Yellow Stuff

[Odanscoils]

I know it’s still winter but I thought that a quick “Show & Tell” of my more chunkier gold would soothe those cold winter blues away.

I too would like to see how the Legend works there.
Ever use any detectors to find gold ??

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

I tried the older Fisher Goldbug metal detector with zero results In finding gold. There is so much mineralization in this area with hot rocks and iron deposits that it makes detecting very difficult. I will be the first to admit that (1) I have virtually no experience in metal detecting, (2) and have title patience for it. That alone does not equal success. I guess the reasoning for such little patience is that I know I can find gold in the stream using just a pick, shovel, and pan and when several hours of metal detecting doesn’t “pan out,” then I simply give up. However, I truly believe that with experience and possibly a newer type metal detector, one could do very well in his quest for gold recovery.

 

[MattBullSummerville]

There’s a new pulse induction detector that’s not available in the states, “yet”. I’ll be getting an update soon from a tester using one just south of Idaho. Seems to be as sensitive to smaller gold nuggets as the Garrett Axiom with more coil (after market coils) than the Axiom. PI detectors are much more stable in mineralized ground than VLF detectors like the Gold Bug. I will try to remember and drop you a note when I know more.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

There’s a new pulse induction detector that’s not available in the states, “yet”. I’ll be getting an update soon from a tester using one just south of Idaho. Seems to be as sensitive to smaller gold nuggets as the Garrett Axiom with more coil (after market coils) than the Axiom. PI detectors are much more stable in mineralized ground than VLF detectors like the Gold Bug. I will try to remember and drop you a note when I know more.

That sounds like a possible winner. Again I confess that I am an inexperienced individual when it comes to metal detecting (more-so the different makes, models, coils and their uses). I have stated that high mineralization is a huge problem for this area but with such recent gold finds, the use of a metal detector is intriguing to me. My dilemma is that I am torn between the use of one that finds the smaller type gold nuggets or one that can possibly find the larger nuggets / larger cash of gold surplus that may lay deeper in the ground, let’s say 3-4 feet. Heck for all I know, there possibly isn’t a detector that can locate gold at that depth. And if there is, I am quite sure it would cost an arm and a leg to purchase. Judging by the pain staking piles of tailings (which I presume to have been done by hand due to its remote location), leads me to believe that larger nuggets where possibly retrieved and that the source was never found. I base this off of my own findings, data, and mining experience. Here is a small handful of nuggets that were found in the stream below the higher bank tailings. When time permits, I’ll follow up on some photos of these tailings.

 

[MattBullSummerville]

There is a limit to depth with even the best and most expensive detectors. Even the Minelab GPZ7000 is only good for a couple of feet or so on large nuggets. I personally can’t see spending 6k for a gold detector. ROI is going to take a while. The new detector should be around 2k. Detectors are best for putting you into a spot where gold is. For you, if you’re working an area where you are finding gold then best I guess you work it until finds drop off. Then maybe break out a detector to check new areas.

Thats a nice hand full of gold by the way.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Well I finally got around to posting some of the old tailings on the upper part of my claim. There’s a small source of water / creek that begins three quarters of the way up this draw (as seen in the first three photos). Judging by the tailings, much of it may have been done by the Chinese men who were known to have worked this area around the 1870’s. As shown in the last photo, there are many tailings that were not “stacked like walls” that were possibly worked by the locals prior to the 1870’s. Anyway, that’s my assessment of the situation. A previous post, “Detecting for gold - finding bits of mining history” illustrates the findings of such prospecting of the area using an older gold bug metal detector. Obviously with this much worked tailings, there had to have been a tremendous amount of gold recovered.

 

[DWerk]

I would love to have been in Nome when they tore up the wooden sidewalks to replace them with concrete..

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

I would love to have been in Nome when they tore up the wooden sidewalks to replace them with concrete..

Yeah I’d have to agree with you on that one. I’ve often said that I would’ve traded all gold found on this claim for a one day visit back to the time this upper part was worked. I can only imagine the amount of gold that was recovered.

On another note, here’s a rare moment that comes once in a lifetime, if ever at all. While shoveling my gravels into a 1/2” classifier, I caught a quick glimpse of some gold color amongst the rocks. See if you can spot the gold.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

A closer visual.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

High water but still gett’n the gold.

 

[Odanscoils]

That sounds like a possible winner. Again I confess that I am an inexperienced individual when it comes to metal detecting (more-so the different makes, models, coils and their uses). I have stated that high mineralization is a huge problem for this area but with such recent gold finds, the use of a metal detector is intriguing to me. My dilemma is that I am torn between the use of one that finds the smaller type gold nuggets or one that can possibly find the larger nuggets / larger cash of gold surplus that may lay deeper in the ground, let’s say 3-4 feet. Heck for all I know, there possibly isn’t a detector that can locate gold at that depth. And if there is, I am quite sure it would cost an arm and a leg to purchase. Judging by the pain staking piles of tailings (which I presume to have been done by hand due to its remote location), leads me to believe that larger nuggets where possibly retrieved and that the source was never found. I base this off of my own findings, data, and mining experience. Here is a small handful of nuggets that were found in the stream below the higher bank tailings. When time permits, I’ll follow up on some photos of these tailings.

Awesome. Wish I wasn't broken.
I'd be happy to bring detectors to try there.

 

[Odanscoils]

I would love to have been in Nome when they tore up the wooden sidewalks to replace them with concrete..

I'd love to be there now on a big ocean dredge.

 

[Odanscoils]

Well I finally got around to posting some of the old tailings on the upper part of my claim. There’s a small source of water / creek that begins three quarters of the way up this draw (as seen in the first three photos). Judging by the tailings, much of it may have been done by the Chinese men who were known to have worked this area around the 1870’s. As shown in the last photo, there are many tailings that were not “stacked like walls” that were possibly worked by the locals prior to the 1870’s. Anyway, that’s my assessment of the situation. A previous post, “Detecting for gold - finding bits of mining history” illustrates the findings of such prospecting of the area using an older gold bug metal detector. Obviously with this much worked tailings, there had to have been a tremendous amount of gold recovered.

Chinese were very efficient.
Though by your finds. Apparently not there.
That's gonna be a lot of ground to cover.

 

[Odanscoils]

Yeah I’d have to agree with you on that one. I’ve often said that I would’ve traded all gold found on this claim for a one day visit back to the time this upper part was worked. I can only imagine the amount of gold that was recovered.

On another note, here’s a rare moment that comes once in a lifetime, if ever at all. While shoveling my gravels into a 1/2” classifier, I caught a quick glimpse of some gold color amongst the rocks. See if you can spot the gold.

Oh yeah. Nice.

 

[Odanscoils]

High water but still gett’n the gold.

Nice again.
Looks like your sleuth isn't level.
Maybe a bubble level mounted to it would help.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Thanks. You may be right about the sluice. I thought maybe it was the stream current causing the gold to filter to one side of the box. Thanks for pointing that out

 

[Odanscoils]

Thanks. You may be right about the sluice. I thought maybe it was the stream current causing the gold to filter to one side of the box. Thanks for pointing that out

Take a little bubble level with you.
Make it level side to side.
Watching how your sluice performs. And noting the angle downward. You'll know what angle to setup with. Good Luck.

 

[tab-nabit]

That would make my decade.

Back ache too

 

[Smigo]

Back ache too

Make that two.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Back working my recent spot. Had to take a break with the hard rains and sore back. Yep I can relate to having back pains, especially after several hours of shoveling and bending over. Snow is virtually gone here at the claim but still some in the higher country and the more densely wooded areas. Took your advise and paid more attention to my proper sluice set up. Worked as it should. Below are some pics a of my workings and some photos of that “yellow stuff.”