How to prospect a high bench?

[OwenT]

I was out on the S Fork Payette last week and found a little gold. I also kept seeing big, flat benches all over the place. Some places 10 some places almost 100 feet above the river, and sometimes 2 or 3 benches stacked one above the other. So where do you dig in these, and how do you tell if they've already been mined?

 

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[goldenIrishman]

What I always try to do is determine which direction the bench was running when it had water in it. Streams and rivers have a habit of changing their direction over time. Aerial views of the area in question can be a great help. Also vegetation can often give you clues. Look for changes in the plants that seem to follow paths. Often the rocks in a bench will cause different plants to grow better while others will be either missing or stunted in their growth.

 

[Jeff95531]

I'm struggling with the very same problem and will know more soon. It's either an old river bed or big tailings pile. The plan so far is to begin sampling at the upstream bottom front and work around the sides.

 

[et1955]

Hi OwenT, Did you do your research on the river ,from what I read in the geology reports I would not waste my time on those higher benches , your indicator is what you are finding at the river itself. I've mined the higher benches on the Sultan river here in Wa. state and I find 1/4inch flakes anywhere from 30 to 400ft. above the river, but I don't want to stop you from testing those benches, you will learn a lot by doing it and maybe you will find an old deposit that no one has ever mined. I love those days of being the first to mine an untouched place, very rare. Good Luck

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

 

[Hoser John]

#1 tool is a good metal detector. MUCH cheaper, faster=cubic foot a second, easier on steep angles often associated with highbar, no seasons, permits and related bs, clean, quiet(mandatory) no setup time, no pumps, water on and on. Keep it lean, mean, clean and quiet and prosper IF it's really there. Then procede. John

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'm struggling with the very same problem and will know more soon. It's either an old river bed or big tailings pile.

Bench looks just like the river only its dry. You have big rocks, little rocks, sand, dirt, etc all mixed together. If it's really old, it will be solidified and require a pick to break pieces out. If it's a tailings pile it looks like a giant stack of boulders with no material in between them.

 

[Goldwasher]

#1 tool is a good metal detector. MUCH cheaper, faster=cubic foot a second, easier on steep angles often associated with highbar, no seasons, permits and related bs, clean, quiet(mandatory) no setup time, no pumps, water on and on. Keep it lean, mean, clean and quiet and prosper IF it's really there. Then procede. John

If there is enough detectable gold to warrant it...and you know how to detect for gold.....
If your finding good gold in the waterway. there is a very very good chance of gold in the benches....around here we hunt benches above the creek whenever we can it is typically virgin ground. Your in Washington...you have a lot of options as far as equipment goes go for it!!

 

[arizau]

I was out on the S Fork Payette last week and found a little gold. I also kept seeing big, flat benches all over the place. Some places 10 some places almost 100 feet above the river, and sometimes 2 or 3 benches stacked one above the other. So where do you dig in these, and how do you tell if they've already been mined?

Where the benches are stacked I would take samples from the transition areas eg. where one build up stopped and another began. Do your sampling from the bottom up.

Good luck.

 

[OwenT]

Thanks everyone.

from what I read in the geology reports I would not waste my time on those higher benches , your indicator is what you are finding at the river itself.

What do you mean by the river gold being an indicator?

 

[arizau]

Thanks everyone. What do you mean by the river gold being an indicator?

If the benches have gold then erosion of them would probably result in gold being redeposited in the current stream.

 

[M.E.G.]

There's a place I'm looking over now that was mined (from what little record I can find) in the late 1800s into the 1900s, but was pasted over for further development because of remoteness, no winter access, and lack of adequate water in the later summer. The old channel/bench is 70+ feet above the present water flow, and the bench material looks very similar to that in the video. My bench depth test have shown it to be approximately 12', to over 20'. And it's over 100+' wide.

 

[M.E.G.]

In what I described above, it may be best to go underground as demonstrated here:

 

[M.E.G.]

Working the Liberty Gold Mine bench above ground:

 

[Jeff95531]

Bench looks just like the river only its dry. You have big rocks, little rocks, sand, dirt, etc all mixed together. If it's really old, it will be solidified and require a pick to break pieces out. If it's a tailings pile it looks like a giant stack of boulders with no material in between them.

Well that clears that up. Bench! Thanks Jason. I'll let ya know how solid it is once I get my hands on it.

 

[bug]

Metal detect that bedrock! Is there another way? High benches were made to be detected!