Thoughts on these gravels?

[Azure]

 

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[Jachyrah]

I like the size and variety of cobbles in there. Not a fan of the lighter clay looking sediments though. Seems likely lacking in mineral/metals. This in a historically gold producing area?

 

[arizau]

I like the size and variety of cobbles in there. Not a fan of the lighter clay looking sediments though. Seems likely lacking in mineral/metals. This in a historically gold producing area?

Pretty obvious stream gravel. A gold pan and a water source are the best friends of prospectors......do some sample panning. Sample next to bedrock if you can dig to it.

Good luck

 

[Azure]

I like the size and variety of cobbles in there. Not a fan of the lighter clay looking sediments though. Seems likely lacking in mineral/metals. This in a historically gold producing area?

I've found chunky gold nearby. I think the light sediment could be from volcanic mud flows.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Only way to know, for sure, is to bust some of it loose and fill up a couple 5-gal buckets, then go pan it out. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so.

 

[Assembler]

How far down is bed rock?
Can a leaf blower be used to help concentrate materials?
Any visible values in the near by rocks?

 

[desertgolddigger]

All you can do is use a pick, shovel, classifier screen, and some water and a pan to see if there's gold. Looks like darker areas in the bottom of the photo. You might check in that area. If I were wanting to see if there was gold, I would dig out at least two five gallon buckets as a test. I'd classify with a half inch screen, and then classify with 1/4 and 1/16 to make things more manageable if just using a pan. Of course, I'm a glutton for punishment. I always do large samples before deciding to dig more, or walk away and try somewhere else.

 

[et1955]

I've found chunky gold nearby. I think the light sediment could be from volcanic mud flows.

I agree with you, it's not a river deposit

 

[Assembler]

I've found chunky gold nearby. I think the light sediment could be from volcanic mud flows.

Can you track down where the mud flow is coming from?

 

[Azure]

I agree with you, it's not a river deposit

If there's a massive mud slide that churns up a water channel, does the gold also get churned up and not concentrate like with water?

 

[Assembler]

The mud flow may be part of an ash flow deposit. Perhaps you can find more of the ash deposits to help track down where it came out.

 

[Azure]

All you can do is use a pick, shovel, classifier screen, and some water and a pan to see if there's gold. Looks like darker areas in the bottom of the photo. You might check in that area. If I were wanting to see if there was gold, I would dig out at least two five gallon buckets as a test. I'd classify with a half inch screen, and then classify with 1/4 and 1/16 to make things more manageable if just using a pan. Of course, I'm a glutton for punishment. I always do large samples before deciding to dig more, or walk away and try somewhere else.

I will do this once I have the chance to get out there again, I'll post photos if the results are not great.

 

[desertgolddigger]

The rock does look like river rock. I'm wondering if the ash might be from a forest fire many long years ago, and after that, massive rains swept flood waters through this area, carrying all this higher river rock, and ash downhill.

Wonder if this elevated river rock and associated material is from an ancient raised river bed. If this raised river, that was eons ago, lower down, swept through ore deposits, then you might have something.

First, you do need to do some sampling, and looking around for more of this flow, then do as Assembler suggested, and head uphill towards the source.

Of course, what I have said is speculation from someone who doesn't know much of anything. But I hope it does happen this is from an ancient gold slathered riverbed. If you do find significant amounts of gold, stake a claim fast.

 

[et1955]

If there's a massive mud slide that churns up a water channel, does the gold also get churned up and not concentrate like with water?

I have mined several landslides in the Sultan canyon up here in Washington state, I have climbed down some that were over 600 ft. long and tested them. No gold found until I reached where the slide went into the river, flooding was able to concentrate the gold from the slide Very rich. But don't forget that these slides can cover ancient gold deposits in the river bank too.

 

[Assembler]

View attachment 2114710

The center boulder at the top of the photograph appears to be from a zeolite alteration compared to the other two boulders in the photograph. Thus coming from a different source flow of rock or nature has treated that rock differently.

Zeolite alteration rock chemically breaks down (devitrifies) relatively unstable volcanic glass in pyroclastic and lava flow rock altering it to green clay and zeolites. In short that rock will break down way faster than other types of rock that does not have the zeolite treatment / glass.

In nature glass can make a good flux to help certain minerals precipitate or drop out of a molten / gas / phase state. This could be one or more of the minerals you may be looking for.

 

[Assembler]

The rock does look like river rock. I'm wondering if the ash might be from a forest fire many long years ago, and after that, massive rains swept flood waters through this area, carrying all this higher river rock, and ash downhill.

Wonder if this elevated river rock and associated material is from an ancient raised river bed. If this raised river, that was eons ago, lower down, swept through ore deposits, then you might have something.

First, you do need to do some sampling, and looking around for more of this flow, then do as Assembler suggested, and head uphill towards the source.

Of course, what I have said is speculation from someone who doesn't know much of anything. But I hope it does happen this is from an ancient gold slathered riverbed. If you do find significant amounts of gold, stake a claim fast.

The rounding of the rocks is likely from river water action that would also wash most forest fire ash if not cemented or compacted into a hard layer.

Finding where the volcanic ash came out of the ground may be harder then you think. The reason is that the mud / ash layer is likely covering the exit / vent that it came out of. Plus nature has maybe come along and closed the exit / vent.

Volcanic activity has been known to lift up older river gravel / rock.
By the way ash deposits are not always uphill somewhere so be sure to check in a 360 degree local areas because the ash likely has not come from very far away.

 

[Assembler]

I'm going to correct my statement about rounded rocks most likely from river water action.
Rocks can also be rounded by coming up a exit / vent hole as well. Something to check for.

 

[Assembler]

I'm going to correct my statement about rounded rocks most likely from river water action.
Rocks can also be rounded by coming up a exit / vent hole as well. Something to check for.

I'm going add here that the fact that hundreds of tons of hot ash at sonic speeds makes one of the best sand blasters to round rocks very quickly.

 

[Assembler]

If there's a massive mud slide that churns up a water channel, does the gold also get churned up and not concentrate like with water?

Taking a good look at the bedrock level could answer your question.
You need to pinpoint where the chunky values are coming from and let us know as the volcanic rock is not a river deposit as a general statement.

 

[BoulderTroll]

Could it be a glacial deposit? Those can give you rounded rocks and lighter colored sediments mixed in as well