Great thread! What can you tell me about these? They are from a hillside in Newman Lake, WA. According to my research this is in the Coeur d'Alene area of the Belts Supergroup, which is noted for its quartzite. In particular, the CDA area is noted for a glassy vitreous quartzite. And invisibly fine gold is often found in quartzite. That's all I know, and I don't know if it's right or wrong. The rocks are float, tumbling down the hillside - I haven't found the source yet. Many of them are entirely crystallized, but those that have clustered terminations are stubby and covered in something that looks powdery, but nothing removes the "powder" (not oxalic acid or muriatic acid or sandblasting or water blasting or scrubbing with brass brushes). The white rocks were simmered for days in oxalic acid, then soaked for a few weeks in muriatic acid, trying to make them pretty, but nothing really cleans them up.
So, what can you tell me about these? And might they have that elusive, invisibly fine gold? And how could I tell? And then how could I get it out?
Thanks!!
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