Question About "Free Gold"

[nuggeteer]

Hi everyone,
I've been doing some research on the geology and mining history of the area I detect. Many of the reports use the term "free gold" to denote the specific occurrence of gold in an ore deposit. For a term used so widely, I cannot find a single description of its meaning. Is this visible gold, or gold that is easily separated from the ore? The deposits are typically of quartz origin and/or associated with iron-rich intrusions within a meta-volcanic rhyolite matrix. What does the term "free gold" mean?

 

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[Fullpan]

Both - it usually means visible gold to the naked eye, also chemically separate, as opposed to tellurium, or gold bound up with pyrite, etc. Now "jewellery gold" is large blebs of gold in
matrix (usually quartz) or nuggets weighing more than a couple pennyweight.

 

[pannerman]

Have you used your metal detector on any of the quartrz vein deposits? I rarely hear of anyone ever finding gold by using a metal detector on quartz veins.

 

[Fullpan]

The sixteen-to-1 mine in Alleghany, Ca. used metal detectors for many years to locate hotspots of gold in the various tunnels, before being "closed down" by
the greenies. There are hundreds of thousands of ounces of "jewellery gold" still in the mine.

Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc. - The Mine

 

[chris rizin]

16-1 is still open isn't it? I just drove the back way in there a month ago.. Cool place but in the open "farming" kept me from stopping and wondering around with my family.. Not that there's much to wonder around and do anyway..

 

[Fullpan]

"the back way"... did you go in on Tyler Foote rd? If so, was the Kenton mine still taking campers? About five years ago, we
camped overnight at the Kenton. The caretaker/groundskeeper showed us about three ounces of heavy gold nuggets he found
on his time off. We panned almost 2 grams of fine gold right at the base of the mill's pilings you see in first pic. Almost paid for the camping fee!

http://www.sierramayhemjeeptours.com/kenton-mine.html

 

[Fullpan]

Chris - I think they (16-to-1) are still open in that the mine office is open, but they are not working underground crews due to MSHA regulators and the state
water quality board won't let em discharge anything into Kanaka creek. Somebody correct me if that's not right.

 

[Oakview2]

02/14/2013
16 to 1 Optimistic Over Developing Technology ~ Mountain Messenger​

ALLEGHANY– “Maybe this will be the technological breakthrough anticipated since metal detectors were first used underground at the Sixteen to One mine,” said Mike Miller, president of the nation’s oldest gold mining company.

The Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc. became one of 500 one-hundred year old U.S. companies, and its Sixteen to One mine in Sierra County is the longest operating gold mine in North America. The company recently completed negotiating an agreement with Quartzview Corporation, a technology start-up company based in Scotts Valley. Quartzview is a developer of deep sensing technology and believes it can develop and demonstrate its ability to detect the presence of gold at a range of up to ten feet through solid quartz. The developing technology involves both hardware and software. Miller remains cautiously optimistic.

“Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) has proven its ability to penetrate and return a signal well beyond ten feet. We know our mine well and pushing for GPR capable of 50 or 100 feet does not interest us. What we need is fine tuning to distinguish gold from other occurrences for ten feet,” Miller mused.

Quartzview’s software will first create a three dimensional digital map of the mine. The objectives are to evaluate likely gold content, estimate potential gold reserves and target most likely locations and drill patterns within the mine to find gold. It’s not the mine’s first attempt to develop such technology. Miller has years of experiences with other groups with similar intentions. So far, all have been unsatisfactory, but Miller sees no reason to quit trying. During the 1990s off-the-shelf detectors located a gold speck that led the miners into a 10,000 ounce pocket. On December 17, 1993, the greatest recorded single day production of 2500 ounces from the 1330 stope was called “The Million Dollar Day.” A repeat of that haul is worth over $4 million today.

In the agreement with Quartzview, the Sixteen to One will continue to operate the mine, taking responsibility for mine access and safety. Explaining why the mine is only now announcing its long-negotiated relationship with Quartzview, Miller explained there are other pressures than local and stockholder interest.

“We’ve been quiet for too long, dealing with ‘uncommon sense’ interferences from both federally employed people and the legacy left by mean spirited California water regulators,” explained Miller.