Seeking info on the CLAY association when looking for gold.

[johnnysau]

Always seems to be some sort of association in the geology I'm figuring, Your thoughts or experience.

johnnysau

 

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[huntsman53]

Always seems to be some sort of association in the geology I'm figuring, Your thoughts or experience.

johnnysau

In areas known for Gold, the whitish/grey and bluish clays are well known and most times sought after when prospecting for Gold! There are quite a few answers about where the clay comes from and their' make-up. The main ones are that the clay is decomposing bedrock, slate layers and Quartz and some are associated with decomposing and eroding Volcanic pipes. Gold is often found in the first 3 to 5 inches of the clay and below it in the aluvial gravels. The bluish clay often contains Silver in high concentrations and some Gold, while the white/grey/bluish clay will usually have fair amounts of both Silver and Gold as well as other heavy metals. When panning this clay down and you find that there are other materials that are just as heavy as the Gold in your' Gold Pan, do not toss this out after retrieving the Gold. If you save and accumulate these materials, then have them tested, they could be worth a pretty penny! It is somewhat hard to get the Gold out of these clays and much harder to get the Silver as much of it washes over the riffles of a sluice and out. It might be best to classify the really bluish clays into buckets and haul them home. Eventually you will find a company that can process the Silver out of them and pay you a good price for them. Oh and I almost forgot! When you get the bluish clay home, make sure to pan it out in a large container, so that you not only get the Gold out of it but save the clay for selling later down the road.

Good luck!


Frank