Where to start ? ... Tips and Advice please...

[AstralDruid]

In April I will be back in my homeland, and intend to spend a while detecting farm lands etc... all around a range of small mountains, The Mourne mountains N Ireland..
In recent years there has been a resurgence of prospecting in those hills, legends have gold and gemstones aplenty, and there is evidence of ancient gold from this area...
So ...thought i would give the resident Gold hawks a shout out, and see if you guys could help decide some things,,, like for example where to start ? Are rivers /streams always the best bet ?
The rock is mostly granite,,, some slate, greenstone and horn-blende, i believe... these are old fold mountains,, small in stature but they were in place way before the Alps and the Rockys...
They sweep down to the sea (Irish sea) and are very easily accessible,,, I spent most of my early days in these mountains..
So... if anyone is open to discussing, i would plan on at least 3 days in the hills, this spring...

Range coordinates:	54°10′N 6°05′

 

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[Crow]

Gold has been found in the Mourne Mountains of County Down, Ireland. Scientists believe that the Mourne Mountains were the primary source of prehistoric gold in Ireland.

You might want to try panning along the Mourne rivers, in particular the Carcullion, the Leitrim and the rocky river for alluvial gold wearing out the host rock. the Rocky Rivers and some say the River Bann just below Spelga Dam. it is very fine. I prefer in catchment above the dam in stream above along moyad road fine particles gold is eroding from eroding hills above through tiny streams.

Here is geological map red signified gold particles found in river sediment.

Crow

 

[AstralDruid]

Thanks Crow
So, rivers are the way to go then ?

My brother lives 5 mins from Spelga Dam, just on the other side of Slievenamuck,, so again, easy access. I have a set of Garrett pans, so i guess i'll have to give it a go..
Slow water areas , is that right ? Should i be digging into the rocks etc... really i have watched a few videos but never really understood it all...

AD

 

[Crow]

AD

Gold accumulates in rivers in places where the current is slow or the stream gradient decreases. This includes the head or foot of a stream bar, curves in the stream, and behind boulders or other obstructions.

Stream bars: The upstream ends of stream bars are especially good places to look for gold. Boulders in the stream can trap gold on the downstream side. Rock outcroppings from the stream sides can trap gold. Dikes in the bedrock: Dikes that angle downstream will trap gold on the downstream side. Sudden drop-offs: Sudden drop-offs into deeper and larger volumes of water are good places to look. Waterfall boulders: Boulders at the base of a waterfall can protect gold deposits. Black sands: Black sands that accumulate with gold are an excellent indicator of where to look.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Three days! The gold is very fine and elusive. personally I would prefer another part of Northern Ireland where there is higher concentrations of gold. But if I was to search for gold around Spelga Dam. many say down stream of the dam? But for me the water runs to fast and very few gavel bars for gold to collect.

I would try for color into tributaries now running into the dam. The mountains are ancient much older than rocky mountains. almost totally worn away. Gold from host rock has be shedding from erosion. into fine particles as rocks slowly break down over time along the course of the river. Today gold is trapped in sediment of dam.

Key is to finding sediment in pockets of bedrock along the riverbed.

There is parking at the dam.

Across the road is stream you can follow that. no vehicles up the track allowed. follow the stream and check for small pockets or potholes that hold alluvial deposits along the stream bed. below.

Further along the Moyod road around the edge of the dam there are streams running into the dam. These might be worth checking out. Here is looking down stream lading into the dam.

Here is looking upstream.

looking back towards the dam these small stream may carrying fine flakes of gold.

there is another car park to park and to set off and venture to the streams running into the dam.

That said Irish gold amigo is very rare but in ancient time gold was mined from these hills. Since the construction of the dam I do not think any more gold is washing down below the dam wall.

Crow

 

[Crow]

The Sperrin mountains.

Has a massive deposit. Worth 3.6 billion Dollars.

Gold deposit northern ireland

The rivers in this area of Northern Ireland holds a lot of fine gold.

A few gold panners over year hit these rivers,

The gold is very fine specks.

Gold there 10 grams per ton mixed with copper and silver.

Crow

 

[AstralDruid]

Hi Crow
Thanks for the insight...
The river you pictured at Spelga,,, if you follow it upstream and over the hill, you will reach my Brothers house, so we can leave his place and hike over to spelga dam, about an hours walk...
that carpark brings back memories, used to be our 'courting spot', back in the day,,, think it is still used as such..
So I know the area very well,, will definitely look downstream from the Dam,, past the 'Magic Road'.... using your guides to pick spots..
I know 3 days isn't very long, but have 10 days in total, have 5 big fields to detect, two caves to explore and now the Gold hunt.... Hopefully enough to keep me clear of any planned shopping days..!

Again, Appreciate your input..

AD

 

[russau]

I don't know the laws in Ireland BUT it's to bad your brother don't have a 4 inch dredge to make your adventure more productive ! Just thinking out loudI hope you find your "pot of gold"

 

[Crow]

I don't know the laws in Ireland BUT it's to bad your brother don't have a 4 inch dredge to make your adventure more productive ! Just thinking out loudI hope you find your "pot of gold"

It would be nice but mining practices for everyday fossickers are restricted to hand tools only. nothing motorized. Panning is okay and perhaps sluice? Technically all precious metals belong to the Crown. but they allow panning as they knew finds are small.

Crow

 

[Crow]

AD

I did a bit more research geology of mountains of Mourne

The Mourne Mountains are made of hard, acidic granite

The mountains were formed when a block of shale sank deep into the Earth's crust, causing magma to rise up around the sides of the block The Mourne Mountains granite's may be enriched in critical metals due to magmatic and hydrothermal processes.

These hydrothermal processes millions of years ago infused gold in and other metals in particle form. Over millions of years and the effects of the ice age eroded the hard granite intrusion. In the gradual breaking down gold in fine flakes eroded into streams.

Hen mountain is a classic example of granite intrusions that pushed up through the bedrock. You can see the peaks of hen above and below

This river I think is called rocky river? Where ground down granite has release fine grains of gold. This place would be worth panning.

here is another site called rocky hill or peak? you can see how the boulders of granite grinding against one another with forces of water over time particles of gold would fall in deep pockets on bedrock in alluvial deposits.

This site can be accessed from a car park called Hen mountain car park on Sandbank road.

A 14-year study by archaeologists and geologists found that the average silver content of early Bronze Age ornaments matched the profile of gold from the Mourne Mountains.

Gold has been found in the Mourne Mountains in Ballincurry, Rocky River, and the River Bann near Hilltown

Crow

 

[Crow]

Along the river Bann which runs out of the mountains of Mourne is a Rath ringfort.

Perhaps indicator of the importance the placer deposits had for resources in the Iron age and bronze age. You can see also above the river course had changed course twice before. It makes one wonder how much gold is trapped in potholes of the old river channels?

Crow

 

[russau]

"IF" you had access to the land ( the last picture showed) the change in this streams course that is dried up would be a good place to MD and dig !! then MD that lose soil for whatever comes along !

 

[Crow]

For those who do not know what raths are?

They ring forts below. used from iron ages right up to 12th century.Each are was dominated by a tribal clan. So each tribal clan was not above raping pillaging and killing the next tribal clan.

Some over time gained more territory. And became clan chieftains. Here is general plan of Rath.

Some raths were more complex and was made of stone and multilevel defensive embankments. there are thousands throughout Ireland.

Irish gold torcs are a type of ancient Celtic jewelry that were worn around the neck or wrist. They were often made from gold alloys, but could also be made from copper, bronze, iron, or silver.

Symbol of status: Torcs were worn by men, women, and children as a symbol of high social status. In the area in question you begin to see importance of area in 6th century. Gold found in the river melted into strips then wound into Torcs for jewelry.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Pre Christian Ireland had a very precise set of laws which usually involved a payment by the perpetrator of a crime to the victim or the victim's family. The punishment for default was death. The records of these laws (mostly dating from Christian era documents) state that slaves and cattle were an accepted medium of large exchange. Presumably smaller exchanges were made on a similar basis with tools and ornaments.

There are a number of gold and gold plated rings found in Irish and other Celtic contexts referred to as 'ring money'. The variation in the quality and standard of these pieces does not suggest a fixed denomination but rather that these items were used like hack silver and assayed at every exchange. The gold plated pieces are a problem in this context as they do not seem to be likely to have been made in imitation of solid pieces nor would they have been easy to assay.

Hoards of Irish Celtic gold ornaments often consist of quantities of cloak fasteners suggesting that these items were used as a medium of exchange rather than just for fastening cloaks. But as with the ring money there is no evidence for a fixed series of weights and measures being used in their manufacture.

These are some times found in farmers field today near raths traces of early Celtic population areas. the map show in black dots below. Some areas show large population densities.

AD I think your going to have fun searching over there detecting in the fields and gold panning.

Crow

 

[AstralDruid]

Thanks for all the information and insight... really appreciate that.
I grew up in the Mournes,, locally there was always talk of gold in the hills, but at the time 70's and 80's we were told that only tin as ever found,, adding to the mystery of it all !..
Hen mountain is again one that i know very well, as my mother's family is from Hilltown, actually have an aunt who lives at the foot of hen mountain,, just across the river from the hill.. There is an area just about 3 miles from there towards Rostrevor (my home town) which is known as the Yellow river,,, again i know it very well, good sized boulder type river too,, wonder if the yellow could be the yellow of the good stuff ?? Never really knew why it was called the yellow water.
Looking forward to the time in the hills... and a few decent pints of stout..

AD