Placer Claim Mined Out?

[desertgolddigger]

I belong to a local club that owns a claim. This club has had this claim for many years, and acquired it after the old timers had mined it previously, and others after they commercial outfits closed up.
I walked quite a bit of the 160 acre claim, and noted that just about every wash had been worked. Most of the surface nuggets has also been detected by those with gold detectors. In other words, this place has been picked over and over and over.
But I m a stubborn type of person, and I figured, just watching how people ram their puffer and blower drywashers, that some gold was just being blown through them. maybe not much, but some small stuff that never got a chance to settle behind the riffles.
I know many of you would never go to the effort of digging for three to four hours through the tailings in these washes. Again, I'm a bit stubborn, and anyway, I just wanted to have some fun locally, instead of driving 300 miles roundtrip to something that gives a little more for less effort.
I've spent the last three weeks, digging a few times a week along about 30 yards of wash, and have recovered just about a gram of gold. That might not seem like much, but I have only dug up 5 grams, not counting this one gram in almost 20 years out here drywashing in the desert of southern California.
As you would know, things always seem to go wrong. My gas powered blower motor decided it was time for the repair shop, and haven't heard from the shop in two weeks. So I purchased a WORX WG521 corded electric leaf blower to use with my Royal Large drywasher. I'm using a portable generator to provide the power. And it actually is working better than with my old gas powered blower. I have to run the blower on the lowest speed, or I just blow everything through the riffles. Results are very good, as I am getting gold specks so small that I will have to use the Blue bowl in order to recover them.
I'm not only getting a little gold, I'm having some fun, and I am getting a good workout. I've lost 10 pounds since I started. So things are going well.
I'm still digging test holes around the old time hard rock mines in the hope I will find where the gold has drifted downhill below these mines. So far just a couple specks here and there. I figure I just have to move laterally one way or the other before I get something better Of course, I' don't really know if the old timers stripped the hillsides. Even if they have, they apparently aren't as thorough as I am. I hope that I may be lucky and find a larger piece of gold that the old timers, previous placer miners, and detectorists have missed.
Hope everyone is having as much fun as I have been having.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[Assembler]

I'm just picking them out one-by-one with tweezers. I got tired of having more debris than gold in my vial. Kind of hard to know what something weighs when there's so much junk mixed in. Right now I'm just doing 50 pieces a day until I get things cleaned, then after that I'm going back to what I did before People started suggesting all the miracle tricks, which haven't worked for me, and that's tweezing the gold. Takes less time for me than using all those doo-dads.

A air tray / trench will handle 25 - 75 mesh values with few issues.

A much longer air tunnel will be needed for 150 mesh and finer values with some lost do to the fact that 400 mesh and finer may not be worth your time messing with. A proper air tunnel will have most of the fines drop out in the first 4-6 feet or so depending on your controlled air flow for a given batch.

The simple rock tumbler is likely your best bet for very small batches of heavies.
The mortar and pestle may also work best for you as it will flatten out the gold making it a lot easier to screen out.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[N-Lionberger]

Do you have a prospectors mortar and pestle or dolly pot?

 

[Assembler]

Do you have a prospectors mortar and pestle or dolly pot?

Even a smaller 1-3 pound hammer with a hard surface will work to flatten out the gold. I like the idea of the container to help hold it in so you don't have to put rags around to help hold the flying rock chips etc.

 

[Reed Lukens]

Take a clean piece of printer paper and fold it in half both ways. Then pour your dried fines onto the paper and lightly blow with a straw to remove the light stuff, while leaving the gold. Because the paper is folded in half both ways, you can fold it up to recenter the gold on the paper when needed along with folding it up to pour the cleaned gold into a jar. A small straw from a small sucker bottle will work if you don't have one. I've also used a paper plate, but paper is easier for small amounts. Once you get the micro-gold into a vial, don't open it again until you're ready to melt it... the stuff disapears every time a bottle is opened. I save it up in the jar pictured and then melt it into miners buttons. You can tell that it's micro-gold by the brownish color.

 

[Assembler]

Take a clean piece of printer paper and fold it in half both ways. Then pour your dried fines onto the paper and lightly blow with a straw to remove the light stuff, while leaving the gold. Because the paper is folded in half both ways, you can fold it up to recenter the gold on the paper when needed along with folding it up to pour the cleaned gold into a jar. A small straw from a small sucker bottle will work if you don't have one. I've also used a paper plate, but paper is easier for small amounts. Once you get the micro-gold into a vial, don't open it again until you're ready to melt it... the stuff disapears every time a bottle is opened. I save it up in the jar pictured and then melt it into miners buttons. You can tell that it's micro-gold by the brownish color.

The heavies in its nature's form may be less likely to blow away also have some space around it for the air flows to carry away the light materials.
A good one thanks for pointing out.

 

[mikep691]

Build or buy a retort. Rather than going through all these steps to recover gold you can barely see, just put a BB sized drop of mercury in your pan. Roll it around the black sands and let that BB pick up those micro fines of gold. suck that merc into a dedicated snuffer bottle and reuse it until the silver color is yellow. Then drop that AU filled BB into the retort. Heat until the Mercury has dripped from the retort into a cup of water. Reuse the mercury over and over, and inside the retort is all your micro fines left behind in the form of a gold sponge, free of the black sands and lighter fines.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Build or buy a retort. Rather than going through all these steps to recover gold you can barely see, just put a BB sized drop of mercury in your pan. Roll it around the black sands and let that BB pick up those micro fines of gold. suck that merc into a dedicated snuffer bottle and reuse it until the silver color is yellow. Then drop that AU filled BB into the retort. Heat until the Mercury has dripped from the retort into a cup of water. Reuse the mercury over and over, and inside the retort is all your micro fines left behind in the form of a gold sponge, free of the black sands and lighter fines.

Even if I wanted to use mercury, I live in California. I doubt it is legal to sell the stuff to individuals. I'd rather spend the time picking the gold out of the pan than losing my life.

I'm already finished with cleaning up my super fines anyway. Now I just pan out the fines after every couple trips to the claim. I usually only get about 10-15 fine specks anyway.

 

[desertgolddigger]

It's been quiet, and it probably is due to the terrible weather. Here in the high desert we're getting very strong winds and some rain about twice a week. I've lived here over 20 years, and cannot remember weather this consistently bad.

So I am stuck at home quilting. Hopefully I can get a chance to dig on Friday thru Sunday, if the ground isn't soaked.

If the conditions don't allow drywashing, then I will look around the canyons for possible other gold sources.

EDITED 12:40PM: Well, Isn't this a surprise, it's snowing now. Maybe drywashing is out for the next month or so, until it dries out. Guess this is the prefect time for prospecting.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Here's a question for hard rock miners.

Say the old timers stopped mining a vein because it ended producing anything significant.

Is it possible that a few feet or more down the slope that vein of gold might start up again?

I've noticed that the quartz veins on our claim seem to run one after another down a slope, separated by a few feet to many feet. A lot of these quartz veins apparently were very small, producing little or no gold where the old timers dug.

I've also noticed the our modern miners seemed to follow these quartz veins downhill, digging until they hit another.

Not sure it's a waste of time digging lots of holes in the hope of locating another quartz vein, as it seems to me, many of them are dry (no gold)..

Most of the smaller digs were apparently done by our modern day miners, some showing the quartz, but many showing just regular bedrock.

I plan on taking my metal detector into some of the adjacent canyons near our claim in the hope I might hit one of these veins that hasn't been uncovered. Since it has rained/snowed, I figure the black sands have move down into the wash. Maybe a place with a good concentration will lead me uphill to something.

 

[Assembler]

Here's a question for hard rock miners.

Say the old timers stopped mining a vein because it ended producing anything significant.

Is it possible that a few feet or more down the slope that vein of gold might start up again?

I've noticed that the quartz veins on our claim seem to run one after another down a slope, separated by a few feet to many feet. A lot of these quartz veins apparently were very small, producing little or no gold where the old timers dug.

I've also noticed the our modern miners seemed to follow these quartz veins downhill, digging until they hit another.

Not sure it's a waste of time digging lots of holes in the hope of locating another quartz vein, as it seems to me, many of them are dry (no gold)..

Most of the smaller digs were apparently done by our modern day miners, some showing the quartz, but many showing just regular bedrock.

I plan on taking my metal detector into some of the adjacent canyons near our claim in the hope I might hit one of these veins that hasn't been uncovered. Since it has rained/snowed, I figure the black sands have move down into the wash. Maybe a place with a good concentration will lead me uphill to something.

Most likely most of the veins will not have any values in them.
Panning may be a faster way of getting you close to a vein that has something in it. The age of a given rock could help you to spot a better location as far as finding colors goes. The size of the crystallization of the minerals could also help you to spot a better location. There is always other factors however this is a start.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Pocket miners often will dig out prospect pits in the hopes that a pinched off vein may open up again a few more feet down. Not sure if your area is prone to pockets. The only way to be absolutely sure is to dig it out or drill it which ain’t cheap.

 

[Assembler]

Pocket miners often will dig out prospect pits in the hopes that a pinched off vein may open up again a few more feet down. Not sure if your area is prone to pockets. The only way to be absolutely sure is to dig it out or drill it which ain’t cheap.

Some have done well looking for nodules that can be associated with mineral assemblages of pyrite. This may occur in the total rock mass, along rock fractures, or as nodules within the rock mass. For example epidote-chlorite-magnetite and quartz-sericite-pyrite are two forms.

When looking at your quartz veins this could be the difference between one having some values and all of the rest having little to nothing in them. A panning of materials with each rock out crop could get you on track. Looking with a good loop at each quartz vein could show you very quickly as well.

Something to look for when checking the quartz you point out. Not all quartz out crops are the same.

 

[Assembler]

Once one can see what to look for one can possibly spot these mineral assemblages walking along looking at the rock in strong or good lighting. However a good panning of materials will lead you to the general area faster if you can't spot what to look for first.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Once one can see what to look for one can possibly spot these mineral assemblages walking along looking at the rock in strong or good lighting. However a good panning of materials will lead you to the general area faster if you can't spot what to look for first.

Assembler, was there a link for "mineral assemblages"?

I just finished panning out he the material for four test holes. #'s 1, 2 & 3 were dry. #4 had one speck around 120 mesh.

I walked the canyon I mentioned earlier that had some very fine gold in it. I discovered a faint set of wheel tracks, and followed it up over the hill, and saw a huge valley with multiple washes descending from the surrounding hills. This is where I dug my four test holes. I carefully drove this old road into this valley where I dug those four holes. It will take months to prospect it all. And most of it is only accessible by walking

This area was a claim at one time, but has been abandoned.

I will move up the wash I got that speck in, in the hope further up it produces something, and hopefully a source. I saw no digs up the wash that indicated anyone had prospected in that direction. Reason is there probably isn't a good source, and that specks are all there is.

 

[Assembler]

Assembler, was there a link for "mineral assemblages"?

I just finished panning out he the material for four test holes. #'s 1, 2 & 3 were dry. #4 had one speck around 120 mesh.

I walked the canyon I mentioned earlier that had some very fine gold in it. I discovered a faint set of wheel tracks, and followed it up over the hill, and saw a huge valley with multiple washes descending from the surrounding hills. This is where I dug my four test holes. I carefully drove this old road into this valley where I dug those four holes. It will take months to prospect it all. And most of it is only accessible by walking

This area was a claim at one time, but has been abandoned.

I will move up the wash I got that speck in, in the hope further up it produces something, and hopefully a source. I saw no digs up the wash that indicated anyone had prospected in that direction. Reason is there probably isn't a good source, and that specks are all there is.

I just highlighted in red so that you would notice the term. You can google etc. the term and find out more if you like. The key factor is for you to dial in to a state of mind of what has happened to that given rock / rock flow so you can start to see it with your own eyes. After all most people have no problem spotting pyrites the real questions to ask are what has happened in order for that pyrites to even be there in that form?

 

[desertgolddigger]

OK, If I am enthusiastic enough tomorrow morning, I may try again. This time I will remember to take a pan. Yeah, I took lots of water, a panning basin, but no pan. Didn't have anything I could substitute.

 

[Assembler]

OK, If I am enthusiastic enough tomorrow morning, I may try again. This time I will remember to take a pan. Yeah, I took lots of water, a panning basin, but no pan. Didn't have anything I could substitute.

Not everyone enjoys to pan. However it is one of the fastest ways to spot some values. The main reasons to pan is to find out where the zone is and when it stops. Then you can track down more of that source or stay in the zone.

 

[desertgolddigger]

I dug in the old tailing pile in the wash I've been working on these past few months yesterday. I needed my gold fix, and got a very nice one to the sum of 0.4 grams.

Another claim member came out yesterday. Based on the picture they posted on Facebook, they had a very good day, getting a lot of fine gold, and digging out a nice 1/2 - 3/4 inch quartz/gold specimen. Wow! something that size still exists on our claim.

Gas prices just keep climbing, so I will be cutting my trips to the claim to once a week, no more than twice a week if I get the gold shakes. That also means my prospecting will be next to nothing until something changes on those gas prices,

EDITED: I guess going only once or twice a week, instead of three to four, is a way to save money. I'll just have to make it an all day digging thing, and try to dig two to three times as much.

I'll just need to bring out more liquids to drink, and something to munch, as well as a chair. Hmmm, I just got my ultimate camping chair (director's type with side table/cup holder) a while ago. It'll finally see some use.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Hey Gents/Ladies, I've given this some thought, and come to a decision. I'm giving up the prospecting and hard rock stuff. I'm not knowledgeable enough, and just too old to pursue this line of interest. I will stick with placer mining, but at a much scaled back frequency. I got what I wanted, that being one ounce of placer gold.

That means the crusher, bowl and table I purchased, as well as the 8x8 Shelter Logic shelter I have, I will be disposing of. Since I cannot move these here, all I can do is ask anyone here that knows of anyone seeking stuff like this to contact me via PM, I'll give details to those who respond once we establish contact via email, off this forum.

And no, I'm not giving up digging for gold, but will invest my money, instead of fuel, into gold bars and coins. I will continue to dig for fun.

 

[southfork]

Hey Gents/Ladies, I've given this some thought, and come to a decision. I'm giving up the prospecting and hard rock stuff. I'm not knowledgeable enough, and just too old to pursue this line of interest. I will stick with placer mining, but at a much scaled back frequency. I got what I wanted, that being one ounce of placer gold.

That means the crusher, bowl and table I purchased, as well as the 8x8 Shelter Logic shelter I have, I will be disposing of. Since I cannot move these here, all I can do is ask anyone here that knows of anyone seeking stuff like this to contact me via PM, I'll give details to those who respond once we establish contact via email, off this forum.

And no, I'm not giving up digging for gold, but will invest my money, instead of fuel, into gold bars and coins. I will continue to dig for fun.

About the time you get rid of the extra gear the gold will start showing up. three of us crushed rocks all morning almost caught up again lots of gold today. But just returning favors to the crew not my gold.