Abandoned Trails in Silver Country

[Jim Hemmingway]

ABANDONED TRAILS IN SILVER COUNTRY​

Introduction…

Silver country represents a small part of a vast, heavily forested wilderness perched on the sprawling Precambrian Shield here in northeastern Ontario. Away from the small towns and villages, and widely scattered farms and rural homesteads, there exists a largely uninterrupted way of life in the more remote areas. There are uncounted miles of lonely country backroads, overgrown tracks leading to abandoned mining camps, innumerable rough timber lanes, and a virtually infinite tangle of winding trails that reach deeply into the distant forests.

Nothing in my experience has been so completely companionable as the soft forest whisperings and the beckoning solitude that reigns over this ruggedly beautiful country. This is where my carefree days of autumn prospecting have been agreeably spent for many years. We returned again this year to unbounded, satisfying autumn days of kicking rocks, exploring and detector-prospecting adventures, followed by evenings spent evaluating silver ores and hot coffee over blazing campfires.

Irrespective of silver recoveries, the flaming autumn colors of the boreal forest are the real treasure of the season. They persist for only a few short weeks, reluctantly yielding to the autumnal yellows of the tamarack, birch, and aspen in sharp contrast to the deep conifer greens. Scenery as depicted below accentuates your enthusiasm to get into the field, and pretty much ensures that an autumn prospecting trip to silver country is a memorable experience.

​

General Discussion…

Unprecedented, persistently wet conditions eliminated any potential for a banner season, but nonetheless we did manage to find considerable worthwhile silver. In addition to an assortment of rich silver and associated minerals, my friend Sheldon Ward recovered a large, very high conductive native silver ore that we’ll take a closer look at shortly. Most of my quality silver finds were fairly small… although a specimen grade silver ore at five pounds was found during the final week of the trip, and frankly I felt very fortunate to get it. Larger material was recovered, for example a 24-pound highgrade silver ore from the same area… but these invariably were mixed ores dominated by cobalt and various arsenides, most notably niccolite as illustrated below.

​

On a more positive note, we both found plentiful small silver generally ranging between one-half and ten ounces that added real weight to the orebag over the season’s duration. It is much easier to find small but rich, high character silver than is the case with larger material. Even so, specimen grade detectable silver in any size range is becoming increasingly difficult to find at many of the obvious, readily accessible sites nowadays.

The photo below is a pretty fair representation of the overall quality, although anything below a half-oz was excluded from this shot… such are not terribly photogenic beside larger samples. Some rich ‘nuggety’ ores were HCl acid-bathed to free the silver from carbonate rock, and all samples were subjected to a rotary tool circular wire brush to remove surface residues, followed by a dish detergent wash and rinse.

​

By way of a brief background explanation to readers unfamiliar with this prospecting application, we search for more valuable coin-size and larger pieces of silver. Natural native silver target ID is determined by physical and chemical factors such as silver purity, types of mineral inclusions, structure (for example… dendritic, plate, disseminated, massive), size, shape, and the profile presented to the coil. Virtually all natural silver from this area will target ID from low foil up to a maximum of silver dime range. Only infrequently over the years have we found isolated, rare examples of our naturally occurring silver exceeding that range.

The specimen depicted below is a commonplace example of silver typically recovered here. It isn't terribly large or particularly handsome… but it is mostly comprised of native silver by weight. Its target ID is a bit elevated from the usual, but consider that even small changes to some of the more influential factors listed above can significantly alter target ID. I tend to pay minimal attention to it when evaluating samples.

It was detected adjacent to an abandoned mining track that leads directly to a former mill site at the mining camp scene depicted above. No treatment required other than a leather glove rubdown followed by a soapy wash and rinse… in fact it looked quite presentable fresh out of the dirt. The darker material you see is heavily tarnished native silver that I intend to leave undisturbed.

​

Ground conditions also play an important role in determining target ID, and refer to factors such as strength of non-conductive magnetic susceptible iron minerals, ground moisture content, proximity of adjacent targets, and disturbed ground. These factors sometimes contribute to good silver at depth producing a VLF target ID in the iron range.

Probably the best photo example available to me is a specimen found a few years back at good depth in tough magnetic diabase. It produced a predominantly iron target ID on the Fisher F75. It was detected in a fairly low trash area, the signal was suspect, and it was checked with the groundgrab feature. In this instance, there was no ground phase reduction to more conductive values as would be anticipated over rusty iron or a positive hotrock, and so the target was dug.

But otherwise, the rule of thumb over questionable weaker signals is to remove some material to acquire a stronger signal and target ID readout before making a decision to continue digging in our difficult, hard-packed rocky substrates, or move on. If there is the least doubt we dig the target and learn what actually produced the signal.

​

The specimen depicted below was found by eyesight while hiking along an old abandoned rail track. In the field our rock samples seem more attractive or valuable than they do once we return to camp, where we tend to view them far more critically. If they don’t look to have good specimen grade potential, my samples either get chucked or given away. But that’s just me… others are more resourceful with unwanted samples, they’re refined by some, subjected to treatments, or slabbed… and ultimately sold. In any case, this rock didn't terribly impress me and was placed with the other discards on the picnic table. But nobody other than my wife seemed much interested in it, and that is how it came to be included here.

In its original condition, it could only be described as nondescript, with very little showing on the surface prior to treatment. It did produce a broad solid PI signal, despite that the few surface indicators were non-conductive dark ruby silver pyrargyrite and to a much lesser extent what I think is the black silver sulfosalt stephanite. To see more, it was acid-washed to expose silver and associated minerals, cleaned-up with a rotary tool followed by a dish detergent bath and rinse.

Both these minerals produce a good luster that makes them a bit more difficult to distinguish from native silver in a photo. But in reality it is easy to see the differences and do some simple tests to confirm if necessary. As it turned out… the sample does have a good showing of dendritic native silver… a timely reminder that metal detectors see what we initially can’t see inside rocks.

​

Abandoned Trails, Minesite Tracks and Roadbeds…

Abandoned, frequently overgrown trails, mining tracks, and roadbeds provide convenient routes to prime detecting sites that otherwise would be much more difficult to access. But the important thing is that most such routes were built with discarded mine tailings to considerable depth, and contain good silver more frequently than you might think possible. Some snake through the bush to more remote areas, but the vast majority of these now abandoned routes were built to service existing minesites at the time. They were used to transport discarded rock to the tailing disposal areas, and silver ores to storage buildings and to mill sites, and generally to service other mining camp requirements.

​

We know from research and experience that silver was misgraded, inadvertently misplaced, or lost directly from spills to eventually reside on, within, or alongside these now abandoned trails and roadbeds. These mine tailings… frequently containing rich silver… were also used to build storage beds, minesite entrances, loading ramps, and as noted… routes to facilitate waste rock transport. All these offer excellent, obvious prospects to search with a suitable metal detector.

The nugget below, with several other pieces, was found in the tailings adjacent to the abandoned track in the photo above. Some good weather following a horrendous week of persistent heavy rainfalls prompted me to head out late one afternoon for some casual detecting. I had sampled those tailings earlier in the season but nothing by way of thorough searching. And while the silver was generally small, it had been surprisingly good quality. So I was looking forward to a few relaxing hours of detecting… nothing ambitious that late in the day… just happy to get out of camp.

That particular spot formerly housed storage beds, and was now replete with large rusty nails. I should have used a VLF unit, as things would have gone much more quickly. VLF motion all-metal detection depth in that moderate ground would pretty well match Infinium equipped with the 8” mono, with the further advantage of target ID. If conductive pyrrhotite hotrocks had also been present, I would have switched over to my F75 or MXT.

But I stayed with the Infinium primarily because I enjoy using it. By comparison it is slow going, but that isn't such a bad thing over potentially good ground. It silences what can be described as VLF ground noise, in addition to sizable non-conductive mafic hotrocks in this area. It also has some limited high conductive iron handling capability, for example elongated iron such as drillrods or rail spikes at sufficient depth that VLF units… even using small iron discrimination… misidentify with perfectly good signals and non-ferrous target ID readouts. More information on this subject can be found at… Garret Infinium Silver Rock Hunting - Revised Edition February 2011 White's TDI Pro in Silver Country [including Infinium Comparison]

Nearly all the signals proved to be nails, plus one drillbit with a perpendicular profile to the coil. The silver below produced a low-high signal in zero discrimination and a good high-low signal in reverse discrimination at maybe eight to ten inches depth… almost identical to the drillbit. The exposed silver was unusually tarnished and the remainder partially embedded in carbonate rock. It was acid-bathed to free the silver, cleaned with a rotary tool diamond bit and circular wire brush, followed by a detergent wash and rinse.

​

While searching one such abandoned route with his Fisher F75, Sheldon Ward found a large highgrade silver ore comprised of a thick calcite vein containing massive dendritic native silver. It should weigh about 20 lbs give or take a bit, and is attached to dark country rock. It generated a moderate but broad signal from several feet depth, requiring about 30 minutes of hard pick and shovel work to recover it. It possesses an unusually elevated target ID well above silver dime range, making it quite rare indeed. Over nearly 30 years in this area and perhaps thousands of silver samples later, I've seen only a handful of silver produce a similar target ID.

On site we obviously have the benefit of closely examining the vein material, but it’s impossible for readers to evaluate the silver based on the photos below because of the camera to rock distance and the smudged dirt layer on the vein. And outdoor photos do tend to make native silver look much like grey rock. A better view of the cleaned sample can be had at Sheldon’s photobucket link to a half-minute video.
http://vid307.photobucket.com/albums/nn289/InsaneTundra/P1020237.mp4

Sheldon if you happen to be reading along here, congratulations on your many superb silver and associated mineral recoveries over the past year. Nothing that your dedication and persistence achieves in the years to come will ever surprise me.

​

Persistence Pays Dividends…

Let’s wrap things up with a tale about the rock sample below. It was recovered at the edge of a tangled overgrown trail near a former millsite just a few years ago. Its recovery exemplifies that the more you work towards your objective of finding silver or gold, the more likely your luck will correspondingly improve.

I’d been searching that particular area for two days without meaningful results while evaluating a newly purchased Garrett Infinium for this application. The second day had again been filled with digging hard-packed rocky substrates for iron junk, worthless or otherwise unwanted arsenides, and plenty of conductive pyrrhotite hotrocks. As the sun was reaching for the western horizon, I decided to make one final effort before heading elsewhere the following day.

Methodically working along the old track towards the mill, lots of old diggings were plainly evident. But previous hunters had avoided an area with a scattering of large, flat rusty iron pieces and other miscellaneous modern trash. I moved quickly to clear it away, because daylight was fading fast beneath the dense forest canopy. My Infinium soon produced a surprisingly strong high-low signal that practically vanished in reverse discrimination… a promising indication of naturally occurring ores. I dug down a foot before my Propointer could locate the signal.

Probability says that it could have been any number of possible targets altogether more likely than good silver. But fickle Lady Luck was more kindly disposed towards me that evening. The rich, finely dendritic piece depicted below was in my gloved hands just as twilight was stealing across that lonely abandoned trail in remote silver country.

​

A Final Word…

A special mention to my friend Dr. Jim Eckert. I hadn’t seen much of Jim recently, but happened across his trail late one overcast afternoon in the outback. I was about to hike into a site when this fellow came flying down the trail on a motorbike, and despite the riding helmet I recognized him. We had a good long chat about this and that…

Later in the season, one bright sunny afternoon at the site of my short-lived testhole diggings, Jim stopped around to show me a recent specimen find comprised of native silver and possibly crystalline stephanite. We talked mineralogy and other interests many hours until finally the sun was going down. These were highlights of the trip, and I want to say how much I enjoyed and appreciated having that companionable time together.

Thanks to everyone for dropping by. We hope that you enjoy presentations about our silver, particularly since it is different from what many rockhunters normally encounter in their areas. All the very best with your prospecting adventures… perhaps one day it will be our good luck to meet you in the field.

Jim Hemmingway
December 2014

 

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[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Mr. Lee… thankyou for dropping around with the above insightful comments. I’m sure everyone reading this will agree that we can benefit from a broader knowledge of rocks and minerals, and should keep an eye open to possibilities in the field. I think that your local rock club is a great idea, and acquiring an understandable rock and mineral field guide would certainly help. We keep a Peterson Field Guide Rocks and Minerals by Frederick H. Pough in our knapsack for reference.

A lot of the silver minerals don’t react well to metal detectors, so it comes down to collectors moving and sorting material. But you've got to look in the right places, and expect that subsurface material is coated in dirt, which makes the task more difficult. Most of the non-metallic silver minerals found up here tend to be incidental to digging target signals, or because they’re attached to such targets. The proustite specimen depicted below came from our area, although I didn't find it. It is a fine example of a quite valuable silver mineral that will definitely interest collectors or those looking to supplement their income.

Abandoned Trails has not been published and there is no plan to do so. I’ve had offers in the past, and did publish an article to an Australian prospecting magazine, whereas I passed on an offer to publish Electronic Prospecting in Silver Country by a prominent American treasure magazine. I prefer posting to the forums because they’re interactive… feedback is a much more powerful incentive compared to a few meager publishing dollars. Anyone can drop by and kick around whatever comes to mind, and generally get better acquainted in this environment. Lasting friendships have been formed under less auspicious circumstances. That potential is far more important to me.

Jim.

​

 

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[Lanny in AB]

ABANDONED TRAILS IN SILVER COUNTRY​

Introduction…

Silver country represents a small part of a vast, heavily forested wilderness perched on the sprawling Precambrian Shield here in northeastern Ontario. Away from the small towns and villages, and widely scattered farms and rural homesteads, there exists a largely uninterrupted way of life in the more remote areas. There are uncounted miles of lonely country backroads, overgrown tracks leading to abandoned mining camps, innumerable rough timber lanes, and a virtually infinite tangle of winding trails that reach deeply into the distant forests.

Nothing in my experience has been so completely companionable as the soft forest whisperings and the beckoning solitude that reigns over this ruggedly beautiful country. This is where my carefree days of autumn prospecting have been agreeably spent for many years. We returned again this year to unbounded, satisfying autumn days of kicking rocks, exploring and detector-prospecting adventures, followed by evenings spent evaluating silver ores and hot coffee over blazing campfires.

Irrespective of silver recoveries, the flaming autumn colors of the boreal forest are the real treasure of the season. They persist for only a few short weeks, reluctantly yielding to the autumnal yellows of the tamarack, birch, and aspen in sharp contrast to the deep conifer greens. Scenery as depicted below accentuates your enthusiasm to get into the field, and pretty much ensures that an autumn prospecting trip to silver country is a memorable experience.

General Discussion…

Unprecedented, persistently wet conditions eliminated any potential for a banner season, but nonetheless we did manage to find considerable worthwhile silver. In addition to an assortment of rich silver and associated minerals, my friend Sheldon Ward recovered a large, very high conductive native silver ore that we’ll take a closer look at shortly. Most of my quality silver finds were fairly small… although a specimen grade silver ore at five pounds was found during the final week of the trip, and frankly I felt very fortunate to get it. Larger material was recovered, for example a 24-pound highgrade silver ore from the same area… but these invariably were mixed ores dominated by cobalt and various arsenides, most notably niccolite as illustrated below.

​

On a more positive note, we both found plentiful small silver generally ranging between one-half and ten ounces that added real weight to the orebag over the season’s duration. It is much easier to find small but rich, high character silver than is the case with larger material. Even so, specimen grade detectable silver in any size range is becoming increasingly difficult to find at many of the obvious, readily accessible sites nowadays.

The photo below is a pretty fair representation of the overall quality, although anything below a half-oz was excluded from this shot… such are not terribly photogenic beside larger samples. Some rich ‘nuggety’ ores were HCl acid-bathed to free the silver from carbonate rock, and all samples were subjected to a rotary tool circular wire brush to remove surface residues, followed by a dish detergent wash and rinse.

​

By way of a brief background explanation to readers unfamiliar with this prospecting application, we search for more valuable coin-size and larger pieces of silver. Natural native silver target ID is determined by physical and chemical factors such as silver purity, types of mineral inclusions, structure (for example… dendritic, plate, disseminated, massive), size, shape, and the profile presented to the coil. Virtually all natural silver from this area will target ID from low foil up to a maximum of silver dime range. Only infrequently over the years have we found isolated, rare examples of our naturally occurring silver exceeding that range.

The specimen depicted below is a commonplace example of silver typically recovered here. It isn't terribly large or particularly handsome… but it is mostly comprised of native silver by weight. Its target ID is a bit elevated from the usual, but consider that even small changes to some of the more influential factors listed above can significantly alter target ID. I tend to pay minimal attention to it when evaluating samples.

It was detected adjacent to an abandoned mining track that leads directly to a former mill site at the mining camp scene depicted above. No treatment required other than a leather glove rubdown followed by a soapy wash and rinse… in fact it looked quite presentable fresh out of the dirt. The darker material you see is heavily tarnished native silver that I intend to leave undisturbed.

​

Ground conditions also play an important role in determining target ID, and refer to factors such as strength of non-conductive magnetic susceptible iron minerals, ground moisture content, proximity of adjacent targets, and disturbed ground. These factors sometimes contribute to good silver at depth producing a VLF target ID in the iron range.

Probably the best photo example available to me is a specimen found a few years back at good depth in tough magnetic diabase. It produced a predominantly iron target ID on the Fisher F75. It was detected in a fairly low trash area, the signal was suspect, and it was checked with the groundgrab feature. In this instance, there was no ground phase reduction to more conductive values as would be anticipated over rusty iron or a positive hotrock, and so the target was dug.

But otherwise, the rule of thumb over questionable weaker signals is to remove some material to acquire a stronger signal and target ID readout before making a decision to continue digging in our difficult, hard-packed rocky substrates, or move on. If there is the least doubt we dig the target and learn what actually produced the signal.

​

The specimen depicted below was found by eyesight while hiking along an old abandoned rail track. In the field our rock samples seem more attractive or valuable than they do once we return to camp, where we tend to view them far more critically. If they don’t look to have good specimen grade potential, my samples either get chucked or given away. But that’s just me… others are more resourceful with unwanted samples, they’re refined by some, subjected to treatments, or slabbed… and ultimately sold. In any case, this rock didn't terribly impress me and was placed with the other discards on the picnic table. But nobody other than my wife seemed much interested in it, and that is how it came to be included here.

In its original condition, it could only be described as nondescript, with very little showing on the surface prior to treatment. It did produce a broad solid PI signal, despite that the few surface indicators were non-conductive dark ruby silver pyrargyrite and to a much lesser extent what I think is the black silver sulfosalt stephanite. To see more, it was acid-washed to expose silver and associated minerals, cleaned-up with a rotary tool followed by a dish detergent bath and rinse.

Both these minerals produce a good luster that makes them a bit more difficult to distinguish from native silver in a photo. But in reality it is easy to see the differences and do some simple tests to confirm if necessary. As it turned out… the sample does have a good showing of dendritic native silver… a timely reminder that metal detectors see what we initially can’t see inside rocks.

​

Abandoned Trails, Minesite Tracks and Roadbeds…

Abandoned, frequently overgrown trails, mining tracks, and roadbeds provide convenient routes to prime detecting sites that otherwise would be much more difficult to access. But the important thing is that most such routes were built with discarded mine tailings to considerable depth, and contain good silver more frequently than you might think possible. Some snake through the bush to more remote areas, but the vast majority of these now abandoned routes were built to service existing minesites at the time. They were used to transport discarded rock to the tailing disposal areas, and silver ores to storage buildings and to mill sites, and generally to service other mining camp requirements.

​

We know from research and experience that silver was misgraded, inadvertently misplaced, or lost directly from spills to eventually reside on, within, or alongside these now abandoned trails and roadbeds. These mine tailings… frequently containing rich silver… were also used to build storage beds, minesite entrances, loading ramps, and as noted… routes to facilitate waste rock transport. All these offer excellent, obvious prospects to search with a suitable metal detector.

The nugget below, with several other pieces, was found in the tailings adjacent to the abandoned track in the photo above. Some good weather following a horrendous week of persistent heavy rainfalls prompted me to head out late one afternoon for some casual detecting. I had sampled those tailings earlier in the season but nothing by way of thorough searching. And while the silver was generally small, it had been surprisingly good quality. So I was looking forward to a few relaxing hours of detecting… nothing ambitious that late in the day… just happy to get out of camp.

That particular spot formerly housed storage beds, and was now replete with large rusty nails. I should have used a VLF unit, as things would have gone much more quickly. VLF motion all-metal detection depth in that moderate ground would pretty well match Infinium equipped with the 8” mono, with the further advantage of target ID. If conductive pyrrhotite hotrocks had also been present, I would have switched over to my F75 or MXT.

But I stayed with the Infinium primarily because I enjoy using it. By comparison it is slow going, but that isn't such a bad thing over potentially good ground. It silences what can be described as VLF ground noise, in addition to sizable non-conductive mafic hotrocks in this area. It also has some limited high conductive iron handling capability, for example elongated iron such as drillrods or rail spikes at sufficient depth that VLF units… even using small iron discrimination… misidentify with perfectly good signals and non-ferrous target ID readouts. More information on this subject can be found at… Garret Infinium Silver Rock Hunting - Revised Edition February 2011 White's TDI Pro in Silver Country [including Infinium Comparison]

Nearly all the signals proved to be nails, plus one drillbit with a perpendicular profile to the coil. The silver below produced a low-high signal in zero discrimination and a good high-low signal in reverse discrimination at maybe eight to ten inches depth… almost identical to the drillbit. The exposed silver was unusually tarnished and the remainder partially embedded in carbonate rock. It was acid-bathed to free the silver, cleaned with a rotary tool diamond bit and circular wire brush, followed by a detergent wash and rinse.

​

While searching one such abandoned route with his Fisher F75, Sheldon Ward found a large highgrade silver ore comprised of a thick calcite vein containing massive dendritic native silver. It should weigh about 20 lbs give or take a bit, and is attached to dark country rock. It generated a moderate but broad signal from several feet depth, requiring about 30 minutes of hard pick and shovel work to recover it. It possesses an unusually elevated target ID well above silver dime range, making it quite rare indeed. Over nearly 30 years in this area and perhaps thousands of silver samples later, I've seen only a handful of silver produce a similar target ID.

On site we obviously have the benefit of closely examining the vein material, but it’s impossible for readers to evaluate the silver based on the photos below because of the camera to rock distance and the smudged dirt layer on the vein. And outdoor photos do tend to make native silver look much like grey rock. A better view of the cleaned sample can be had at Sheldon’s photobucket link to a half-minute video.
http://vid307.photobucket.com/albums/nn289/InsaneTundra/P1020237.mp4

Sheldon if you happen to be reading along here, congratulations on your many superb silver and associated mineral recoveries over the past year. Nothing that your dedication and persistence achieves in the years to come will ever surprise me.

​

Persistence Pays Dividends…

Let’s wrap things up with a tale about the rock sample below. It was recovered at the edge of a tangled overgrown trail near a former millsite just a few years ago. Its recovery exemplifies that the more you work towards your objective of finding silver or gold, the more likely your luck will correspondingly improve.

I’d been searching that particular area for two days without meaningful results while evaluating a newly purchased Garrett Infinium for this application. The second day had again been filled with digging hard-packed rocky substrates for iron junk, worthless or otherwise unwanted arsenides, and plenty of conductive pyrrhotite hotrocks. As the sun was reaching for the western horizon, I decided to make one final effort before heading elsewhere the following day.

Methodically working along the old track towards the mill, lots of old diggings were plainly evident. But previous hunters had avoided an area with a scattering of large, flat rusty iron pieces and other miscellaneous modern trash. I moved quickly to clear it away, because daylight was fading fast beneath the dense forest canopy. My Infinium soon produced a surprisingly strong high-low signal that practically vanished in reverse discrimination… a promising indication of naturally occurring ores. I dug down a foot before my Propointer could locate the signal.

Probability says that it could have been any number of possible targets altogether more likely than good silver. But fickle Lady Luck was more kindly disposed towards me that evening. The rich, finely dendritic piece depicted below was in my gloved hands just as twilight was stealing across that lonely abandoned trail in remote silver country.

​

A Final Word…

A special mention to my friend Dr. Jim Eckert. I hadn’t seen much of Jim recently, but happened across his trail late one overcast afternoon in the outback. I was about to hike into a site when this fellow came flying down the trail on a motorbike, and despite the riding helmet I recognized him. We had a good long chat about this and that…

Later in the season, one bright sunny afternoon at the site of my short-lived testhole diggings, Jim stopped around to show me a recent specimen find comprised of native silver and possibly crystalline stephanite. We talked mineralogy and other interests many hours until finally the sun was going down. These were highlights of the trip, and I want to say how much I enjoyed and appreciated having that companionable time together.

Thanks to everyone for dropping by. We hope that you enjoy presentations about our silver, particularly since it is different from what many rockhunters normally encounter in their areas. All the very best with your prospecting adventures… perhaps one day it will be our good luck to meet you in the field.

Jim Hemmingway
December 2014

What a great write-up!

I had no idea of the depth of knowledge and bush savvy you had as relating to chasing the silver! I've seen scattered posts by you before on the subject, but now I'm starting to understand the profound global thinking you employ when you're out hunting; you are indeed a master of the science and practical knowledge required to find such beautiful specimens.

Have you ever detected around the Kirkland Lake area? When I was in Noranda, the miners there were always making trips over to Kirkland Lake on business, personal or job related. In Noranda, I remember how the ground would jump as they blasted below the streets of the town. In the late 70's when gold was high, they even opened an adit right in a park! That's how good the outcrop was at that location.

I'll definitely keep cruising through your thread as time permits.

You're doing a fantastic job Jim with your write-ups, stories, and explanations. I can see how people that chase the silver will benefit greatly from your unselfish sharing of your wisdom.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Hi Mr. Lee… thankyou for dropping around with the above insightful comments. I’m sure everyone reading this will agree that we can benefit from a broader knowledge of rocks and minerals, and should keep an eye open to possibilities in the field. I think that your local rock club is a great idea, and acquiring an understandable rock and mineral field guide would certainly help. We keep a Peterson Field Guide Rocks and Minerals by Frederick H. Pough in our knapsack for reference.

A lot of the silver minerals don’t react well to metal detectors, so it comes down to collectors moving and sorting material. But you've got to look in the right places, and expect that subsurface material is coated in dirt, which makes the task more difficult. Most of the non-metallic silver minerals found up here tend to be incidental to digging target signals, or because they’re attached to such targets. The proustite specimen depicted below came from our area, although I didn't find it. It is a fine example of a quite valuable silver mineral that will definitely interest collectors or those looking to supplement their income.

Abandoned Trails has not been published and there is no plan to do so. I’ve had offers in the past, and did publish an article to an Australian prospecting magazine, whereas I passed on an offer to publish Electronic Prospecting in Silver Country by a prominent American treasure magazine. I prefer posting to the forums because they’re interactive… feedback is a much more powerful incentive compared to a few meager publishing dollars. Anyone can drop by and kick around whatever comes to mind, and generally get better acquainted in this environment. Lasting friendships have been formed under less auspicious circumstances. That potential is far more important to me.

Jim.

View attachment 1111265​

What a beautiful specimen of ruby silver! I understand that ruby silver gets dull from the light, so do you store it in the dark? Or is it a very long-term change?

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

What a great write-up!

I had no idea of the depth of knowledge and bush savvy you had as relating to chasing the silver! I've seen scattered posts by you before on the subject, but now I'm starting to understand the profound global thinking you employ when you're out hunting; you are indeed a master of the science and practical knowledge required to find such beautiful specimens.

Have you ever detected around the Kirkland Lake area? When I was in Noranda, the miners there were always making trips over to Kirkland Lake on business, personal or job related. In Noranda, I remember how the ground would jump as they blasted below the streets of the town. In the late 70's when gold was high, they even opened an adit right in a park! That's how good the outcrop was at that location.

I'll definitely keep cruising through your thread as time permits.

You're doing a fantastic job Jim with your write-ups, stories, and explanations. I can see how people that chase the silver will benefit greatly from your unselfish sharing of your wisdom.

All the best,

Lanny

Hi Lanny…you ol’ bushwhacker… thankyou for those nice comments… just what the doctor ordered!!! The fact is that I was feeling a bit low with the February blues. But no more… now my chest has immeasurably swollen, and my hat is several sizes too small. Isn’t it wonderful how a few kindly words can do so much to refresh our outlook and sense of self-worth? A friend in need is a good friend indeed… thankyou.

We’ve been pretty lucky over the years. It hasn’t hurt our chances by being persistent little rock diggers, and our willingness to move a lot of material has definitely opened the door to some unexpected opportunities. But you have to pick your spots carefully, and there are no guarantees. We’ve never been to Noranda or any gold areas further north. We prefer to hunt silver. It’s the overall potential for beautiful specimens with heft and size, accompanied by surprisingly attractive market values, and the diversity of related minerals… that make this a far more attractive application for us.

Jim.

​

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

What a beautiful specimen of ruby silver! I understand that ruby silver gets dull from the light, so do you store it in the dark? Or is it a very long-term change?

Hi Dave… exposure to light exerts an influence such that ruby silver tends to form a micro-thin, dull oxidized coating that dims its luster. Results vary, samples adopt a light gray to an almost black surface appearance here, and these manifestations sometimes happen rather quickly… as within a few months depending on exposure. You'd think an airtight container stored in the dark ought to greatly reduce or eliminate the process. I phrase it that way because I’ve never tried it.

According to my Peterson Field Guide “Rocks and Minerals” and we’ll quote directly “if the specimen can stand it, a light brushing with soap and water will remove most of the coating. A quick dip in a silver cleaning solution has been found effective but may be risky.”

I have found that soap and water treatments actually produce an immediate dull luster on my pyrargyrite samples. Possibly this represents a localized anomaly, and that samples from other areas or districts may react differently... I don't know. Silver cleaning solutions are a questionable technique because such will undoubtedly vary in strength and very likely in chemical constituents. If I wanted work done on a worthwhile sample, I would seek out professional advice and forget about home techniques or remedies on valuable samples.

Trust all is well with you Dave and that you’re managing to get through what has been a dreary, cold and snowy winter over this way. By way of something cheerful, and because I know you have muzik in your heart, below is something a bit different that you may recollect. I’ve tried for something fairly obscure, otherwise you may have it. And hopefully it’s something you’ll enjoy.

Jim.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Hi Dave… exposure to light exerts an influence such that ruby silver tends to form a micro-thin, dull oxidized coating that dims its luster. Results vary, samples adopt a light gray to an almost black surface appearance here, and these manifestations sometimes happen rather quickly… as within a few months depending on exposure. You'd think an airtight container stored in the dark ought to greatly reduce or eliminate the process. I phrase it that way because I’ve never tried it.

According to my Peterson Field Guide “Rocks and Minerals” and we’ll quote directly “if the specimen can stand it, a light brushing with soap and water will remove most of the coating. A quick dip in a silver cleaning solution has been found effective but may be risky.”

I have found that soap and water treatments actually produce an immediate dull luster on my pyrargyrite samples. Possibly this represents a localized anomaly, and that samples from other areas or districts may react differently... I don't know. Silver cleaning solutions are a questionable technique because such will undoubtedly vary in strength and very likely in chemical constituents. If I wanted work done on a worthwhile sample, I would seek out professional advice and forget about home techniques or remedies on valuable samples.

Trust all is well with you Dave and that you’re managing to get through what has been a dreary, cold and snowy winter over this way. By way of something cheerful, and because I know you have muzik in your heart, below is something a bit different that you may recollect. I’ve tried for something fairly obscure, otherwise you may have it. And hopefully it’s something you’ll enjoy.

Jim.

Well, Jim, that was a surprise! My wife liked Ricky Nelson best of all the young singers back then. She loved it and had heard it on the "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" so it brought back old memories for her. I had never heard it because I did not see all of the TV episodes. Linda Bennett sang with him, but I had to do some searching to find that out. Very nice duet.

And also I appreciate the sharing of the information on the ruby silver getting dark. I figured the silver was oxidizing but that was all.

Yes, we are getting through the snowy and cold winter OK, but this did brighten it up. Thanks.

 

[Lanny in AB]

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Jim.

My goodness Jim, but you do find some incredibly striking pieces!

I had not idea that silver came in so many combinations.

What made you chase the silver in the first place? Do you have a mining background or are you simply in love with your fantastic surroundings?

I really enjoy reading your notes on your finds as well.

Great job!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hi Lanny…you ol’ bushwhacker… thankyou for those nice comments… just what the doctor ordered!!! The fact is that I was feeling a bit low with the February blues. But no more… now my chest has immeasurably swollen, and my hat is several sizes too small. Isn’t it wonderful how a few kindly words can do so much to refresh our outlook and sense of self-worth? A friend in need is a good friend indeed… thankyou.

We’ve been pretty lucky over the years. It hasn’t hurt our chances by being persistent little rock diggers, and our willingness to move a lot of material has definitely opened the door to some unexpected opportunities. But you have to pick your spots carefully, and there are no guarantees. We’ve never been to Noranda or any gold areas further north. We prefer to hunt silver. It’s the overall potential for beautiful specimens with heft and size, accompanied by surprisingly attractive market values, and the diversity of related minerals… that make this a far more attractive application for us.

Jim.

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I think it's quite easy to recognize to recognize your mastery and your passion for hunting the silver Jim!

I don't know how many pictures you have of your treasured finds, but you've certainly done an admirable job of capturing the wonder of your beautiful specimens and their stellar surroundngs.

I loved the grand variety of trees among the timber, the moose, bear, the crystalline streams, and the jewel-like lakes trapped among the unending outcrops of the Canadian Shield.

You most certainly tramp around in one of the rare and uniquely beautiful areas of the planet.

All the best to you, and keep the tales and pictures coming,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

You would be surprised at how many floats are not silver but rather are mostly arsenides in that area. And yet placergold I have seen a few floats that are so rich with silver they literally take your breath away. It is the main thing that appeals to me about the area, it is possible to find large samples with heft and therefore value, that can dazzle you. I realize of course that gold has the incredible relative value, but the small fine stream run gold particles even in quantity simply don't float my boat. The reason?? I like specimens with some size, large enough to be called specimens, at least in the grains range. Money value is distantly secondary to me. If you can't detect it, forget it.

When last in Atlin some 25 years ago, there was active mining in many of the outlying areas... and not that far either. For example, much further upstream from the public panning site on the Spruce, there was a major operation with large equipment that had literally excavated a canyon of material... jars and jars of beautiful large gold nuggets in addition to the vast majority of small stuff. I vividly recollect hiking the Birch, the Pine and several other renowned creeks, but as you say... these were claimed and so I didn't even carry a detector while exploring.

Despite the modern-day mining activity, there is a strong sense of the past that shrouds that area. There is a feeling in the air, a sense of discovery that draws modern day prospectors from across the continent. In fact I was invited to detect a claim owned by a couple, but had to decline since my time there was about done and we had to head south, back across Canada to get home before snow hit the mountains or prairies. Even at that... we saw heavy snow further south in Jasper.

Let's spruce up this post with some color. Some of our silver... such as the piece below... has a golden tinge depending on the source. In fact gold was found in a few spots with the silver... the incandescent lighting for this photo further enhances the golden hue...

Jim.

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I enjoy this post for several reasons: your picture, of course, is a small masterpiece in its own right as is the specimen itself. You do a great job with your frames, settings, and backgrounds.

Then, there's the story of the gold in Atlin. That's still an area on my "to hit list" with the detector.

A guy I know is up there finding very beefy nuggets, and I knew another nugget shooter that found a lifetime worth of nugget finds in one summer! But, as you say, "Time oh good, good time . . . where did you go?" And, I've yet to make the trek.

However, I'll have to see how things progress this summer . . . .

Once again, a true keeper of a post Jim.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Lanny… we had no mining background whatsoever when we first bought metal detectors to compliment our rock and mineral interests. And we always had an interest in rocks. As did our children, and so each camping or canoe trip to Ontario’s Muskoka / Algonquin areas we’d invariably spend many hours here and there examining shorelines for pretty rocks.

Some 30 years ago when the children were still quite young, a neighbor introduced me to his Garrett ADS Deepseeker, and to various electronic prospecting articles written by Charles Garrett and a few others. We happened across a specific reference to Ontario’s silver producing areas and decided to head north on a camping trip. We've been going each autumn ever since. But it’s the entire package that we enjoy… the camping, hiking and exploration, searching for interesting rocks, some birdwatching and fly fishing, and meeting new friends. And we love the evening campfires.

We try to keep things balanced and in perspective. This is just one of several interests or hobbies we use to enrich our lives together. I work hard at detecting when I’m in the mood, but otherwise we don’t take our involvement in the hobby too seriously. We enjoy finding attractive samples, but our main object is to enjoy the environs and each moment for what it is. We occasionally have our children join us in the autumn, although we rarely ever find anything worthwhile at such times. But that’s fine by me because it’s well spent family time. Everything considered, I think we've been pretty lucky.

In addition to natural silver, for years we successfully searched for older coins and tokens as illustrated by a few examples in the photo below, and accumulated a large assortment of silver and gold jewelry from our extensive water hunting activities. We traveled throughout Canada following such interests, and occasionally dived at various locations with our underwater detectors… we've both been active, accredited SCUBA divers and were seriously involved with underwater photography for many of the past 35 years.

As to your remarks about the photos, we select some representative examples, but otherwise really don’t make any special effort to catalogue a lot of it. In fact we never troubled to take any photos until we discovered this particular forum some seven or eight years ago. Previous to that we had no idea there was an organized treasure hunting community accessible via our keyboard. And while we’re on this subject, it would be negligent not to point out that forum viewers don’t learn about our many difficulties, failures and expenses… they only see the good silver finds.

Regarding the photos below, we figure they might as well be used here while we’re still involved with silver hunting. Nothing lasts forever and we think maybe it’s time to move on… there are other pursuits besides interminably focusing on silver. But meanwhile, I say let the hobby newcomers see these photos, let them realize a door is open to them that can lead to an alternative lifestyle of travel, family adventures, new friends, and the gratification that comes from achievement based on their own resources and effort. There definitely are precious metals and other interesting minerals to be recovered by enterprising new hobbyists.

About Atlin, I think there’s a lot of potential if one can gain access to decent ground. Placergold has me thinking about returning to the area, but it is a long stretch to drive. If you ever decide to head that way, I think that would be sufficient incentive to get me in gear pronto. I suppose buying a Minelab PI would be a good idea too.

In closing Lanny, thankyou for taking an interest in this thread, I always look forward to hearing from you. In lieu of anything unforeseen, I imagine this will be my final post here… so we’ll add some extra photos. All the very best to you and the family, and every success with the forthcoming season.

Jim.

​

 

[ProspectorBill]

Very enjoyable read. It felt like I was right there with you. Thanks for taking me along on your trip!

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Prospector Bill… thankyou for dropping around with your comments, its great to hear from you again. I’ve been thinking about making some day trips further north this autumn Bill, and could stand some company if you’re planning to be in the area again later in the season. We can discuss this further when you know more about your vacation schedule. Below is a piece that you should recognize... it was found late one gloomy, wet afternoon as we searched along the ridge in the scene photo below.

Jim.

​

 

[Featherdfishead]

Jim, I have read this thread on and off over the last year and enjoyed it very much. Afew posts back it sounded as if your hangn up your silver buckled belt. If so, Thanks for the good readn and informative adventure. I would love to hunt for silver specimens such as you find but my area doesnt produce them - Although it does produce sizable nuggets of which i'm always chasing.
AjR

 

[ProspectorBill]

Hi Jim

I’ve been thinking about making some day trips further north this autumn Bill, and could stand some company if you’re planning to be in the area again later in the season.

Hi Jim

That sounds like a good way to spend a couple of weeks this autumn. If you let me know when you are planning to be up north, I could make plans to meet you there.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures. They bring back some good memories!

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Jim, I have read this thread on and off over the last year and enjoyed it very much. Afew posts back it sounded as if your hangn up your silver buckled belt. If so, Thanks for the good readn and informative adventure. I would love to hunt for silver specimens such as you find but my area doesnt produce them - Although it does produce sizable nuggets of which i'm always chasing.
AjR

Thankyou AjR for stopping by with those kindly remarks. There’s no question we enjoy our silver hunting… but it would be nice to have a change from time to time. Maybe we could try for some placer gold over towards the lower Quebec townships / Maine this summer. Then I think we’d be ready to head north to silver country again this autumn. I must have been in a low, reflective mood when I wrote that to Lanny… it was overcast and snowing again… and admittedly I’m getting restless with our long, cold and snowy winter.

We enjoy your posts to this forum, and hope to see many more down the road AjR. In fact, we’re looking forward to a fat, sassy California gold nugget of the first order… accompanied by a big toothy smile from you one day very soon. Good luck… every success with your prospecting this season.

Jim.

​

 

[Featherdfishead]

Such kind words from a well spoken man. A sincere thank you Jim.
I also feel a sassy nugget calling me from the not to distant mountains - if i can only determine which distant mountain. LOL
AjR

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

I’ve been thinking about making some day trips further north this autumn Bill, and could stand some company if you’re planning to be in the area again later in the season.

Hi Jim

That sounds like a good way to spend a couple of weeks this autumn. If you let me know when you are planning to be up north, I could make plans to meet you there.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures. They bring back some good memories!

That suits me right down to the ground Bill. I generally plan to be there from early September until freeze-up, and would prefer you plan to join me later in October if that’s possible. Although I’m not terribly hopeful, I’d like to spend time further north at a couple of sites in the gold belt. I have a spare GoldBug2 you’re welcome to use. We can settle our plans later when we know more. The photos below should be familiar… a bit of proustite on the top edge of the rock.

Jim.

​

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Such kind words from a well spoken man. A sincere thank you Jim.
I also feel a sassy nugget calling me from the not to distant mountains - if i can only determine which distant mountain. LOL
AjR

AjR… I think your response captures the spirit of mutual appreciation that we try to promote on this forum. As the thread has pretty much run it’s course, it seems to me to be a very good note with which to close out this presentation and discussion. We've had some fun, managed some interesting exchanges, but more important... I hope it has fostered new friendships and strengthened existing ones. Thanks to you AjR and to everyone for your contributions, I’m very pleased to have had the opportunity to speak with each of you.

Jim.

​

 

[Eyeball]

ABANDONED TRAILS IN SILVER COUNTRY​

Introduction…

Silver country represents a small part of a vast, heavily forested wilderness perched on the sprawling Precambrian Shield here in northeastern Ontario. Away from the small towns and villages, and widely scattered farms and rural homesteads, there exists a largely uninterrupted way of life in the more remote areas. There are uncounted miles of lonely country backroads, overgrown tracks leading to abandoned mining camps, innumerable rough timber lanes, and a virtually infinite tangle of winding trails that reach deeply into the distant forests.

Nothing in my experience has been so completely companionable as the soft forest whisperings and the beckoning solitude that reigns over this ruggedly beautiful country. This is where my carefree days of autumn prospecting have been agreeably spent for many years. We returned again this year to unbounded, satisfying autumn days of kicking rocks, exploring and detector-prospecting adventures, followed by evenings spent evaluating silver ores and hot coffee over blazing campfires.

Irrespective of silver recoveries, the flaming autumn colors of the boreal forest are the real treasure of the season. They persist for only a few short weeks, reluctantly yielding to the autumnal yellows of the tamarack, birch, and aspen in sharp contrast to the deep conifer greens. Scenery as depicted below accentuates your enthusiasm to get into the field, and pretty much ensures that an autumn prospecting trip to silver country is a memorable experience.

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General Discussion…

Unprecedented, persistently wet conditions eliminated any potential for a banner season, but nonetheless we did manage to find considerable worthwhile silver. In addition to an assortment of rich silver and associated minerals, my friend Sheldon Ward recovered a large, very high conductive native silver ore that we’ll take a closer look at shortly. Most of my quality silver finds were fairly small… although a specimen grade silver ore at five pounds was found during the final week of the trip, and frankly I felt very fortunate to get it. Larger material was recovered, for example a 24-pound highgrade silver ore from the same area… but these invariably were mixed ores dominated by cobalt and various arsenides, most notably niccolite as illustrated below.

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On a more positive note, we both found plentiful small silver generally ranging between one-half and ten ounces that added real weight to the orebag over the season’s duration. It is much easier to find small but rich, high character silver than is the case with larger material. Even so, specimen grade detectable silver in any size range is becoming increasingly difficult to find at many of the obvious, readily accessible sites nowadays.

The photo below is a pretty fair representation of the overall quality, although anything below a half-oz was excluded from this shot… such are not terribly photogenic beside larger samples. Some rich ‘nuggety’ ores were HCl acid-bathed to free the silver from carbonate rock, and all samples were subjected to a rotary tool circular wire brush to remove surface residues, followed by a dish detergent wash and rinse.

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By way of a brief background explanation to readers unfamiliar with this prospecting application, we search for more valuable coin-size and larger pieces of silver. Natural native silver target ID is determined by physical and chemical factors such as silver purity, types of mineral inclusions, structure (for example… dendritic, plate, disseminated, massive), size, shape, and the profile presented to the coil. Virtually all natural silver from this area will target ID from low foil up to a maximum of silver dime range. Only infrequently over the years have we found isolated, rare examples of our naturally occurring silver exceeding that range.

The specimen depicted below is a commonplace example of silver typically recovered here. It isn't terribly large or particularly handsome… but it is mostly comprised of native silver by weight. Its target ID is a bit elevated from the usual, but consider that even small changes to some of the more influential factors listed above can significantly alter target ID. I tend to pay minimal attention to it when evaluating samples.

It was detected adjacent to an abandoned mining track that leads directly to a former mill site at the mining camp scene depicted above. No treatment required other than a leather glove rubdown followed by a soapy wash and rinse… in fact it looked quite presentable fresh out of the dirt. The darker material you see is heavily tarnished native silver that I intend to leave undisturbed.

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Ground conditions also play an important role in determining target ID, and refer to factors such as strength of non-conductive magnetic susceptible iron minerals, ground moisture content, proximity of adjacent targets, and disturbed ground. These factors sometimes contribute to good silver at depth producing a VLF target ID in the iron range.

Probably the best photo example available to me is a specimen found a few years back at good depth in tough magnetic diabase. It produced a predominantly iron target ID on the Fisher F75. It was detected in a fairly low trash area, the signal was suspect, and it was checked with the groundgrab feature. In this instance, there was no ground phase reduction to more conductive values as would be anticipated over rusty iron or a positive hotrock, and so the target was dug.

But otherwise, the rule of thumb over questionable weaker signals is to remove some material to acquire a stronger signal and target ID readout before making a decision to continue digging in our difficult, hard-packed rocky substrates, or move on. If there is the least doubt we dig the target and learn what actually produced the signal.

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The specimen depicted below was found by eyesight while hiking along an old abandoned rail track. In the field our rock samples seem more attractive or valuable than they do once we return to camp, where we tend to view them far more critically. If they don’t look to have good specimen grade potential, my samples either get chucked or given away. But that’s just me… others are more resourceful with unwanted samples, they’re refined by some, subjected to treatments, or slabbed… and ultimately sold. In any case, this rock didn't terribly impress me and was placed with the other discards on the picnic table. But nobody other than my wife seemed much interested in it, and that is how it came to be included here.

In its original condition, it could only be described as nondescript, with very little showing on the surface prior to treatment. It did produce a broad solid PI signal, despite that the few surface indicators were non-conductive dark ruby silver pyrargyrite and to a much lesser extent what I think is the black silver sulfosalt stephanite. To see more, it was acid-washed to expose silver and associated minerals, cleaned-up with a rotary tool followed by a dish detergent bath and rinse.

Both these minerals produce a good luster that makes them a bit more difficult to distinguish from native silver in a photo. But in reality it is easy to see the differences and do some simple tests to confirm if necessary. As it turned out… the sample does have a good showing of dendritic native silver… a timely reminder that metal detectors see what we initially can’t see inside rocks.

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Abandoned Trails, Minesite Tracks and Roadbeds…

Abandoned, frequently overgrown trails, mining tracks, and roadbeds provide convenient routes to prime detecting sites that otherwise would be much more difficult to access. But the important thing is that most such routes were built with discarded mine tailings to considerable depth, and contain good silver more frequently than you might think possible. Some snake through the bush to more remote areas, but the vast majority of these now abandoned routes were built to service existing minesites at the time. They were used to transport discarded rock to the tailing disposal areas, and silver ores to storage buildings and to mill sites, and generally to service other mining camp requirements.

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We know from research and experience that silver was misgraded, inadvertently misplaced, or lost directly from spills to eventually reside on, within, or alongside these now abandoned trails and roadbeds. These mine tailings… frequently containing rich silver… were also used to build storage beds, minesite entrances, loading ramps, and as noted… routes to facilitate waste rock transport. All these offer excellent, obvious prospects to search with a suitable metal detector.

The nugget below, with several other pieces, was found in the tailings adjacent to the abandoned track in the photo above. Some good weather following a horrendous week of persistent heavy rainfalls prompted me to head out late one afternoon for some casual detecting. I had sampled those tailings earlier in the season but nothing by way of thorough searching. And while the silver was generally small, it had been surprisingly good quality. So I was looking forward to a few relaxing hours of detecting… nothing ambitious that late in the day… just happy to get out of camp.

That particular spot formerly housed storage beds, and was now replete with large rusty nails. I should have used a VLF unit, as things would have gone much more quickly. VLF motion all-metal detection depth in that moderate ground would pretty well match Infinium equipped with the 8” mono, with the further advantage of target ID. If conductive pyrrhotite hotrocks had also been present, I would have switched over to my F75 or MXT.

But I stayed with the Infinium primarily because I enjoy using it. By comparison it is slow going, but that isn't such a bad thing over potentially good ground. It silences what can be described as VLF ground noise, in addition to sizable non-conductive mafic hotrocks in this area. It also has some limited high conductive iron handling capability, for example elongated iron such as drillrods or rail spikes at sufficient depth that VLF units… even using small iron discrimination… misidentify with perfectly good signals and non-ferrous target ID readouts. More information on this subject can be found at… Garret Infinium Silver Rock Hunting - Revised Edition February 2011 White's TDI Pro in Silver Country [including Infinium Comparison]

Nearly all the signals proved to be nails, plus one drillbit with a perpendicular profile to the coil. The silver below produced a low-high signal in zero discrimination and a good high-low signal in reverse discrimination at maybe eight to ten inches depth… almost identical to the drillbit. The exposed silver was unusually tarnished and the remainder partially embedded in carbonate rock. It was acid-bathed to free the silver, cleaned with a rotary tool diamond bit and circular wire brush, followed by a detergent wash and rinse.

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While searching one such abandoned route with his Fisher F75, Sheldon Ward found a large highgrade silver ore comprised of a thick calcite vein containing massive dendritic native silver. It should weigh about 20 lbs give or take a bit, and is attached to dark country rock. It generated a moderate but broad signal from several feet depth, requiring about 30 minutes of hard pick and shovel work to recover it. It possesses an unusually elevated target ID well above silver dime range, making it quite rare indeed. Over nearly 30 years in this area and perhaps thousands of silver samples later, I've seen only a handful of silver produce a similar target ID.

On site we obviously have the benefit of closely examining the vein material, but it’s impossible for readers to evaluate the silver based on the photos below because of the camera to rock distance and the smudged dirt layer on the vein. And outdoor photos do tend to make native silver look much like grey rock. A better view of the cleaned sample can be had at Sheldon’s photobucket link to a half-minute video.
http://vid307.photobucket.com/albums/nn289/InsaneTundra/P1020237.mp4

Sheldon if you happen to be reading along here, congratulations on your many superb silver and associated mineral recoveries over the past year. Nothing that your dedication and persistence achieves in the years to come will ever surprise me.

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Persistence Pays Dividends…

Let’s wrap things up with a tale about the rock sample below. It was recovered at the edge of a tangled overgrown trail near a former millsite just a few years ago. Its recovery exemplifies that the more you work towards your objective of finding silver or gold, the more likely your luck will correspondingly improve.

I’d been searching that particular area for two days without meaningful results while evaluating a newly purchased Garrett Infinium for this application. The second day had again been filled with digging hard-packed rocky substrates for iron junk, worthless or otherwise unwanted arsenides, and plenty of conductive pyrrhotite hotrocks. As the sun was reaching for the western horizon, I decided to make one final effort before heading elsewhere the following day.

Methodically working along the old track towards the mill, lots of old diggings were plainly evident. But previous hunters had avoided an area with a scattering of large, flat rusty iron pieces and other miscellaneous modern trash. I moved quickly to clear it away, because daylight was fading fast beneath the dense forest canopy. My Infinium soon produced a surprisingly strong high-low signal that practically vanished in reverse discrimination… a promising indication of naturally occurring ores. I dug down a foot before my Propointer could locate the signal.

Probability says that it could have been any number of possible targets altogether more likely than good silver. But fickle Lady Luck was more kindly disposed towards me that evening. The rich, finely dendritic piece depicted below was in my gloved hands just as twilight was stealing across that lonely abandoned trail in remote silver country.

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A Final Word…

A special mention to my friend Dr. Jim Eckert. I hadn’t seen much of Jim recently, but happened across his trail late one overcast afternoon in the outback. I was about to hike into a site when this fellow came flying down the trail on a motorbike, and despite the riding helmet I recognized him. We had a good long chat about this and that…

Later in the season, one bright sunny afternoon at the site of my short-lived testhole diggings, Jim stopped around to show me a recent specimen find comprised of native silver and possibly crystalline stephanite. We talked mineralogy and other interests many hours until finally the sun was going down. These were highlights of the trip, and I want to say how much I enjoyed and appreciated having that companionable time together.

Thanks to everyone for dropping by. We hope that you enjoy presentations about our silver, particularly since it is different from what many rockhunters normally encounter in their areas. All the very best with your prospecting adventures… perhaps one day it will be our good luck to meet you in the field.

Jim Hemmingway
December 2014

Greetings Jim,
I'm starting fresh again on this thread so as to enhance on what I had read before.

I certainly want to be ready for a trial run at Silver, swinging a coil in the Spring Months coming, as both my Daughters live in the Carleton place and Ottawa areas, and visiting them could possibly conveniently coincide with some Silver detecting (smile).

I will want to take some time research the region for places to go, so I can get a good attempt in on swinging for silver under the clutter to learn to read the signals and nuances of what a machine may be trying to tell me.
This is where the information I glean from your writings comes in, that knowledge will definitely give me a jump start on practising. If we do cross paths "out there" we will have to whittle out some chairs as the questions will come tumbling out all at once, and if you like coffee and peaceful camp fires, "they" will have to come look for us lol. What a thought!
It will be fun and interesting to learn about Silver!

I definitely DO enjoy your presentations and very well written reports on these beautiful specimen you work so hard for, no less the pictures you prepare for our viewing pleasure.
This is such a nice new niche to explore, who knows? maybe this will take root and become a new major event in metal detecting! The first Silver Rush!

If the time you spend preparing these presentations in Silver were to be paid in Salt, like in the old Roman days, you would own store houses of untold value! It doesn't go unnoticed Jim,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge,
Regards, John.

Now if I could only learn to not include ALL the previous written post but just the part that initiated my reply, we'd all have more time for prospecting lol.

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Greetings Jim,
I'm starting fresh again on this thread so as to enhance on what I had read before.

I certainly want to be ready for a trial run at Silver, swinging a coil in the Spring Months coming, as both my Daughters live in the Carleton place and Ottawa areas, and visiting them could possibly conveniently coincide with some Silver detecting (smile).

I will want to take some time research the region for places to go, so I can get a good attempt in on swinging for silver under the clutter to learn to read the signals and nuances of what a machine may be trying to tell me.
This is where the information I glean from your writings comes in, that knowledge will definitely give me a jump start on practising. If we do cross paths "out there" we will have to whittle out some chairs as the questions will come tumbling out all at once, and if you like coffee and peaceful camp fires, "they" will have to come look for us lol. What a thought!
It will be fun and interesting to learn about Silver!

I definitely DO enjoy your presentations and very well written reports on these beautiful specimen you work so hard for, no less the pictures you prepare for our viewing pleasure.
This is such a nice new niche to explore, who knows? maybe this will take root and become a new major event in metal detecting! The first Silver Rush!

If the time you spend preparing these presentations in Silver were to be paid in Salt, like in the old Roman days, you would own store houses of untold value! It doesn't go unnoticed Jim,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge,
Regards, John.

Now if I could only learn to not include ALL the previous written post but just the part that initiated my reply, we'd all have more time for prospecting lol.

Hi John… I’m pleased that you appreciate these articles and that they might be of some practical use to you. Specimen quality silver is not so easy to find nowadays compared to the days of the “electronic rush” that was ending at about the time that I entered the hobby in the mid-1980s.

But the local hunters in particular still do find good quality silver. There are just too many places that haven’t been thoroughly explored with a metal detector. I think that with a little resourcefulness, willingness to persevere and work at it, that someone with your positive outlook will enjoy some success in the silver mining camps.

Try to get away from the readily accessible tailings and explore the outlying or peripheral mining camp areas, hillslopes, gullies and adjacent forested areas that in all likelihood were originally tailing disposal areas. Sites that are more difficult to access do hold more promise these days…………….Jim.

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