Bedrock and Gold: The mysteries . . .

[Lanny in AB]

Do you love to chase the gold? Please join me--lots of gold hunting tips, stories of finds (successful and not), and prospecting poetry.

Nugget in the bedrock tip:

I had a visit with a mining buddy this past weekend, and he told me of an epic battle to get a nugget out of the bedrock, and of what he learned from the experience. I thought some of you might like to learn from his mistake.

While out detecting one day, he came across a large sheet of bare bedrock. The bedrock was exposed because the area had been blasted off with a water cannon (a monitor), by the old-timers! It was not fractured bedrock, in fact it was totally smooth.

He was not optimistic at all of the prospects of a nugget. But, for some reason (we've all been there) he decided to swing his detector over that bedrock. After a long time, just as he was about to give up on his crazy hunch, he got a signal, right out of that smooth bedrock.

There was no crevice, no sign of a crevice, nada! So, he had to go all the way back to camp to get a small sledge and a chisel. The signal in the rock intrigued him, but he still wasn't overly optimistic. For those of you that have chased signals in a similar situation, sometimes there's a patch of hot mineralization in the bedrock that sounds off, but this spot, according to him, was sharp and clear right in the middle of the signal, not just a general increase of the threshold like you get when you pass over a hot spot in the bedrock.

Anyway, he made it back to the spot and started to chisel his way into the bedrock. If any of you have tried this, it's an awful job, and you usually wind up with cut knuckles--at the least! Regardless, he kept fighting his way down, busting out chunks of bedrock. He kept checking the hole, and the signal remained very strong.

This only puzzled him all the more as he could clearly see that it was solid bedrock with no sign of any crevice. He finally quit at the end of the day, at a depth of about a foot, but still, nothing in the hole.

An experienced nugget shooting friend dropped by the next morning to see him, and asked him how the hunt was going. My buddy related his tale of the mysterious hole in the bedrock, and told the friend to go over and check it out, and see if he could solve the riddle.

Later in the day, the other nugget hunter returned. In his hand was a fine, fat, sassy nugget. It weighed in at about an ounce and a quarter! After my friend returned his eyeballs to their sockets and zapped his heart to start it again, he asked where the nugget had come from.

Imagine his surprise when he heard it came from the mystery hole!! He asked how deep the other guy had gone into the bedrock to get it. "Well, no deeper" was his reply.

So, here's the rest of the story as to what happened. When the successful nugget hunter got to the bedrock, he scanned the surface got the same strong signal as my buddy. He widened out the hole and scanned again. Still a solid tone. He widened the hole some more so he could get his coil in, and here's the key and the lesson in this story, he got a strong signal off the side of the hole, about six inches down, but set back another inch into the side of the bedrock!!

My unlucky friend, the true discoverer of the gorgeous nugget's resting place had gone deep past the signal while digging his hole!!

Now, of course, a good pinpointer would easily solve this problem. The problem was, my buddy didn't have one, so why would he widen the hole, right? Well, the other guy was the one with more experience, and that's why he did. It was a lot more work, but what a payoff!

So, my buddy's butt is still black and blue from where he kicked himself for the next week or so for having lost such an incredible prize.

Some nugget hunting lessons are harder than others to learn. . . .

All the best,

Lanny


P.S. When in gold country--check the bedrock, regardless of whether it looks likely or not! Mother Nature likes to play games sometimes.

 

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[Lanny in AB]

i don't say this often, but these stories are so good, if it was a book i would not hesitate to buy it.

Thank you very much for your sincere and welcome compliment!

All the best,

Lanny

 

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[Lanny in AB]

Thanks for your kind words, as they mean a lot to those of us that write the stories about chasing the gold.

I'll check in to what the other forum's about when I get the chance.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

4.22 oz found with 14" DD at approximately 18 inches at Notellie Creek!

I'm posting this for a great guy I met a couple of summers ago.



Genuine North American Placer nugget!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Terry Soloman]

OMG!

 

[meMiner]

I just finished reading these 122 pages from start to finish - it took 3 days of solid determination. I really appreciate the wonderful stories, tips, instruction, humor, pictures and polite chat. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and although I have prospected in northern BC for many years, I learned a ton new things.
Attached is a picture of one of my claims in northern BC. The map said there was a road crossing the creek here, but it is gone. This area was hand mined in the early 1900's. Bedrock on this portion is rare.

 

[Lanny in AB]

I just finished reading these 122 pages from start to finish - it took 3 days of solid determination. I really appreciate the wonderful stories, tips, instruction, humor, pictures and polite chat. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and although I have prospected in northern BC for many years, I learned a ton new things.
Attached is a picture of one of my claims in northern BC. The map said there was a road crossing the creek here, but it is gone. This area was hand mined in the early 1900's. Bedrock on this portion is rare.

Hi there Placergold, and welcome,

Came out of the mountains for a couple of days and saw your post.

Thanks so much for reading the thread, and I'm very happy that you enjoyed the content. It's comments like yours that keep me writing when I get the chance!

It's amazing how maps can show roads that no longer exist, but that's all just part of the mystery of the history, I guess.

All the best to you as you chase that northern gold,

Lanny

 

[Cariboo5]

Placergold...know exactly what you mean about roads that no longer are there...

Got a couple of new claims that I am just starting to work and for here they are full of bedrock and boulders. On one section there is a orange colored vein that goes across most of the river. This vein is under the water a few inches. Have not had a chance to take samples as of yet. First thought of iron oxide but at this point not 100% certain.
I cannot upload pictures on this site any more as my computer freezes up....Thoughts on what else this may be??

 

[Lanny in AB]

Placergold...know exactly what you mean about roads that no longer are there...

Got a couple of new claims that I am just starting to work and for here they are full of bedrock and boulders. On one section there is a orange colored vein that goes across most of the river. This vein is under the water a few inches. Have not had a chance to take samples as of yet. First thought of iron oxide but at this point not 100% certain.
I cannot upload pictures on this site any more as my computer freezes up....Thoughts on what else this may be??

Is there any Limonite in the area?

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Cariboo5]

Is there any Limonite in the area?

All the best,

Lanny

The color in the river looks very close to Limonite. Found a government file online for the area that explains the following:

" consists of several large boulders, up to 3 metres in diameter, of talc-carbonate schist. The boulders are mottled light green to light grey-brown and contain up to 85 per cent talc with associated carbonate (dolomite?) and minor limonite."

In the next 3 - 4 weeks I will have a better idea as samples will be taken......Will post what I find....Thanks for the lead Lanny....

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Lanny and Dave… below are Dave’s claim photos that he emailed to me the other day. Dave is doing some exploratory work on his recently acquired claims. There is an obvious iron-mineralized seam running across the stream, whether it would be a surface covering on quartz is something I can’t determine from the photo.

I’ve advised Dave to sample the seam, and immediately downstream from the seam. Also to ground balance his detector to the seam, and run his coil along the length of it to see if any signals can be had. You may have some familiarity with the area’s geology and possibly have other suggestions for Dave. Thanks for taking a look...

Jim.

​

 

[63bkpkr]

Thank you Jim & Dave, my what beautiful country. Someday I will get back to it..................63bkpkr

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hello to all.

Back for a quick resupply, then back after the gold again.

While in the mountains, I met a couple of old prospectors, both Korean War Veterans. One of them told me the following story:

We were out in the desert in Arizona, and I met this prospector that was working out of his motorized wheelchair, and it was quite the fancy piece of equipment. The owner had a long rake-combo scraping type instrument that he was using to drag dirt toward his wheelchair with, and then he'd put the dirt in a pan where he worked it down in a tub he had there. He had a buddy along with him helping him out.

The wheelchair prospector had been working at it for part of the day, and he had some nice coarse pieces of gold that he let me look at.

Well, I got talking to him about prospecting, told him some of the places I'd been, and then he said, "Would you like to see some gold?"

Of course I said yes, and he motored over to his Jeep, reached under the seat and took out this round butter tub, the kind with the snap-on lid. He opened that tub and the bottom was covered a couple of inches deep with coarse chunks of placer gold! Wow, was that desert stuff ever pretty.

Well, he saw that I liked what he had in the tub, and he grinned as he asked, "Would you like to see some real gold now?"

Of course I thought I'd already seen some beautiful gold, but I couldn't help but say yes to his offer.

He pulled out another butter tub, and it was filled with nuggets the size of quarters and bigger!!

I couldn't believe it. There was so much beautiful gold in those two tubs, but I couldn't imagine how he'd found it all.

Eventually, he told me how he and his partner had found a spot just by the border with Mexico. It was on military land, and he'd use a detector with a long stem and a big coil by having the whole thing swing way off to the side of his Jeep. When he got a signal, they'd stop and dig. (That's where those big nuggets came from, right there along the border.)

He told how one day some Army helicopters came zooming over, and a whole bunch of soldiers fast-roped down to the ground. He really thought he and his buddy were in for it, but then the choppers dropped down for a landing a short distance away, and the whole pack of them took off again.

"Thank heavens they weren't looking for us!" he declared.

"By the way, whenever the military got too close, or looked like they were on our trail, we'd duck across the border into Mexico until they gave up the chase."

After he'd told that story, and after seeing the two butter tubs of gold, I thought he was finished, but then he said, "Would you really like to see some gold this time?"

He pulled out a cloth bag, and in it was a baseball-sized chunk of mostly gold, with some quartz shot through it! By the way, he'd also found that chunk of the Mother Lode with his detector.

Well, he suggested we go to town together, and when we got there he said, "Let's have some fun."

So, we went to a prospecting shop, and my new gold buddy said, "I'd like to weigh a specimen of gold I found."

So, the store owner plopped down this little scale, and before he could turn it on, the wheelchair prospector put that huge specimen on the counter. The store owner said, "My heavens, we'll have to get a meat scale to weigh that thing!"

It was such a good little story, I thought I'd share it with you before I forget it, and before I head back out to chase the gold some more.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hi Lanny and Dave… below are Dave’s claim photos that he emailed to me the other day. Dave is doing some exploratory work on his recently acquired claims. There is an obvious iron-mineralized seam running across the stream, whether it would be a surface covering on quartz is something I can’t determine from the photo.

I’ve advised Dave to sample the seam, and immediately downstream from the seam. Also to ground balance his detector to the seam, and run his coil along the length of it to see if any signals can be had. You may have some familiarity with the area’s geology and possibly have other suggestions for Dave. Thanks for taking a look...

Jim.

​

​

Jim, you've given him some great advice, and I think that gives him something to go on for sure.

I particularly liked your suggestion for him to ground balance on the seam to see if it's hiding some metal. Nicely done.

I'm not familiar with the area he's working right now, but that fractured bedrock sure looks like an excellent trap!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Thanks Lanny for checking in... we all appreciate your help and encouragement. Good luck with everything over the remainder of the warm weather. Say... it seems like our cool summer has swept by quicker than ever this time around.

The interest photo below depicts a rich little silver sample found with my TDI Pro a few years back. I expect to head north in two weeks for the autumn... hope to find a bit more of that stuff... see you guys come mid-November. All the very best to everyone...

Jim.

​

 

[Cariboo5]

Got some samples yesterday and this is a iron stained quartz vein. Found some tiny gold flakes with it and immediate area.

From Lanny: " I'm not familiar with the area he's working right now, but that fractured bedrock sure looks like an excellent trap! "

Exactly Lanny, there are several places where these boulders cross the river creating natural traps. In several places there is exposed bedrock on the side banks and while walking up & down the river on the 2 claims I am walking on bedrock that is now only 6 inches to 2 1/2 feet under the water and in two weeks the water level should drop maybe another 5 to 6 inches. This is a first for me to explore the river walking on top of bedrock..........

......

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Nice story Lanny on the border gold. I've often wanted to get on that military land and prospect. But I don't have any military credentials to visit the lands.
We've been having some good rain storms and floods happening in our deserts. So I'm betting there's going to be a rush of prospectors hitting the hills. I just might be one of them. It's been awhile since we've seen descent rainfall. Let alone some flooding.

 

[AuSomeness]

This is a great thread. If I absorb only 1% of the knowledge here, I'll do just fine. I feel I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. I can't wait to get back out there and hunt!

 

[Lanny in AB]

Thanks Lanny for checking in... we all appreciate your help and encouragement. Good luck with everything over the remainder of the warm weather. Say... it seems like our cool summer has swept by quicker than ever this time around.

The interest photo below depicts a rich little silver sample found with my TDI Pro a few years back. I expect to head north in two weeks for the autumn... hope to find a bit more of that stuff... see you guys come mid-November. All the very best to everyone...

Jim.

​

Thanks Jim, and the summer did go by far too fast! But, it always does for me.

That sure is a beautiful specimen, and I wish you luck this fall as you hunt up some more.

All the best, and thanks for dropping in,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Got some samples yesterday and this is a iron stained quartz vein. Found some tiny gold flakes with it and immediate area.

From Lanny: " I'm not familiar with the area he's working right now, but that fractured bedrock sure looks like an excellent trap! "

Exactly Lanny, there are several places where these boulders cross the river creating natural traps. In several places there is exposed bedrock on the side banks and while walking up & down the river on the 2 claims I am walking on bedrock that is now only 6 inches to 2 1/2 feet under the water and in two weeks the water level should drop maybe another 5 to 6 inches. This is a first for me to explore the river walking on top of bedrock..........

Cariboo,

How did you make out? With that much bedrock to work, I certainly hope you were able to corral a bit of gold. That's a great looking spot to be sure. Moreover, with the lower water, you just may make some interesting finds that have remained inaccessible.


All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Nice story Lanny on the border gold. I've often wanted to get on that military land and prospect. But I don't have any military credentials to visit the lands.
We've been having some good rain storms and floods happening in our deserts. So I'm betting there's going to be a rush of prospectors hitting the hills. I just might be one of them. It's been awhile since we've seen descent rainfall. Let alone some flooding.

Garret, thanks for dropping in.

Have you got that coil over a nugget yet? I hope it will be soon if not yet.

I understand that some of the desert areas got hit by some super floods, so I hope if anything good comes from it that some gold got brought up to where it can be detected.

All the best,

Lanny