faulse bedrock and lead

[hmmm]

Native lead on a false bedrock

hi all
been a while.
I have a question for the expert placer guys.
i have this vein of blue clay sandwiched in a hard pann layer.


i took some of the bottom layer where it is rusted and panned it.

i got pieces of lead, i sent in a sample and got .o12 ppm of platinum and 102 ppm of lead.
this is a picture of the lead i found . it measures about 1mm.

if i find this lead what are the chances there is gold as well.
hmmm

 

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[fowledup]

In our area the gold is usually above it or below that clay, usually one or the other, unless I find a good crack underneath it . I've crushed the crud out of that blue clay and seldom get any out of it, maybe my technique I don't know. That lead - my dad use to tell me it's not bird shot as much a folks think but ballast, ballast for what I don't know he never said, maybe a better historian than myself might know. In Butte Creek you'll dig an area that was old workings, 3' down you'll start getting into old flume pieces, square nails, chunks of iron (Usually small track spikes), and tons of #8 shot. As much as we find it's hard to believe anybody was shooting that much, think about it, at the time shells weren't cheap to a starving miner, and there isn't much for game in a sheer wall canyon. So I don't know, but would sure like to.I digress, I'd say the chances are very good.

 

[hmmm]

hi fowled up
this has to be native lead, it was found 15 feet down under the hard pann on a 20 year old road cut. there is no way lead shot could get there ,
hmmm

 

[arizau]

An assay is only as good as the sample. Cherry picking a sample is usually not a good practice especially in a sedimentary deposit such as you have there. If the sample does not represent a good cross section of all of the varying material in that cut bank then you still do not know what all is there and what the proportions of the different elements are. The best way to check a possible gold placer deposit is to test pan it to see if it contains gold.
Good luck.

PS: It would help a lot if you let us know the general area where you found this.

 

[russau]

If your in California , id get the book called "Lost River of Gold" it was listed in the back of the ICMJ magazine and or on the Keene online (www.keeneeng.com) website. in their books section. I bought it many years ago and it was great reading and it has maps of the Mamoth River and refers to the "blue leed"

 

[hmmm]

hello arizau

I am located on vancover island, i did the assay to see if what i indeed found was native lead. Turned i was right, as for panning, i will do that, i had gone up the hill to a old mine and found the same clay vein. i had found golf there years ago but thought i had to get to the bedrock to find the gold. Starting to think i may find it under the clay vein.

 

[hmmm]

russau

I had hear of that book before but forgot to get it, i will get it soon.

 

[arizau]

hello arizau

I am located on vancover island, i did the assay to see if what i indeed found was native lead. Turned i was right, as for panning, i will do that, i had gone up the hill to a old mine and found the same clay vein. i had found golf there years ago but thought i had to get to the bedrock to find the gold. Starting to think i may find it under the clay vein.

FYI - Native lead (elemental not galena or other lead ores) is very rare. If you find some good specimens there may be a market for them by mineral collectors.

Here is a little info on the hardrock mines on the island and one may be the one you checked out.* Location Search - vancouver island

I too would focus my samples on material under the clay layer since it is apparently highly mineralized.

Good luck.

PS: I should have read your original post more closely.

*Minerals found at these sites are listed too.

 

[dashriprock]

hmmm........I just got done reading The Ancient River of Gold by Raymond J. Wallace for about the 5th time over a 10 year span. I think it might be the same book russ mentioned but not sure. Raymond talks about the Mammoth river and the blue leed. Covers how it flowed or might have flowed from South America all the way up north through British Columbia. Very interesting reading....lots of information.

 

[Hoser John]

Do not waste your time and money on highgraded samples. You can't adulterate the samples for analysis in any form for true results for economic viability-John

 

[hmmm]

hi john
i do not see this as a highgraded sample , we where mining the clay layer for cosmetic clay and noticed the layer under it. i panned a bucket and got some lead looking pieces, i wanted to see if it was lead and wanted to see what else was there . i took a 1 pound sample of the layer and put in a peice of the lead in the sample. So other then the lead result it is a fair test.
hmmm

 

[hmmm]

dashriprock
my brother claims Vancouver island was never part of America so the river of blue lead cant be on the island .
i believe he is wrong.
hmmm

I changed the title as you can see, the native lead as arizuna pointed out makes this find very intriguing.