One-of-a-kind eluvial placer deposit found in Colorado with a metal detector.

[Steve Wagy]

Hello everyone. I search for native gold and silver in the Central Colorado volcanic field and one day my metal detector went wild. I didn't find an eluvial placer deposit that contained precious metal. I found a deposit that has never been seen before. Over 160 native (natural) aluminum, brass, copper alloy, iron and zinc nuggets were found - the rarest of the rare. I've cleaned up most of the nuggets. The first image is a native aluminum nugget:

The second image is a native zinc nugget:

The third image is a native brass nugget:

The fourth image is a unique copper alloy nugget:

The fifth image is what could be a native bronze nugget (it will be analyzed by XRF in the future):

The sixth image is the ONLY known native iron nugget ever found (NOT Telluric) and is embedded in volcanic glass (still magnetic!!!):

31 nuggets have been analyzed by XRF and the largest aluminum nugget has been Certified by XRF. 20 more will be analyzed in May. I made the find with a DR.ÖTEK metal detector and have continued to find metal with a Minelab Equinox 900 metal detector. You can read all about the find at https://www.raremineralsforsale.com/.

The 818 gram native aluminum nugget. An unofficial world record. Massive for any native metal nugget.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

The fact you were originally looking for silver, reminds me a a guy named Silver that I once knew. Very experienced miner with lots of colorful stories. I’m not sure if he mined in Colorado though.

 

[Steve Wagy]

The fact you were originally looking for silver, reminds me a a guy named Silver that I once knew. Very experienced miner with lots of colorful stories. I’m not sure if he mined in Colorado though.

Actually I was looking for gold. Much for probable. It's a great area to mine/metal detect and the area is rich in mining history. I'm surrounded by old claims and occurrences. I'll spot you the county: https://thediggings.com/usa/colorado/fremont-co043/map

 

[Steve Wagy]

Actually I was looking for gold. Much for probable. It's a great area to mine/metal detect and the area is rich in mining history. I'm surrounded by old claims and occurrences. I'll spot you the county: https://thediggings.com/usa/colorado/fremont-co043/map

"Much for probable" Much more probable (spelling error).

 

[bc5391]

OP reminds me of someone that was on Utube a few years ago, thought everything he saw was a meteorite, tried to prove it by showing where someone had dumped a load down a hill, he said it was a strewn field

 

[russau]

It sure would be nice to get to the bottom (yes or no ) of this topic once and for all !

 

[pepperj]

It sure would be nice to get to the bottom (yes or no ) of this topic once and for all !

Probably the the best way of looking at this is the bottom fell out.

 

[crashbandicoot]

While aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust (about 8%), naturally occurring, pure aluminum nuggets do not exist in any practical or geological sense. Aluminum is highly reactive and almost always found bound to other elements—such as oxygen, silicon, and fluorine—in minerals and rocks.
Here are the key points regarding "native" aluminum:Extremely Rare Exceptions: Native aluminum has been found in extremely rare cases, such as microscopic flakes inside specific volcanoes or rare geological environments in Bulgaria, but these are not nuggets.
"Nuggets" are Usually Man-Made: Nearly all shiny, metallic aluminum nuggets found by metal detectors or on beaches are the result of humans melting items like soda cans or aluminum foil in campfires, which then solidify into lumps.
Aluminum Ore (Bauxite): Instead of nuggets, aluminum is extracted from bauxite ore, which looks more like reddish-brown or yellowish clay/soil.
Why No Nuggets? Because aluminum is so highly reactive, it binds to oxygen immediately when exposed, forming aluminum oxides and hydroxides rather than remaining as a pure metal.

NOTE TO READERS JUST GOOGLE IT.
FINE FLACKS IN Bulgaria.

I live in SE Arkansas, Bauxite ore was mined in the area and Alcoa has a huge smelting plant at Benton, and primary mining operations at Bauxite, AR. Bauxite ore is common as pig tracks. Native aluminum nuggets I've never heard of. "Nuggets" of melted aluminum cans are common at USCE campgrounds throughout the State.

 

[DizzyDigger]

JMHO, but how about we give the OP time to have the lab tests done
before we alienate a new site advertiser?

Lab tests take time, and I'm patient.

 

[crashbandicoot]

OK, you've said your peace. Sorry, you are absolutely wrong. No one could make the variety of mixtures present. You've posted a range of Wikipedia snippets and ignored clear evidence like the volcanic glass and the advanced decomposition. In fact, every time I clearly counter your claims you ignore them. And 4. above is BS. Prestige Minerals & Gems is a well known business and they do the XRF's. End your posts. If you don't want something don't buy it.

Nah boy, just like you get to continually rebut pepperj, pepperj gets to continually rebut you. You don't get to end his posts, or tell him to pizz off. Sorry, only Treasure_Hunter can do that. Just a reminder.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I would prefer not to have to step in, our rules are clear.

Members can disagree, BUT they can not attack, insult, or throw accusations against other members, including our supporting vendors.

If you are going to disagree please do it by our rules and keep the disagreements respectful , and cordial...👍


Per the owners of the forum on this thread..
"Disagree and share your thoughts, but no attacking or accusations".

 

[crashbandicoot]

OP reminds me of someone that was on Utube a few years ago, thought everything he saw was a meteorite, tried to prove it by showing where someone had dumped a load down a hill, he said it was a strewn field

"Dumped a load"?

 

[crashbandicoot]

I would prefer not to have to step in, our rules are clear.

Members can disagree, BUT they can not attack, insult, or throw accusing against other members, including our supporting vendors.

If you are going to disagree please do it by our rules and keep the disagreements respectful , and cordial...👍


Per the owners of the forum on this thread..
"Disagree and share your thoughts, but no attacking or accusations".

Accusations. But I get your drift.

 

[crashbandicoot]

OK, you've said your peace. Sorry, you are absolutely wrong. No one could make the variety of mixtures present. You've posted a range of Wikipedia snippets and ignored clear evidence like the volcanic glass and the advanced decomposition. In fact, every time I clearly counter your claims you ignore them. And 4. above is BS. Prestige Minerals & Gems is a well known business and they do the XRF's. End your posts. If you don't want something don't buy it.

Piece, said your piece.

 

[philber]

If anyone's interested, I'm selling popcorn at $3.50 a bag!

 

[geowizard]

I live in SE Arkansas, Bauxite ore was mined in the area and Alcoa has a huge smelting plant at Benton, and primary mining operations at Bauxite, AR. Bauxite ore is common as pig tracks. Native aluminum nuggets I've never heard of. "Nuggets" of melted aluminum cans are common at USCE campgrounds throughout the State.

Mindat shows one occurance of native aluminum. Submit your discovery to Mindat!

https://www.mindat.org/min-107.html.

- Geowizard

 

[pepperj]

JMHO, but how about we give the OP time to have the lab tests done
before we alienate a new site advertiser?

Lab tests take time, and I'm patient.

What? If I provide you with 50 samples if some melted aluminum, what will lab tests prove besides the composition of the aluminum.
Or are you reference to if they were natural occurring or man made?
We know the answer to that already.

 

[DizzyDigger]

What? If I provide you with 50 samples if some melted aluminum, what will lab tests prove besides the composition of the aluminum.
Or are you reference to if they were natural occurring or man made?
We know the answer to that already.

Well, what I do know is that this person had enough faith/confidence in what they're offering for sale
that they paid to be a supporting vendor on the site here.

Understandably, they were met with great skepticism and debate from the folks here
on the authenticity of the "nuggets" offered for sale. Rather than get all worked up about
it, I suggested a 3rd party lab be used to settle any questions. If they are as advertised,
then fine, but if not, the vendor will then know their product is not genuine, nor is
it valuable.

In short, it's no skin off my nose either way, and I'm patient enough to wait
for the lab results.

 

[Tpmetal]

It's not any of this. There is no foundation, no burnt wood, no camp. It's on the side of a mountain and I had to excavate it - remote alpine Colorado. In this area the old prospectors built buildings so they could mine year round. They are everywhere. I almost have a line of site to Cloverdale mine. These buildings are part of Colorado history and we can't metal detect them. This site is nothing like the mining camps. Hopefully someone with experience in volcanic glass can chime in but I appreciate your comment.

In the piece of clear glass that is the 12th photo from the top in post #50, you can clearly see the remnants of glass threads from a bottle or jar top. You can also clearly see folds and bottle shapes, 90 degree edges, and more in other pieces. These do not occur in nature, especially in volcanic glass. I'm not saying some of the other pieces are not volcanic glass, but simply pointing out that there are signs of humans for the majority of your pieces. Trust me I have seen enough bottles from fires as well as bottles melted in kilns in my time, literally hundreds of them. So i recognize these shapes and how melting bottles fold. So logic dictates that if those bottles or jars were melted then aluminum melted with them in a fire. Is there any old mines or flatish areas above this location where this stuff could have been pushed or dumped off a hill and then buried over time?

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Plane wreck?

 

[Tpmetal]

Plane wreck?

Now that's an interesting possibility. I still lean towards a camp or mine or something like that further up the mountain.