not many people wanted to step back into deep dark holes and mess around with explosives for a product that was price fixed by the government at $35.00 an ounce
Unless it was a world class deposit or scaleable to industrialized mechanized production (think open pit mining-cyanide leaching) many of the guys coming back from the war had better options.

 

[Twobrothers]

The quartz ore is known to contain arsenopyrite, calcite, chalcopyrite, gold, pharmacosdirmite, pyrite, and sphalerite. Stats from method used late 1800's says 1.75oz gold per tonne of ore. (30-40% left behind at the time)

Learn what those minerals look like, their properties, and their association with gold and how to liberate the gold from them. When you start finding that stuff then you can start to get excited (for a lot more work ). Anything 1 oz/ ton + territory is good gettings for the hobbyist/ small scale miner. That'll make a living if you work it. But seriously be careful with aresnopyrite. You can roast calcite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite and while not the most environmentally friendly thing to do won't kill you or the neighbors. Calcite will off gas CO2. Chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite will let off some sulfurous fumes. Nothing that'll probably kill you unless you're really asking for it. ARSENOPYRITE letting off some highly bio available arsenic compounds on the other hand could very well poison you, the neighbors, and the land for a generation. Keep on it, your're putting the pieces together, none of it is rocket science. Just please don't poison the world when you do find what you're looking for.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Learn what those minerals look like, their properties, and their association with gold and how to liberate the gold from them. When you start finding that stuff then you can start to get excited (for a lot more work ). Anything 1 oz/ ton + territory is good gettings for the hobbyist/ small scale miner. That'll make a living if you work it. But seriously be careful with aresnopyrite. You can roast calcite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite and while not the most environmentally friendly thing to do won't kill you or the neighbors. Calcite will off gas CO2. Chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite will let off some sulfurous fumes. Nothing that'll probably kill you unless you're really asking for it. ARSENOPYRITE letting off some highly bio available arsenic compounds on the other hand could very well poison you, the neighbors, and the land for a generation. Keep on it, your're putting the pieces together, none of it is rocket science. Just please don't poison the world when you do find what you're looking for.

Do I assume correctly there is still value to crushing the ore materials if found and panning for free gold? Seperate off black sands and save the debris for "further processing" or would gold values be extracted through leeching/baking only? ... seeing cyanide is mainly used ... but bleach and acid seem optional as well and safer for such a small scale?
I share your desire for me not killing myself or the squirrels, glad to be getting the wise advice Im getting.

 

[dave wiseman]

On such a small scale as what you've been doing your wasting yout time and space by saving the concentrates.Hell,just cherry picking float and breaking it open is a long shot to just find a quartz gold specie.If you know the general direction of the vein strikes in your area look in those places for a vein in place and then take many small samples at ten foot intervals if one of them contains free gold after crushing and panning.If you have a local public or college library nearby see if you can borrow the book Handbook for Prospectors by Richard Pearl or older editions by VonBernewitz.If not you can buy online at varying prices.

 

[Assembler]

On such a small scale as what you've been doing your wasting yout time and space by saving the concentrates.Hell,just cherry picking float and breaking it open is a long shot to just find a quartz gold specie.If you know the general direction of the vein strikes in your area look in those places for a vein in place and then take many small samples at ten foot intervals if one of them contains free gold after crushing and panning.If you have a local public or college library nearby see if you can borrow the book Handbook for Prospectors by Richard Pearl or older editions by VonBernewitz.If not you can buy online at varying prices.

The idea of testing every 10 - 20 ft. is a good idea when one is near a vein. Looking at the rocks is one way of seeing if there could be vein materials with values nearby.
The float had to come from somewhere and if one can figure out the general area the float came from one can start testing every 10 - 20 feet. If one has a good idea from maps of the vein material locations then start near there like most people do.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Been doing lots of research and found a pdf here is a decent copy of this geological map of the area from 1906:



At "my site" today I found quartz debris that had been burned and was pitted from mineral removal. Just a few burned out lumps palm sized. Bunch of quartz spilling out of the hillside in round stones / boulders. I feel I have a solid spot for worth while testing. Hill side spilling quartz, a bendy stream at the foot of the hillside with slate shingling the stream from ancient faster watetworks which transitions into slate bedrock on the other side of the stream.

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

On such a small scale as what you've been doing your wasting yout time and space by saving the concentrates.Hell,just cherry picking float and breaking it open is a long shot to just find a quartz gold specie.If you know the general direction of the vein strikes in your area look in those places for a vein in place and then take many small samples at ten foot intervals if one of them contains free gold after crushing and panning.If you have a local public or college library nearby see if you can borrow the book Handbook for Prospectors by Richard Pearl or older editions by VonBernewitz.If not you can buy online at varying prices.

Once I get a groove of this by identifying ore material and tracking rich source I will be investing into equipment to assist with processing ... rock crusher and miller table I see happening for Christmas. Figured Id gather ore before the snow and process over the winter, head back out in thaw. If I have success over the winter with the ore Ill grab a small backhoe and trailer and expand from there. I have no doubt Im in a virtually untapped gold area and its worthwhile setting mining roots here.

Found this modern interactive map that I believe displays the vein system with a dotted grey line for convenience
https://fletcher.novascotia.ca/DNRViewer/?viewer=MRLU

Im seeing a lot of gold in the area is trapped in various other minerals and I guess I am more questioning the bond the metals have ... is it possible it is the case gold is only obtained by chemical retrieval and smashing it to sand is not going to yield gold? The dust would just undergo mercury or other treatment more efficiently the smaller the size particle the chemical was attempting to extract gold from? Or if you find it in other minerals within quartz you should still find flecks mixed within the ore?

 

[Twobrothers]

Once I get a groove of this by identifying ore material and tracking rich source I will be investing into equipment to assist with processing ... rock crusher and miller table I see happening for Christmas. Figured Id gather ore before the snow and process over the winter, head back out in thaw. If I have success over the winter with the ore Ill grab a small backhoe and trailer and expand from there. I have no doubt Im in a virtually untapped gold area and its worthwhile setting mining roots here.

Found this modern interactive map that I believe displays the vein system with a dotted grey line for convenience
https://fletcher.novascotia.ca/DNRViewer/?viewer=MRLU

Im seeing a lot of gold in the area is trapped in various other minerals and I guess I am more questioning the bond the metals have ... is it possible it is the case gold is only obtained by chemical retrieval and smashing it to sand is not going to yield gold? The dust would just undergo mercury or other treatment more efficiently the smaller the size particle the chemical was attempting to extract gold from? Or if you find it in other minerals within quartz you should still find flecks mixed within the ore?

First you need to find a primary deposit. Then you need to explore it and sample sample sample. Send some material for assay before you drop for a rock crusher and miller table. Sounds like a sulfidatious system. Any oxidized material will probably carry the gold as free milling. When you get below the oxidized zone and start seeing sulfide minerals the gold will probably be locked up in them. But who knows. You wont know till you know. As far as extraction goes you'll have to figure that out for yourself. There are many methods. Gold is very noble and resistant to most chemical interactions, and consequently the methods for extracting it involve some risk. You gotta figure out whats right for the material your working with, based on your knowledge, skill, ability, and resources.

If you stick to free mill gold and have a miller table, there you go problem solved. probably the easiest solution, gravity separation. If you end up having to process gold out of sulfides the miller table will work good to concentrate/separate out the sulfides for further treatment. Just keep researching, reading, and most importantly doing. Don't get to far ahead of yourself. You'll run across the next tid-bit of knowledge you need for then next step when you get there. None of its rocket science, anyone with average intelligence and enough motivation can make it happen. You don't have to figure it all out before you've even dug into the source. You'll stress yourself out counting chickens before they hatch.

 

[Twobrothers]

... is it possible it is the case gold is only obtained by chemical retrieval and smashing it to sand is not going to yield gold? The dust would just undergo mercury or other treatment more efficiently the smaller the size particle the chemical was attempting to extract gold from? Or if you find it in other minerals within quartz you should still find flecks mixed within the ore?

Things formed from natural processes almost always occur in a spectrum. Some free gold of gravity separable size, some fine gold, gold locked up in Pyrites/sulfides. Could be some chemically resistant gold or even mircoscopic gold. Good news is if the old timers were working it it was worth their while. Couldn't be terribly difficult to process out enough to make a living doing it. Observation, exploration, and assays will make it all clear in time. 911 metalurgist has a bunch of old articles you can read about processing methods if you search their site.

 

[winners58]

defiantly need to get a high powered jewelers loop one that does 40x to 60x
was reading up on the area there is also platinum & tungsten along with stibnite these could be good indicators that you are in the right area
maybe you could also sample the slate area's for free gold (Touquoy Mine)http://novascotia.ca/natr/meb/data/pubs/ftmif/mif20n2.pdf
.
Moose River Gold District | Gold Map | Gold Mining | Gold: A Nova Scotia Treasure
https://novascotia.ca/natr/meb/download/mg/map/htm/map_2000-001.asp

 

[huntsman53]

Well, if history shows that 1.75 ounces of Gold was produced for each tonne of mined ore/material, then that is one hell of a rich Gold Mine, especially considering that in larger Gold mining operations, mere grams per tonne are acceptable to make a profit once start-up costs are recovered. From reading through your posts, it seems likely that the Gold bearing Quartz veins are mainly associated with slate layers not unlike the Carolina Slate Belt. Some of the Quartz veins may have been forced to the surface or eroded out as reefs and could run for some distance before running out or running back underground due to running into higher ground or the forces were not sufficient in an area to cause them to come to the surface or erosion just has not exposed it yet. I would concentrate on where the Quartz veins/reefs reach the surface and especially when they are associated with slate layers. If per chance you fall into a bucket of crap and come out smelling like roses and find a Gold deposit that can be proven to produce even 5 grams or more fairly high grade Gold per tonne of ore with a Reserve of several hundred thousand or more ounces and you have a Claim, then you could likely sell the Claim to a Gold Mining Company for many, many millions of dollars and never have to work ever again. If the ore contains an ounce or more per tonne, then whooo hooo, you could be rich beyond your wildest dreams.


Frank

 

[NovaScotiaGold]

Things formed from natural processes almost always occur in a spectrum. Some free gold of gravity separable size, some fine gold, gold locked up in Pyrites/sulfides. Could be some chemically resistant gold or even mircoscopic gold. Good news is if the old timers were working it it was worth their while. Couldn't be terribly difficult to process out enough to make a living doing it. Observation, exploration, and assays will make it all clear in time. 911 metalurgist has a bunch of old articles you can read about processing methods if you search their site.

When I found what the old timers were processing (right) It seemed like child's play to match it with my samples (left) ... the left rock is a shard I smacked off a larger 30lbs chunk. Same logic ... if it was worth going after at that time (late 1890's until 1940 it must be worth extracting now) ... few more days and my hammer and pan will be here. Im pretty excited to be disappointed! Lol



I figure I must be on some old timers plot or a find of someone else forever ago. As he found something he processed on site and chucked the few tailings on the ground.

I get the feeling this guy was about as clueless as me, and lacking google and forums for assistance lol. A lot of exploration rocks smacked in half when there is obvious ore everywhere if i am correct. Story says most people flooded in expecting easy gold ... there were no nuggets so miners who bought stakes sight unseen in the winter had no idea what to do to actually rock mine in the spring when the top of the land wasn't shiny gold bunny eggs. People who owned stakes scrambled learning from the employment at established processing plants and central mines to get enough minerals on thier stakes self processing to immediately use the wealth to relocate to easier work. Same story after the war, no one wanted to spend thier time doing hard labor. Its now, now.