Last Season

[Laz7777]

I started working this area last summer. One of the few times someone else pointed out a spot for me.
A couple guys fromthe Merced area were up working a spot on the edge of the river and they made the mistake of showing me what they were finding.
Every pan they had showed about 5-7 small blobs of amalgam, which is fairly good. Ya know, about matchhead sized.
Anyhow, they left after the weekend and that's when I took over.
Spent just over 3 months on the light clay layer in the river, got about 3 .ozt after the merc was cooked off.
This last season I took a look at what I left alone last year.
Was definitely not as rich, the overburden was much deeper and larger.
Here are a few pics:
the first shot is of the bar and the adit across the river.
look at all the merc!
sponge gold in the final shot, a few minutes on the fire.

 

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[Reed Lukens]

Did you cook it off in an oven with flux? When it comes out of old merc I usually loose around 30% because of the copper and silver mixed in here in Dutch Flat and I'm just wondering what your loss percentage was

 

[Laz7777]

I don't flux it, just in a small stainless cup and on a grill for a short fire.
I sell to Grass Valley Gold and Silver and their xrf shows traces of lead, copper and for some reason, selenium.
no idea what loss is, rather would have a retort and recover the Hg.