Gold in NW Kansas?

[Dain8404]

Will do

 

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[russau]

years back the ICMJ had a article about a black layer of material that contained really fine gold. Well our daughter lived in Junction City KS. and while visiting her I told 2 of the Grandchildren out for some "prospecting" and while we were driving down the road to Hiway 70 I saw a road cut that had a dark gray layer and below it a black layer . If your in that local , you will see it and wont miss it. well we had to make a stop there and get a bucket full of that! I was sure I was on to something!!! but I didn't "see" anything when I panned it out and it was most probly some "micro-fine" gold. it still had the Grandchildren excited and me to !

 

[Clay Diggins]

I'm not seeing quartz in your pictures. It's always hard to tell from a picture but what you are showing looks more like evaporites. Selenite (a form of Gypsum) comes to mind due to the fracture surface or it could be just about any halide. Try scratching the stone with a knife. Apply some pressure if it leaves a mark it's not quartz.

Northeast Kansas was glaciated twice but the rest of Kansas was not glaciated. If you are finding gold there it's probably from where the Western Kansas Basin dipped into the Denver Basin. Here's some more information to help you figure out the source.

Looking through USGS Bulletin 202 GOLD AND SILVER IN SHALES FROM WESTERN KANSAS I see this explanation of a common feature in your area - Calcite. Another soft evaporite.

Just below the Fort Hays limestone is a well-marked horizon, in which the shales contain large calcareous concretions (septaria), often large and containing abundant veins and crystallized masses of calcite of different colors ranging from white to dark brown.

Heavy Pans

 

[Rob in KS]

Lots of sedimentary rock around here. There is a small town called Gypsum