Pay Pile

southfork

Bronze Member
Jun 15, 2014
2,299
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California
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I've posted on a couple different threads of my sons prospecting panning / metal detecting on this tailing pile. This is a big unwashed pay pile from the gold rush the rest of the tailing piles along this ravine are all rock no soil. My son has been digging away at the base of the pile where it rests on bedrock this pile is all hand dug and piled by the early miners. This is a big pile all we need is water not enough rain yet to run a sluice and too damp for a dry washer. I might start shoveling this into a quad trailer and haul it closer to water look at the photo the quad is parked on top of the pile not sure about length yet. But he's found enough gold to give me the fever. Happy mining, I added a photo of a pile we moved with the skid steer all rock no soil.
 

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Upvote 16

russau

Gold Member
May 29, 2005
7,250
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St. Louis, missouri
For your land ,I could see a Bobcat front end loader and a smaller wash plant close to the tailings pile IF water would be able to be pumped near those tailings piles. And I would think about selling those "washed" tailings IF POSSIBLE ! Money on both ends of the "DREAM"!!!:icon_thumright::coffee2:
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,072
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Whites, Fisher, Garrett, and Falcon.
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For your land ,I could see a Bobcat front end loader and a smaller wash plant close to the tailings pile IF water would be able to be pumped near those tailings piles. And I would think about selling those "washed" tailings IF POSSIBLE ! Money on both ends of the "DREAM"!!!:icon_thumright::coffee2:
It appears that the piles are not all wash up / out.......good luck.
 

OP
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southfork

southfork

Bronze Member
Jun 15, 2014
2,299
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California
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For your land ,I could see a Bobcat front end loader and a smaller wash plant close to the tailings pile IF water would be able to be pumped near those tailings piles. And I would think about selling those "washed" tailings IF POSSIBLE ! Money on both ends of the "DREAM"!!!:icon_thumright::coffee2:
I'm just trying to keep a great hobby going and my son already moves earth for a living. My wash plant is a wheelbarrow full of water to pan in lol.
 

Assembler

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May 10, 2017
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I'm just trying to keep a great hobby going and my son already moves earth for a living. My wash plant is a wheelbarrow full of water to pan in lol.
It appears from your description you have found some unprocessed tailings / materials. I say go do a more complete testing and this will tell you more then and one on this forum at this time.

Can your son move any of the materials for you?
You may just want to concentrate the materials by shaking it for a while then remove just the bottom material for processing, looking at etc.
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
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You should be able to shake the materials dry to get a very good idea what you have there in concentrates. Then take that for further processing wet to come up with realistic results.
 

Assembler

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You can also spread out a tarp to dry say a yard of material at a time in the sun before shaking down /dry washing the concentrates to remove to where you do have water for further processing.
 

OP
OP
southfork

southfork

Bronze Member
Jun 15, 2014
2,299
7,478
California
Primary Interest:
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It appears from your description you have found some unprocessed tailings / materials. I say go do a more complete testing and this will tell you more then and one on this forum at this time.

Can your son move any of the materials for you?
You may just want to concentrate the materials by shaking it for a while then remove just the bottom material for processing, looking at etc.
My son brings excavating equipment home on occasion to do work on the place.
 

oneguy

Sr. Member
Aug 26, 2015
415
1,415
Montana
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2 Goldmonsters, SDC 2300
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This is from a half a pail of soil off the side of tailing pile. A few specks nice spot for a sluice if the rains return my personal finds today and the total take so far from the pile.
Those Cat 518 grapple skidders are SWEET...!!!!!! Gold ain't too shabby either.....
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
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My son brings excavating equipment home on occasion to do work on the place.
This could work out for you big time.
Say have you also taken a look at any of the rocks themselves for any specks?

This mite clue you in on where it may be coming from.
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
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O - yea go get a good magnification loop and start looking you may be the first in your area to do so. You never know you may start spotting mineral pockets worth crushing and panning.
Good luck.
 

Papa-t

Greenie
Apr 20, 2020
19
20
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks for the post and for sharing. Always will be haters being haters. Lol
 

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