Getting things organized.....

[goldenIrishman]

Now that Robi and I have decided to get serious about our prospecting hobby I've decided that this is going to call for an organized approach do doing our research.

So far I've just started getting books on this areas geology together but so far have three that are specific to this area. While looking for more reading materials I was looking through Amazons' selection and found one that in the description stated that it was a reprint of a USGS report. Not that got me thinking, "If it's from the USGS, why not check their site and see if it is available from them?' Sure enough it was there as a free PDF download. That was $12.00 saved with just a few clicks of the mouse. Doing some quick searches I also found several other useful publications on both the USGS and Arizona Dept of Mines that were free to download. There are a few other books that we're planning on getting but since they're for use in the field PDFs are not going to work as well.

One other thing I've started doing is listing my testing results down on a spreadsheet to keep track of all the different testing sites I've been hitting in the wash. The spreadsheet covers things like:
1. Location
2. size of sample in gallons.
3. Amount of gold recovered
4. number of garnets found
5. amount of black sand recovered
6. interesting minerals found other than gold or garnets.

I'm thinking that knowledge is power and I hope to start seeing a pattern with all this information that will lead us to (or at least towards) the source of the gold.

Now here is the question... Do you feel that this approach is worth the effort or am I just bored out of my mind and looking for things to do when I can't be out prospecting or working samples?

Jeff

 

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[Sl33t]

Have you tried google book search I have found a lot of good reference material from that.
Advanced Book Search

 

[goldenIrishman]

I've looked all over for materials. I used to live/work with a used book dealer so I know a lot of places to get specific books that your usual person wouldn't know about. Finding reference materials isn't a problem at all. Finding ones that are relevant as well as current is a little trickier.

 

[Fullpan]

Research and record keeping are always a plus. Wish I'd done that when i was active! Aside from far too few pics, only have fading memory now.

 

[TheNewCatfish]

I prefer the "disorganized" unprofessional approach myself. Here's why. If you look at the records, it soon becomes evident most of the really "BIG" nuggets are discovered by people doing anything OTHER than prospecting. Farmers plowing fields, kids hunting cray-fish, hikers and bird watchers. In fact, the California "Gold Rush" began with a fella who said he was just takin a walk down a creek, and (wasn't even lookin for gold). I got skunked at Cache Creek, Colorado by a 14 year old girl with a plastic shovel and a beach bucket. Took her all of about 15 minutes to find a $500 dollar nugget buried in a clay layer in a hole i had abandoned, (everybody knows gold sinks right through clay). Except this little girl.

 

[Aurabbit79er]

Now that Robi and I have decided to get serious about our prospecting hobby I've decided that this is going to call for an organized approach do doing our research.

So far I've just started getting books on this areas geology together but so far have three that are specific to this area. While looking for more reading materials I was looking through Amazons' selection and found one that in the description stated that it was a reprint of a USGS report. Not that got me thinking, "If it's from the USGS, why not check their site and see if it is available from them?' Sure enough it was there as a free PDF download. That was $12.00 saved with just a few clicks of the mouse. Doing some quick searches I also found several other useful publications on both the USGS and Arizona Dept of Mines that were free to download. There are a few other books that we're planning on getting but since they're for use in the field PDFs are not going to work as well.

One other thing I've started doing is listing my testing results down on a spreadsheet to keep track of all the different testing sites I've been hitting in the wash. The spreadsheet covers things like:
1. Location
2. size of sample in gallons.
3. Amount of gold recovered
4. number of garnets found
5. amount of black sand recovered
6. interesting minerals found other than gold or garnets.

I'm thinking that knowledge is power and I hope to start seeing a pattern with all this information that will lead us to (or at least towards) the source of the gold.

Now here is the question... Do you feel that this approach is worth the effort or am I just bored out of my mind and looking for things to do when I can't be out prospecting or working samples?

Jeff

Another item to consider, get and stay connected with other miners and groups so we can all be aware of the powers that are trying to stop us from pursuing our love of mining. This is due to their misconception of what they think we are doing to the environment. Help us all break the myth that all mining is bad. Don't let them take away our right as Citizens of the United States to mine on Public lands.

 

[goldenIrishman]

Well that's pretty much a given. I've been trying to locate fellow miners in this area so we can network and tag team "The Man" if needed.

In my search for reading materials on this area, I've found the USGS/ABM/BLM sites to have a lot of information that for the most part is free to download. Found one report in particular that was of great interest on the placer deposits of Arizona. Granted some of the information is very dated, but I figure that the gold has been there for millions of years so a report that's 20+ years old isn't going to be THAT far off. By comparing the information in that report with the BLM maps for a couple of the locations I found that there is a LOT of open (IE: Unclaimed) land in those areas. Going to have to go out and do some checking around in those areas before it gets to hot to be able to do so. In one area the report said that nuggets ranging from 1 to 20 Oz have been found. I don't know aout the rest of you, but a 20 oz nugget will work for me JUST FINE!!!

 

[Jeff95531]

Since I am required to sluice at home, I created the following to record my findings. If anyone else has ideas, throw them out there

Prospecting Site Log
Date: ____/____/_____
Site name: _____________________________________________________________
GPS coordinates entered? Y/N ____________________________________________
Photo(s)? Y/N _________________________________________________________
# of Test Sites: _____ Gold found? Y/N Describe: ___________________________
Map of area:






Water level and conditions: _____________________________________________
Depth of dig: ________________________________________________________
Did you reach Bedrock? Y/N ___________________________________________
Circle all that apply: Gravel Sand Shale Black Sand Cracks & Crevices Roots Stream Bed or Bank low points natural sluice like conditions low points near large eddies behind large boulders in river the top and end of rapids water falls
# of buckets obtained: __________________________________________________
Sluice results: ________________________________________________________

 

[B H Prospector]

not to take all your fun away but that looks an awfull alot like work with all that paperwork. All I do is keep a journal and write how many people worked with me and names, where, how much material moved and gold recovered. Of course this is info for my claim renewal paperwork for the blm so I'm not moving around alot and don't need or want all that stuff to fill out. Some folks just love filling out forms so knock your socks off and have fun!

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

 

[Fullpan]

There's a difference between prospecting for profitable gold deposits, and recording production activity on an established claim imo. looks good to me, jeff.

 

[goldenIrishman]

Well my reasoning for doing up my records is to help me keep track of what is found where in our wash. So far the major gold has been doing a good job of hiding from me. I'm learning that my usual stream reading methods don't seem to work and I THINK it's because of the flash floods that the wash is subject to. When it comes to water there, it's flash flood or nothing. If you were to go into the wash the day after a rain, it wold look dry as a bone.

Jeff: Thanks for posting your record form. It's pointed out a couple of things that I need to add to my own spreadsheet. Yeah... I do it on the computer. You DON'T want to have to try to read my hand writing!

 

[Fullpan]

Well my reasoning for doing up my records is to help me keep track of what is found where in our wash. So far the major gold has been doing a good job of hiding from me. I'm learning that my usual stream reading methods don't seem to work and I THINK it's because of the flash floods that the wash is subject to. When it comes to water there, it's flash flood or nothing. If you were to go into the wash the day after a rain, it wold look dry as a bone.

Jeff: Thanks for posting your record form. It's pointed out a couple of things that I need to add to my own spreadsheet. Yeah... I do it on the computer. You DON'T want to have to try to read my hand writing!

I know nothing about the geology of S.E. Ariz. but dry desert placer gold has been found in many locations in Nevada including Rawhide, Dun Glen, Willow crk.,
American Cyn, (the Chinese took about 2 mil out of that wash digging by hand down 40ft through layers of caliche), Fitting, Spaulding Cyn, etc. Your wash
at least deserves a good sampling before giving up. Good Luck!

 

[goldenIrishman]

The wash is going to get a very good sampling for the entire length of it that goes through our property. There is a limit however as to just how crazy we can afford to get at this time. Every place we've checked so far has show a little color but nothing that would make you want to stand up and shout. Garnets abound as well as black sands but only micro gold. I'm saving the non-magnetic black sands for further testing when I get enough built up. Magnetics are cleaned three times to make sure nothing good is sticking to them. Overkill? Maybe but I want to make sure that I get an accurate picture of what we have here.

We are also looking at BLM areas near us to check out. There's an area about 30 miles north of us that has placer deposits and also has some open (non-claimed) areas we can check out as time permits. One of the USGS reports I found states that nuggets ranging from 1 to 20 Oz have been found in that area. Not looking to strike it rich (although that would be nice) but it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps us going.