A few prospecting pick-ups from this weekend

[Jason in Enid]

While in the area of Salida CO this past weekend, my son and I did some hiking and looking for anything of interest. I spotted several chunks of quartz that had a lot "character" to them. Now, I'm no hardrock miner, so I couldn't tell you if these are good or not. Hopefully some of you will be able to tell me more about what I picked up. None were from tailings piles or even close to tailings, although many small mines cover the area. All came from within about 1/2 mile of each other.

First piece is interesting because of the brown staining and grey streaks throughout it and a grey surface on one side.


Piece #2 couldn't be ignored. The green is so bright it looked painted, but it runs through the specimen in tiny veins along with more (and thicker) amounts of grey like the first.



Last piece looked interesting because of appeared to be a large amount of iron in it.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[gold tramp]

While in the area of Salida CO this past weekend, my son and I did some hiking and looking for anything of interest. I spotted several chunks of quartz that had a lot "character" to them. Now, I'm no hardrock miner, so I couldn't tell you if these are good or not. Hopefully some of you will be able to tell me more about what I picked up. None were from tailings piles or even close to tailings, although many small mines cover the area. All came from within about 1/2 mile of each other.

First piece is interesting because of the brown staining and grey streaks throughout it and a grey surface on one side.
View attachment 1124162

Piece #2 couldn't be ignored. The green is so bright it looked painted, but it runs through the specimen in tiny veins along with more (and thicker) amounts of grey like the first.
View attachment 1124163
View attachment 1124164

Last piece looked interesting because of appeared to be a large amount of iron in it.
View attachment 1124165

all i can say is if you want to know what is in side crush n pan, looks good i would dig around.
GT..........

 

[djui5]

The bottom piece should have Gold in it. I've got a very similar piece from CO. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow. These rocks are very typical of mines with gold/silver/copper

 

[tamrock]

Hey J in E, Sounds like you had a cool trip. I lived in Salida in the later 70's early 80's. I did hike the hills and 4 wheeled the area many times. There was indeed gold mined in the area known as Turret. A friend and my shift boss had a period cabin in the Turret area all fixed up with original late 19th early 20th century decor, until some thieves robbed the place of all its content. It was me my boss and a dispatcher at the mine and we all dated these 3 sisters from Salida and we all would spend lots of time at that cabin of the one fellas. It was a small mine claim of his also and there was an old mine on the property. The most well know mine of the region was the Calumet Iron mine. What I'm seeing IMO in your rocks is the result of Iron and Manganese. One cool thing I did find in the area was a large dump of old cans with a MD and it was mixed with old and unbroken bottles from the late 19th and early 20th century. It was all covered up by years of washed sandy ground in a small gully. And all of us stopped sitting around drinking beer and began to pull out bottle after bottle that day. The area around Salida does yield many mineral types. I wish I had the time to MD more of the area.

The Turret Mining District

Containing the ghost town of Turret as well as the Calumet Iron Mine, several old gold mines, and numerous pegmatite bodies. Minerals found here include epidote, beryl, muscovite, garnet, jasper, quartz, corundum, feldspar, hematite, actinolite, uralite, biotite, marble, and others. Other mines in the area include the Homestake Mine (albite) and the Independence Mine (molybdenite). The Homestake mine is the site of numerous pegmatite minerals. Feldspar, mica, and quartz are present in the mine dumps and in the area around the mine. The Homestake is also near the massive old quarry, a place where caution is advised if you choose to hike around it. The quarry’s floor is flooded and slippery rocks in wet conditions can be dangerous.

From guide to Green Rocks

Green and greenish rocks get their color from green minerals, but a lot depends on the type of rock: igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks each have their own set of green minerals. It will help if you know how to distinguish those major rock classes as well as "How to Look at a Rock." But first, be sure you're looking at a fresh surface! Don't let a coat of green algae fool you. Green minerals can be hard to identify until you've learned something about the most common ones. Here they are, along with their usual luster and hardness. If your green or greenish mineral doesn't fit one of these, there are many more possibilities. Another tidbit: green colors usually arise from the presence of iron or chromium and sometimes manganese.

I see you head to Colorado a lot. I have a hunch about the area know as Bonanza close to Villa Grove, may be a good place to prospect also.