Newbie Question About Gold Ore

[SDBanks]

Hi, this is my first post! I recently got bit by the gold bug, and now all my hikes are about locating different rocks types, thinking about the geology and taking samples. Although I'm new to gold prospecting, I'm an avid hiker and know the back-country areas here in San Diego pretty well; so when I saw the types of rocks I'm supposed to look for I knew the places to go to from my hikes.

Obviously I'm not in mother-lode country but we still have gold down here, and from what I've read from old claims and USGS reports most of it is in quartz veins within a host rock like quartzmonzonite or monzogranite.

I've only been trying this hobby for 4 or 5 weeks or so now, but I think I might have some gold ore based on images I saw online labeled as gold ore. That's where I'm hoping to get some insight from the more experienced folk on this site.

A week ago I went to an old INACTIVE gold lode claim and took about a half dozen samples to take home and pan out. No luck in the pan, just a ton of pyrite. One of my finds during prospecting was a large eroding quartz vein that appears brecciated with quartz crystals, and black (sulfurs?) and chalcopyrite. Can gold ore be crumbly?

In my free time I read about gold mining and I start seeing brecciated quartz rock with orange "stains"(?) coloring images online labeled as "gold ore".

Examples:
1. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p...6zUyB2tT8IHWu2vQCXvUlclEo_fdRZwI-TA7bBKLt8oAz

2. https://raregoldnuggets.com/wp-content/uploads/DM297160-Copy.jpg

The samples I have look nearly identical to #1, including color. Am I on to something? Does the orange nacho-cheese-like colors of the specimen mean anything other than iron staining?

I am ordering a rock crusher next week in hopes to finally pan out some gold, but I'm not sure. Should I stick with the creeks and crevicing as a novice or am I on the right track with the ore I've located?

I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, it's late now and the rocks are out back.

Thanks

 

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[russau]

Welcome to the site ! First time post You need to start reading the mining laws OR better yet join "My Land Matter's" for Barry's EXPERT advice & wisdom in the mining field!! NOT to scold you or anything but refrain saying "hobby" when refering to prospecting and mining because "hobby" is not covered in the mining laws and will invalidate or keep you from getting a claim and save you some headache / heartache / problems down the road ! Anyway enjoy your new profession as a prospector and hopefully a miner and NOT a "hobbyist".

 

[SDBanks]

Thanks Russau, I had no idea about the hobby label, I'm learning already! Thanks I'm excited to pursue my new profession!

Here are some pictures showing the ore(?) that I am the most excited about collecting so far. These specimens crumble easily.

 

[russau]

Not a problem ! Keep informed to stay safe & out of trouble through the courts !

 

[SDBanks]

Here are some shots from where I grabbed these samples

 

[DizzyDigger]

SD, next time you go bring a whisk broom along. When you pull samples
from a crack like that, take the whisk broom and sweep all that loose material
in the crack into a container. Pan it out when you get home...might be surprised
at what you'll find..

Only other suggestions are to watch out for snakes, and stay the hell
out of old mines..

 

[SDBanks]

Alright thanks Dizz! I'll bring a little whisk broom with me next time. I just had my rock hammer and did the best to sweep it into my ziploc bags with my hands. There's still plenty left of that vein to go back to, so I'll probably do that this weekend.

Yes we have lots of rattlers out here, I haven't seen any this year. I usually come across a few every year.

I agree I have no plans on entering an old mine. I'm more in this for the challenge and hunt, to prove to myself I can find and capture natural gold in the wild.

Appreciate your insights

 

[russau]

I'm envious !! I wish I could still get out and do this ! I still have a million places I would go to if I could !! Good luck in your adventure !

 

[DDancer]

To define that you have Gold Ore your going to have to process it and actually find gold in the material your collecting. Generally that means to crush and pan it. Hopefully there is free gold in the material that make it easy to say you have gold ore. If the gold is locked up in sulfides, like the pyrites I see in your photo's, then you'll have to do more to process it and look for the gold. Usually though there is some free gold in pyrites, so you'll have to be vigilant in your panning to pick it out.
Pictures on the internet are nice but not a real reference for defining that you have gold ore or ore's. Its good your doing some homework on the regions geology, as russau points out know your in the right before you poke around the homework can pay for itself in the end.

 

[SDBanks]

Thanks DDancer, that is what I was wondering. The term gold ore to a newbie like myself was confusing. I'd see some people selling rocks online labeled gold ore, how do they know it has gold before crushing and panning? Maybe they are just dishonest sellers, I don't know, but now I understand the term gold ore is just whatever is carrying the gold, and the same type of material could be gold ore or not, all depending on what is inside. To that end, I am ordering a rock crusher, and hope to find some shine.

As for knowing I'm in the right before I poke around, do you mean that I've confirmed that the area isn't an active claim and that I'm following the state laws? I've been using mylandmatters.org and thediggins websites to make sure areas are not claimed. Is there any other suggestions where I should look to make sure I'm following the rules?

 

[SDBanks]

Look at this vuggy quartz

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Thanks DDancer, that is what I was wondering. The term gold ore to a newbie like myself was confusing. I'd see some people selling rocks online labeled gold ore, how do they know it has gold before crushing and panning? Maybe they are just dishonest sellers, I don't know, but now I understand the term gold ore is just whatever is carrying the gold, and the same type of material could be gold ore or not, all depending on what is inside. To that end, I am ordering a rock crusher, and hope to find some shine.

As for knowing I'm in the right before I poke around, do you mean that I've confirmed that the area isn't an active claim and that I'm following the state laws? I've been using mylandmatters.org and thediggins websites to make sure areas are not claimed. Is there any other suggestions where I should look to make sure I'm following the rules?

To add to what was said already...a rock sample (which is what you have), is not considered gold ore just because it contains gold. It needs to have gold in sufficient quantities that can be economically profitable to recover.

Gold ore can certainly be crumbly. I was told around my immediate area, the richest ore was in rotten quartz.
Also consider that although the quartz in the vein may have some gold in it, the largest deposit may be laying alongside the vein or even in the country rock immediately adjacent to it.

State Mineralogist reports will describe the type of deposits. Google Books...also the USGS has tremendous numbers of geological maps that are geo referenced, meaning can see your position on in the map on your field computer.

Some of those desert hard rock prospectors can probably provide more information than I can.

 

[BentFunky]

Hi, this is my first post! I recently got bit by the gold bug, and now all my hikes are about locating different rocks types, thinking about the geology and taking samples. Although I'm new to gold prospecting, I'm an avid hiker and know the back-country areas here in San Diego pretty well; so when I saw the types of rocks I'm supposed to look for I knew the places to go to from my hikes.

Obviously I'm not in mother-lode country but we still have gold down here, and from what I've read from old claims and USGS reports most of it is in quartz veins within a host rock like quartzmonzonite or monzogranite.

I've only been trying this hobby for 4 or 5 weeks or so now, but I think I might have some gold ore based on images I saw online labeled as gold ore. That's where I'm hoping to get some insight from the more experienced folk on this site.

A week ago I went to an old INACTIVE gold lode claim and took about a half dozen samples to take home and pan out. No luck in the pan, just a ton of pyrite. One of my finds during prospecting was a large eroding quartz vein that appears brecciated with quartz crystals, and black (sulfurs?) and chalcopyrite. Can gold ore be crumbly?

In my free time I read about gold mining and I start seeing brecciated quartz rock with orange "stains"(?) coloring images online labeled as "gold ore".

Examples:
1. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p...6zUyB2tT8IHWu2vQCXvUlclEo_fdRZwI-TA7bBKLt8oAz

2. https://raregoldnuggets.com/wp-content/uploads/DM297160-Copy.jpg

The samples I have look nearly identical to #1, including color. Am I on to something? Does the orange nacho-cheese-like colors of the specimen mean anything other than iron staining?

I am ordering a rock crusher next week in hopes to finally pan out some gold, but I'm not sure. Should I stick with the creeks and crevicing as a novice or am I on the right track with the ore I've located?

I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, it's late now and the rocks are out back.

Thanks

I'm relatively new as well. From experience, Mother Nature is a trickster when it comes to gold. She has a lot of ways to make you believe that you have gold when, in fact, you have another mineral such as pyrite. I don't care to recall the number of times I've fallen for her tricks. Lots of YouTube videos online that can be helpful.

Here are some of the lessons that I've learned. You might have already covered these bases, but passing along in the event they are helpful.

1. If you want to enjoy prospecting but are a novice, becoming a member of a local prospecting club is the single best thing you can do. You'll go out in the field with experienced folks who generally love to help you learn.

2. Keep your expenditures low until at first unless you have money to burn. Best starter rock crusher is a small sledgehammer and a few 2 x 4s to keep crushed material in a confined space.

3. After you crush the rock you need to decide whether or not you want to classify the rock powder you just made. Classification is the process of passing material through a series of screens. Panning material that is uniform-ish in size makes finding gold a lot easier. If the gold in your area tends to be small, you definitely want to go down the classification path.

Gold can be very tiny sometimes and can easily get lost among larger relatively heavy non-gold particles. Look for gold classifiers on Amazon. Should be pretty inexpensive.

4. Gold panning is a learned skill. Not hard. Watch a few YouTube videos on the topic.

5. Prospecting can be incredibly fun. However, significant others and children get annoyed if it takes you away too often and they feel ignored. I know. Crazy, right? Get them excited about prospecting and you're life will be more enjoyable.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Best bet is to visit unclaimed lode deposit tailings.

You will get an idea as to what and where...that will help a bunch.

 

[DDancer]

As to "poking around" SDBanks, yes I'm referring to verifying that your not going to run afoul of another's mining claim or private property. That goes for state and federal lands as well. I wont expand on how to go about that as there's plenty of info on that subject here in these forums by people more knowledgeable than myself. Your doing your homework I wish you good luck and heavy pans.