Curiousity
Jr. Member
- #1
Thread Owner
1} Jacob waltz had about 48 pounds of Gold encrusted quartz
2) Found the nteresting article
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4347 One fact against the existence of "Lost Dutchman Mine" is that Waltz was a "placer miner"; while the gold pieces he had were in quartz, the Superstition Mountains are in fact volcanic. Lastly, the alleged mine directions Ruth had were from an 1895 newspaper account.
The Superstition Mountains are primarily composed of volcanic rocks, specifically welded tuff, breccia, and various lavas like dacite and basalt. These rocks are the result of intense volcanic activity that occurred in central Arizona between 17 and 25 million years ago. The mountains also contain some granite and conglomerate. While welded tuff, breccia, dacite, contain quartz however Basalt: Basalt typically does not contain significant amounts of quartz. Basalt is a mafic igneous rock, which means it is low in silica and high in magnesium and iron. Quartz (SiO2) cannot form in abundance in mafic magmas. Basalt is primarily composed of minerals like plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine. While some basalts might contain minor amounts of interstitial quartz or quartz polymorphs, it's not a defining or major component.
3} Yes, the Vulture Mine in Arizona had gold-bearing quartz. Henry Wickenburg, the mine's discoverer, found a quartz outcrop containing gold while prospecting. This discovery led to the establishment of the Vulture Mine and later the town of Vulture City. The mine was highly productive, yielding 340,000 ounces of gold and 260,000 ounces of silver from 1863 to 1942. The gold was primarily found within and next to a faulted, north-slanting, igneous quartz vein.
The mine began in 1863 and became the most productive gold mine in Arizona history. From 1863 to 1942 A.D., the mine produced 340,000 ounces (9,638.8 kgs) of gold and 260,000 ounces (7,370.9 kgs) of silver.However, it never paid off for its investors or discoverer, Henry Wickenburg, due to theft, lack of a reliable water supply, and financial scandal
"HAW Tabor, the legendary Silver King from Leadville, Colorado, once owned the Vulture and later said it was the worst mining decision he ever made.
The Vulture Mine often went through long periods of shutdowns, startups, leases, and exploration activities. Faulting, mismanagement, low gold price, and high overhead accounted for much of the down time. At least twice the property was sold, for back taxes, at sheriff’s auction. Once the rich ores played out reworking of tailings became a prominent and lucrative undertaking.
While some underground mining of pillars and overlooked areas continued, the veins of profitable gold thinned and the lode lost by faulting, for the final time, in 1916. Numerous attempts to find extensions were unproductive. The last try was carried out in 1931 by “Rawhide “Jimmy Douglas of Little Daisy fame. After much conjecture and drilling, Douglas put down a 500’ shaft that was to intersect the faulted lost lode but it was a waste of money. "
westernmininghistory.com
Also see https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/558013/AZU_TD_BOX320_E9791_1984_537.pdf
2) Found the nteresting article
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4347 One fact against the existence of "Lost Dutchman Mine" is that Waltz was a "placer miner"; while the gold pieces he had were in quartz, the Superstition Mountains are in fact volcanic. Lastly, the alleged mine directions Ruth had were from an 1895 newspaper account.
The Superstition Mountains are primarily composed of volcanic rocks, specifically welded tuff, breccia, and various lavas like dacite and basalt. These rocks are the result of intense volcanic activity that occurred in central Arizona between 17 and 25 million years ago. The mountains also contain some granite and conglomerate. While welded tuff, breccia, dacite, contain quartz however Basalt: Basalt typically does not contain significant amounts of quartz. Basalt is a mafic igneous rock, which means it is low in silica and high in magnesium and iron. Quartz (SiO2) cannot form in abundance in mafic magmas. Basalt is primarily composed of minerals like plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine. While some basalts might contain minor amounts of interstitial quartz or quartz polymorphs, it's not a defining or major component.
3} Yes, the Vulture Mine in Arizona had gold-bearing quartz. Henry Wickenburg, the mine's discoverer, found a quartz outcrop containing gold while prospecting. This discovery led to the establishment of the Vulture Mine and later the town of Vulture City. The mine was highly productive, yielding 340,000 ounces of gold and 260,000 ounces of silver from 1863 to 1942. The gold was primarily found within and next to a faulted, north-slanting, igneous quartz vein.
The mine began in 1863 and became the most productive gold mine in Arizona history. From 1863 to 1942 A.D., the mine produced 340,000 ounces (9,638.8 kgs) of gold and 260,000 ounces (7,370.9 kgs) of silver.However, it never paid off for its investors or discoverer, Henry Wickenburg, due to theft, lack of a reliable water supply, and financial scandal
"HAW Tabor, the legendary Silver King from Leadville, Colorado, once owned the Vulture and later said it was the worst mining decision he ever made.
The Vulture Mine often went through long periods of shutdowns, startups, leases, and exploration activities. Faulting, mismanagement, low gold price, and high overhead accounted for much of the down time. At least twice the property was sold, for back taxes, at sheriff’s auction. Once the rich ores played out reworking of tailings became a prominent and lucrative undertaking.
While some underground mining of pillars and overlooked areas continued, the veins of profitable gold thinned and the lode lost by faulting, for the final time, in 1916. Numerous attempts to find extensions were unproductive. The last try was carried out in 1931 by “Rawhide “Jimmy Douglas of Little Daisy fame. After much conjecture and drilling, Douglas put down a 500’ shaft that was to intersect the faulted lost lode but it was a waste of money. "
Vulture Mine - History, Fact, and Fiction
westernmininghistory.com
Also see https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/558013/AZU_TD_BOX320_E9791_1984_537.pdf
