tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16835036770491156512024-03-13T01:09:01.234-07:00GOLD RUSH | Characteristics of Gold DepositsA blog about how to find gold and where to find the precious metal.The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683503677049115651.post-10895012821440018912023-08-12T19:39:00.014-07:002023-08-13T11:34:31.590-07:00GOLD, RUBIES, COPPER, and other TREASURES from the EARTH.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr5wB4Sj3iQVXHR-RO2S52Bg4FYjFHCext7_WWSKmQvfuSbf8nVLJdwSf5OlS7Zef-NY53AA3LNqC3kKyb98otDYfnhE6bSm7kpyOpAOeJF5t4W1weGQHCAmqrrsPpzkkHtrM3RTyi3Dwm0DMoEOyuEIanvmrm3U63u-DxBueA4SIiNU6S9dXznrUtWBU/s631/Placer%20Gold,%20Rock%20Creek%20placer,%20Wyoming%20(Hausel%20consulting).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr5wB4Sj3iQVXHR-RO2S52Bg4FYjFHCext7_WWSKmQvfuSbf8nVLJdwSf5OlS7Zef-NY53AA3LNqC3kKyb98otDYfnhE6bSm7kpyOpAOeJF5t4W1weGQHCAmqrrsPpzkkHtrM3RTyi3Dwm0DMoEOyuEIanvmrm3U63u-DxBueA4SIiNU6S9dXznrUtWBU/w400-h318/Placer%20Gold,%20Rock%20Creek%20placer,%20Wyoming%20(Hausel%20consulting).jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="text-align: start;">Unrefined native gold found on Rock Creek, <br /></span><a href="https://southpassgreenstone.blogspot.com " style="text-align: start;">South Pass</a><span style="text-align: start;">, Wyoming (photo by W.D. Hausel)</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;">The photos are mine: </span><span style="font-size: medium;">collected by earthly wisdom and given to me as a gift from God. </span></i></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>But the words are not mine - they are 2,700 years old, and provide heavenly wisdom. Earthly wisdom may be good for some, but I would trade all for a little heavenly wisdom.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: large;">“Surely there is a mine for silver,</span></span></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-9f-jmPfOj6C3GFGfeypRfZZdPfbdhh5RCe267w3Ur4jTF1Pj3mhY6iXsHpMkxvp2ztAL-pL9hbnC2sOJwNA8O8CKIS_-I7D5bFGvy6XS-xpQb8ouR2RUha4i6gCjwrmcjV0Ip1ylGwso7t9G0OBCPtib4HZIkc6WUqlffx2kfiso15q5_QBt1jW58FJ/s1858/ruby-silver%20(proustite)%20with%20sphalerite%20and%20galena,%20Mayflower%20mine,%20Park%20City,%20UT%20(gemhunter.webs.com)%20.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1858" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-9f-jmPfOj6C3GFGfeypRfZZdPfbdhh5RCe267w3Ur4jTF1Pj3mhY6iXsHpMkxvp2ztAL-pL9hbnC2sOJwNA8O8CKIS_-I7D5bFGvy6XS-xpQb8ouR2RUha4i6gCjwrmcjV0Ip1ylGwso7t9G0OBCPtib4HZIkc6WUqlffx2kfiso15q5_QBt1jW58FJ/w400-h308/ruby-silver%20(proustite)%20with%20sphalerite%20and%20galena,%20Mayflower%20mine,%20Park%20City,%20UT%20(gemhunter.webs.com)%20.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A mine for silver - ruby silver (reddish) in chlorite schist with<br />some sphalerite (zinc ore), and galena (lead ore) from the <br />Mayflower mine, Park City Utah.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />And a place where gold is refined.<br />Iron is taken from the earth,<br />And <a href="https://copperking.blogspot.com">copper</a> is smelted from ore.<br />Man puts an end to darkness,</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6XjJoPGT3GpVYlEQ8IebUUcehWc_zcaEil1J74n3xNw4IlKipxh-5nifkL9iaeSKcuziTl1hULlbflavHphK57U8Q7XQYOazKYoaI__w9GN4dcLtuCTn3bBNC8twXU7Gz_KxzQG7n87rpMLjfrPPAyq4H4LTDWTmuQRTYTv2gT1dyv1cRLE9KboFvc0p/s2048/DSCF6740.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6XjJoPGT3GpVYlEQ8IebUUcehWc_zcaEil1J74n3xNw4IlKipxh-5nifkL9iaeSKcuziTl1hULlbflavHphK57U8Q7XQYOazKYoaI__w9GN4dcLtuCTn3bBNC8twXU7Gz_KxzQG7n87rpMLjfrPPAyq4H4LTDWTmuQRTYTv2gT1dyv1cRLE9KboFvc0p/w400-h300/DSCF6740.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Putting an end to darkness - Thomas prepares to take <br />ore from the darkness at Arizona's Resolution mine</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: large;">And searches every recess<br />For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.<br style="background-color: #fcfdfd; border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: maroon; font-family: arial, helvetica, "sans serif"; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" />He breaks open a shaft away from people;</span></span></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JTb2XYD8Lqgg-KgDftCi_5XzZGtBeLQ4j9qG_GgjAGA02ElwLj3T95SPcnikXFjyLXbzbsEeJvA-CZ9JCtqwdZKZKoL7P5dM_DFOtZpN_pL2jy86k1RApfo2PB21iBXzvfMDbUOtwkcZIinrrif5nABPJpXUK7OiUKtnuUdaEWG4Y13Z2PpOcru4WkWM/s1800/Steve%20Gyorvary%20at%20Carissa%20mine%20(GemHunter).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1210" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JTb2XYD8Lqgg-KgDftCi_5XzZGtBeLQ4j9qG_GgjAGA02ElwLj3T95SPcnikXFjyLXbzbsEeJvA-CZ9JCtqwdZKZKoL7P5dM_DFOtZpN_pL2jy86k1RApfo2PB21iBXzvfMDbUOtwkcZIinrrif5nABPJpXUK7OiUKtnuUdaEWG4Y13Z2PpOcru4WkWM/w269-h400/Steve%20Gyorvary%20at%20Carissa%20mine%20(GemHunter).jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Breaking opening a shaft - geologist stands<br />under square set on the 350-foot deep <br />Carissa gold mine shaft, <a href="https://southpassgreenstone.blogspot.com ">South Pass</a>, Wyoming.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />In places forgotten by feet<br />They hang far away from men;</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIYTnNNccqCl7DJTLlIthhA9gFppU-1X6oMerWyGZ9XzOxFefTSr0MbScsoRZNugtdojKWn15BPB1S-4YiLPK0Gp8cAhO1DVJcObb6sCxi8vSWMUGzj1wo3zC6v01SaF3U4SPjkhh4CgfUlC7egQSLzjfbrzG4kTBVHBEl9JTzYBldGKAxtaq_SqFZbqC/s1498/Azurite,%20malachite,%20tenorite,%20Ray%20mine,%20AZ%20(gemHunter).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="1498" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIYTnNNccqCl7DJTLlIthhA9gFppU-1X6oMerWyGZ9XzOxFefTSr0MbScsoRZNugtdojKWn15BPB1S-4YiLPK0Gp8cAhO1DVJcObb6sCxi8vSWMUGzj1wo3zC6v01SaF3U4SPjkhh4CgfUlC7egQSLzjfbrzG4kTBVHBEl9JTzYBldGKAxtaq_SqFZbqC/w400-h249/Azurite,%20malachite,%20tenorite,%20Ray%20mine,%20AZ%20(gemHunter).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Copper ore consisting of blue azurite, green malachite, and black<br />tenorite, Kirwin district, Wyoming (W.D. Hausel photo)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">They swing to and fro.<br /><br />As for the earth, from it comes bread,<br />But underneath it is turned up as by fire;</span></span></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zSic5lvrOQQs4QOCCCRXOUfNKNCdymSqdK1maWdwKYMqacS-zXqSf1aKWaQIFYFQyh3FLbxl-Mip9h6gDVYqSUcScpkweonFYGcRH5LrHSllkoBFykpz_rn1DPMFOhrMH1k3wNyflIK60z81CfxTcyi00qC4vJV4An6eZTMoYzEIisl_VlE_gx_sSeQ2/s982/Banded%20iron%20formation,%20Seminoe%20Mtn%20Greenstone%20belt%20().jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zSic5lvrOQQs4QOCCCRXOUfNKNCdymSqdK1maWdwKYMqacS-zXqSf1aKWaQIFYFQyh3FLbxl-Mip9h6gDVYqSUcScpkweonFYGcRH5LrHSllkoBFykpz_rn1DPMFOhrMH1k3wNyflIK60z81CfxTcyi00qC4vJV4An6eZTMoYzEIisl_VlE_gx_sSeQ2/w264-h400/Banded%20iron%20formation,%20Seminoe%20Mtn%20Greenstone%20belt%20().jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The earth is turned up as by fire - folded<br />banded iron formation in the <a href="https://seminoe.blogspot.com/ ">Seminoe</a><br />Mountains greenstone belt, Wyoming, has<br />been squeezed, torn, and turned up.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Its stones are the source of <a href="https://WyRuby.blogspot.com ">sapphires</a>,<br />And it contains <a href="https://searching-for-gold.blogspot.com/">gold dust</a>.<br />That path no bird knows,<br />Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.<br />The proud lions have not trodden it,<br />Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.<br />He puts his hand on the flint;<br />He overturns the mountains at the roots.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M6BUPUqXHbRNdVU-sMX3LOvIxjwl7BuFJP8bRxSrk7g1UE06UrBsoecNMmlQPicwcFRnlFnbpFUFglCG9PFuH-jyvvbPBXJrxPjIANdHb4kjnyEVpTn_ko7jb320fv8vq73Be9ymQ56lMaiUic-BK3ziMy9WO8nNWFVo6Ew5ZI65Jx2EBnlvxnkdqV6H/s3264/Bingham%20copper-gold-silver-lead-zinc%20mine%20(gemhunter).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M6BUPUqXHbRNdVU-sMX3LOvIxjwl7BuFJP8bRxSrk7g1UE06UrBsoecNMmlQPicwcFRnlFnbpFUFglCG9PFuH-jyvvbPBXJrxPjIANdHb4kjnyEVpTn_ko7jb320fv8vq73Be9ymQ56lMaiUic-BK3ziMy9WO8nNWFVo6Ew5ZI65Jx2EBnlvxnkdqV6H/w400-h300/Bingham%20copper-gold-silver-lead-zinc%20mine%20(gemhunter).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Overturning mountains at the root - the Bingham open pit<br />mine in the Oquirrah Mountains of Utah - a source for gold,<br />silver, copper, lead, zinc and many other metals has provided<br />for the miners of many generations.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">He cuts out channels in the rocks,</span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AaXcTBxWtEGkX5xHbUKUiFBHZq26TOukCwhmGFac_nar_ZjJg3eINMpIfdtfo6WYBtGEfVC3YyuZHgEb3Jlv7MW_pcAa9ppUtpOE1lqiep4rhFTpUlsrQo6kHGULnyoDbLdCYl_iMD67es1XzY22qlewKK48vj-K9dqPBam_oSyi9a6fPLaZrA8V3JY4/s791/Trench%20at%20Aultman%201%20Kimberlite%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="791" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AaXcTBxWtEGkX5xHbUKUiFBHZq26TOukCwhmGFac_nar_ZjJg3eINMpIfdtfo6WYBtGEfVC3YyuZHgEb3Jlv7MW_pcAa9ppUtpOE1lqiep4rhFTpUlsrQo6kHGULnyoDbLdCYl_iMD67es1XzY22qlewKK48vj-K9dqPBam_oSyi9a6fPLaZrA8V3JY4/w400-h268/Trench%20at%20Aultman%201%20Kimberlite%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>He cuts channels in the rocks - exposing 'blue ground' <br />(weathered kimberlite) to find <a href="https://diamond1872.blogspot.com ">diamonds</a> at the <br />Aultman 1 <a href="https://discussionsondiamonds.blogspot.com/ ">kimberlite</a> pipe in Wyoming.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A</span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;">nd his eye sees every precious thing.</span></span></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2U3hoNP6nU8_BvSYIhOCSJyS-zNa4naYCklBOkN3zzOajRdRyq57HtgQfgCqbJPdmJZZUnHqPbTAb5zsbjDUIFC0TlkE_ziXF2j-Wg8LoD4WuM47lX1q0C0F8PtjHhn68quVfKS9FaEA88q-Y6VdYZ3ZGPNY7inLVF1tuOJ9X-9sqC20rekgsSZD1vZa/s1536/Outcrop%20of%20iolite%20from%20Grizzly%20Creek.%20Excellent%20Wyoming%20iolite%20with%20%20limonite%20wall%20rock%20replacing%20the%20iolite%20(GemHunter).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1536" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2U3hoNP6nU8_BvSYIhOCSJyS-zNa4naYCklBOkN3zzOajRdRyq57HtgQfgCqbJPdmJZZUnHqPbTAb5zsbjDUIFC0TlkE_ziXF2j-Wg8LoD4WuM47lX1q0C0F8PtjHhn68quVfKS9FaEA88q-Y6VdYZ3ZGPNY7inLVF1tuOJ9X-9sqC20rekgsSZD1vZa/w400-h266/Outcrop%20of%20iolite%20from%20Grizzly%20Creek.%20Excellent%20Wyoming%20iolite%20with%20%20limonite%20wall%20rock%20replacing%20the%20iolite%20(GemHunter).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://iolite-wyoming.blogspot.com ">Iolite</a> (gem-quality cordierite), a beautiful blue, sometimes <br />purple, sometimes lavender gemstone - a precious thing<br />found in the central Laramie Mountains of Wyoming.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />He dams up the streams from trickling;<br />What is hidden he brings forth to light.”<br />“But where can wisdom be found?</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrowOzL21z_qg3IiW1Pn1SijusRp-4i77YAZNEjnGzwCVhbV1wMkIJbfB6S2BDNcAT-UVh6_Sp9mygzYJd7VPOB5Jb9Ybd28fKqhppXpd3614RWIguXMKQTYDTiZpqCHXU8YZPVNsWuHPPrZ2B0AUonVgSCC-JNh79ZIrB7WCFVo72EcsskfhzNa4V2sYx/s1664/botryoidal%20hematite%20w:%20limonite,%20Sunrise%20Mine,%20Hartville,%20WY%20(GemHunter).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="1664" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrowOzL21z_qg3IiW1Pn1SijusRp-4i77YAZNEjnGzwCVhbV1wMkIJbfB6S2BDNcAT-UVh6_Sp9mygzYJd7VPOB5Jb9Ybd28fKqhppXpd3614RWIguXMKQTYDTiZpqCHXU8YZPVNsWuHPPrZ2B0AUonVgSCC-JNh79ZIrB7WCFVo72EcsskfhzNa4V2sYx/w400-h319/botryoidal%20hematite%20w:%20limonite,%20Sunrise%20Mine,%20Hartville,%20WY%20(GemHunter).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iron from the earth - specular hematite (botryoidal with <br />limonite (yellow) and earthy hematite (red) from the<br />Hartville uplift, Wyoming.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">And where is the place of understanding?<br />Man does not know its value,<br />Nor is it found in the land of the living.<br />The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;<br />And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’<br />It cannot be purchased for gold,<br />Nor can silver be weighed for its price.<br />It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,<br />In precious onyx or sapphire.<br />Neither gold nor <a href="https://wygarnet.blogspot.com">crystal</a> can equal it,<br />Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.<br />No mention shall be made of coral or <a href="https://wyquartz.blogspot.com/ ">quartz</a>,<br />For the price of wisdom is above rubies.<br />The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,<br />Nor can it be valued in pure gold.”</span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmG_XYVYRW2xz5fAYbX2owbYpsvLkkWNHjvTwsPYof17eIFeQp3dlEEX4NCerLAGVZQchaAzylGwpdhejtRPK3XzqQzfQ6iY9AC-2wcfEbm_DfHHZW0rb5xq404v48RGipz6nZXymVtvIhUJHjMRDSEE7uAzlOwhLnNwZUPke3oW8xDJoJPsmiudBZwSrC/s900/Beautiful%20large%20ruby%20cut%20from%20Wyoming%20corundum%20(GemHunter).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmG_XYVYRW2xz5fAYbX2owbYpsvLkkWNHjvTwsPYof17eIFeQp3dlEEX4NCerLAGVZQchaAzylGwpdhejtRPK3XzqQzfQ6iY9AC-2wcfEbm_DfHHZW0rb5xq404v48RGipz6nZXymVtvIhUJHjMRDSEE7uAzlOwhLnNwZUPke3oW8xDJoJPsmiudBZwSrC/w400-h266/Beautiful%20large%20ruby%20cut%20from%20Wyoming%20corundum%20(GemHunter).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Searching for <a href="https://WyRuby.blogspot.com ">rubies</a>, I found them - right where they were <br />suppose to be</i>. <i>Ah, to be endowed in earthly wisdom - but I<br />would trade it all for a little Heavenly wisdom (photo by Hausel).</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“From where then does wisdom come?<br />And where is the place of understanding?<br />It is hidden from the eyes of all living,<br />And concealed from the birds of the air.<br />Destruction and Death say,<br />‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’<br />God understands its way,<br />And He knows its place.<br />For He looks to the ends of the earth,<br />And sees under the whole heavens,<br />To establish a weight for the wind,<br />And apportion the waters by measure.<br />When He made a law for the rain,<br />And a path for the thunderbolt,<br />Then He saw wisdom and declared it;<br />He prepared it, indeed,<br />He searched it out.<br />And to man He said,<br />‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,<br />And to depart from evil is understanding.’”</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwOoYludn-ZcG-c6gGe4w5vWEtMdsVeb_ah-4MXRU21whYTcJPU3Eh7829-5BYgpxgHC2YgERU3O-A8oGgrdPUDf1L2nCcDQf2MFtbAgdl9I5RLo8JbMujims7bkPbzGQzEJ_H0B1sLYORUMUr-IKHiRiVKxlTx_wz6LsLTAmX4d_aM-S042cpuTjWJRs/s685/chlorite%20pseudomorph%20after%20almandine%20garnet,%20Oldman,%20Wyoming%20(GemHunter).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="685" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwOoYludn-ZcG-c6gGe4w5vWEtMdsVeb_ah-4MXRU21whYTcJPU3Eh7829-5BYgpxgHC2YgERU3O-A8oGgrdPUDf1L2nCcDQf2MFtbAgdl9I5RLo8JbMujims7bkPbzGQzEJ_H0B1sLYORUMUr-IKHiRiVKxlTx_wz6LsLTAmX4d_aM-S042cpuTjWJRs/w400-h268/chlorite%20pseudomorph%20after%20almandine%20garnet,%20Oldman,%20Wyoming%20(GemHunter).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A crystal from the Sierra Madre, Wyoming - a chlorite <br />pseudomorph after almandine <a href="https://gem-garnet.blogspot.com/">garnet</a>.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683503677049115651.post-50432672991053911422020-01-06T14:40:00.009-08:002023-08-12T18:51:01.549-07:00Prospecting for Gold<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvwLUodYK2Yajh3giXHXzsY_4gMzRhvtOkcVgpYz42D_3Nu9j77HzfVL7vU8ahvpOXt8vbsVOOagsgBnEYg08qtmSEOSWrioLNl59QDrvIcLqhkkjxOjxxhTe8il3l0TKO6WzEzyh3urR/s1600/Douglas+Creek+gold+with+Diamond+Indicator+Mineral+GemHUnter.web.com.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="891" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvwLUodYK2Yajh3giXHXzsY_4gMzRhvtOkcVgpYz42D_3Nu9j77HzfVL7vU8ahvpOXt8vbsVOOagsgBnEYg08qtmSEOSWrioLNl59QDrvIcLqhkkjxOjxxhTe8il3l0TKO6WzEzyh3urR/s640/Douglas+Creek+gold+with+Diamond+Indicator+Mineral+GemHUnter.web.com.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gold from <a href="https://douglascreekgold.blogspot.com/ ">Douglas</a> Creek, Wyoming.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Excited about Gold? Did you catch the Fever? Do you think that scam artist Fauci will make you wear a mask to your gold mine? Of course he will - he doesn't use science (we think tar and a bag full of feathers (or face masks) would be perfect to end his corrupt career). To get your share of the gold, be sure to learn what you can about gold deposits, geochemistry, geophysics and geology. The more you know, the better your chances of striking it rich. Unlike government, always use science, morals and ethics.</div>
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Learn to prospect scientifically, and please never follow us on Facebook, or anyone else for the matter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiczjgCRN2kN2S9_v-zq8CvY2gpb6jZg-L3-F0U3dXxoXiW49tHeqRBETUymKvpXQaAugDyn7YgYzsPtfrQ9VuN4XnRXbwVoWirRoZBg34Cn5-7CfNoKxYTDHFm1hOUZrjDzb8oDxjutXI/s1600/Gold+in+Arizona%252C+2019%252C+A+Prospector%2527s+Guide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiczjgCRN2kN2S9_v-zq8CvY2gpb6jZg-L3-F0U3dXxoXiW49tHeqRBETUymKvpXQaAugDyn7YgYzsPtfrQ9VuN4XnRXbwVoWirRoZBg34Cn5-7CfNoKxYTDHFm1hOUZrjDzb8oDxjutXI/w448-h640/Gold+in+Arizona%252C+2019%252C+A+Prospector%2527s+Guide.jpg" width="448" /></a></div>
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<i>Expensive, but <a href="https://www.amazon.com/W.-Dan-Hausel/e/B00J678FPK?ref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share">worth</a> it.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpsL2CObheH-IEiyEpanuM5inI2mRVdmLr9_L22sW_Da7jrSEXhsbXN3KOSgTObV7INKdeM2yXr5M2avnBFhGC0-AEaVULjQtO1M7Z0M9os75NnkVOh-n91VmEXuZL5WaS0yN6yT1bLTI/s1600/GOLD+-+Field+Guide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpsL2CObheH-IEiyEpanuM5inI2mRVdmLr9_L22sW_Da7jrSEXhsbXN3KOSgTObV7INKdeM2yXr5M2avnBFhGC0-AEaVULjQtO1M7Z0M9os75NnkVOh-n91VmEXuZL5WaS0yN6yT1bLTI/s320/GOLD+-+Field+Guide.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_e183JLHaNpKDTSOE2ozxsUy1-JwlxXk0HBREcaRJ72feI-6LfzYjX5j6CyyTWe0MB4yEn70XzoMDAKpfzZRirrZsy_871gp7VzqHDdPzJQqZjhJa0ZAbYxobl-oaX6K-vbNnDigMO_x/s1600/Geology+of+Wyoming%2527s+Gold+Deposits+1989%252C+%2528GemHunter.webs.com%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="383" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_e183JLHaNpKDTSOE2ozxsUy1-JwlxXk0HBREcaRJ72feI-6LfzYjX5j6CyyTWe0MB4yEn70XzoMDAKpfzZRirrZsy_871gp7VzqHDdPzJQqZjhJa0ZAbYxobl-oaX6K-vbNnDigMO_x/w573-h640/Geology+of+Wyoming%2527s+Gold+Deposits+1989%252C+%2528GemHunter.webs.com%2529.jpg" width="573" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A little out of date, but you can't beat the <a href="https://sales.wsgs.wyo.gov/the-geology-of-wyomings-precious-metal-lode-and-placer-deposits-1989/">price</a>.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouFcQZ3z8Vr7TGax64rH-iloim3mRSJ1mrLfguVibxx4RCJqKhRqy0jNBbDin0rGfwrgOVze_CNT8coxhdQQYmx7bKyNatQwv06uFR_cspZVulb9X7mpPQu3MtgsQeQ8R2eO9iy_Ng4c1/s1600/Gems+Minerals+%2526+Rocks+%2528GemHunter.webs.com%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1319" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouFcQZ3z8Vr7TGax64rH-iloim3mRSJ1mrLfguVibxx4RCJqKhRqy0jNBbDin0rGfwrgOVze_CNT8coxhdQQYmx7bKyNatQwv06uFR_cspZVulb9X7mpPQu3MtgsQeQ8R2eO9iy_Ng4c1/s320/Gems+Minerals+%2526+Rocks+%2528GemHunter.webs.com%2529.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszvfyrjD1xQX7nRuUM7_AIisxj3BuMETSkoT6OMK2vIqdVkfKkZgpgtmpWxCEE5m53MpQee6xR9OtUgbThEnK85m5i-u0uqoADVGdsDeAtDF1VexWo3uw49T9obVlJCjyqJQgOHtXlKAk/s1600/W.+Dan+Hausel%252C+Copper.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszvfyrjD1xQX7nRuUM7_AIisxj3BuMETSkoT6OMK2vIqdVkfKkZgpgtmpWxCEE5m53MpQee6xR9OtUgbThEnK85m5i-u0uqoADVGdsDeAtDF1VexWo3uw49T9obVlJCjyqJQgOHtXlKAk/w509-h640/W.+Dan+Hausel%252C+Copper.JPG" width="509" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Again, the price for this super <a href="https://sales.wsgs.wyo.gov/copper-lead-zinc-molybdenum-and-associated-metal-deposits-of-wyoming-1997/">book</a> is hard to beat.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683503677049115651.post-77153782808610660952013-11-11T13:52:00.005-08:002022-02-23T09:59:32.808-08:00Ore Shoots<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>What is an Ore Shoot? </strong>Some may think that ore shoots have something to do with guns. Not really. But it may be good thing to carry a gun in bear or mountain lion country when searching for ore shoots. Those bear can move almost as fast as my Honda Fit! An <b><i>ore shoot</i></b> is considered a minable part of a vein that has been enriched by one or more structural or chemical processes along a vein or lode - it is essentially the equivalent of a <i><b>pay streak</b></i> in a gold placer. After examining the definition reported by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore_shoot">Wikipedia</a>, Merriam-<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ore%20shoot">Webster</a>, and <a href="https://www.lexico.com/definition/ore_shoot">Lexico</a>, I can see why people get confused over this term, as it is apparent that these three sources on the internet have little understanding of ore shoots. Is it just me, or has the internet made a major dumb-down in the past few years. Seems like the internet is starting to Woke and get stupid, just like some of its human counterparts. <a href="https://www.mindat.org/glossary/ore_shoot">Mindat</a> is the closest to a good definition of ore shoot, but it needs a little help, and the <a href="https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/ore+shoot">Free</a> dictionary is the best of these.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ore shoots are those parts of veins, ore bodies, or mineralized faults that are <i><b>enriched</b></i> in mineral values such that it may be minable under favorable circumstances. Ore shoots are surrounded by vein or mineralized rock material of lower value, and can be structurally or chemically enriched, and can be formed of primary or secondary ore, or both. A similar term to 'ore shoot' is <i><b>ore <a href="https://www.911metallurgist.com/underground-ore-loading-chutes/">chute</a></b></i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Many chemically formed ore shoots yield good ore deposits. </strong>During vein formation, hot silica (quartz-rich), <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hydrothermal">hydrothermal</a> acidic fluids react with rocks of favorable chemistry; particularly rocks with calcium carbonate (limestone, dolomite). Thus, while prospecting a vein along trend where it cuts through limestone, could lead the prospector to <a href="http://www.science.smith.edu/geosciences/skarn/aboutskarn.html">skarns</a>, replacement deposits, etc in a search for gold, silver, copper and other valuable minerals. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/replacement-deposit">Replacement deposits</a> and <a href="https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=skarn&FORM=HDRSC2">skarns</a> are often formed when such mineralizing fluids come in contact with limestone or even rocks such as limy shales, or limy sandstones. Replacement deposits can be very rich.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cupriferous gossan - note the tawny limonite (hydrated iron oxide) with fissures filled with azurite (copper carbonate) typically found in many mining districts in Arizona and Utah, particularly in<br />leached zones and also in <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301866165_Supergene_Enrichment">supergene</a> enriched zones. Such <a href="https://arizonageologicalsoc.org/resources/Documents/Short%20Papers%20by%20Members/2014/Mining%20and%20You%20-%201-19-2014.pdf">zones</a> are commonly found associated<br />with copper ore in Arizona.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tan matrix in this specimen invaded fractures in a quartz vein and partially replaced<br />the quartz.</td></tr>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsJbGCogXhA1Eb7zbykjCPRdpPG6sOxlW_U5K6xuH9zEbyftDEHckEethn-DrXevucRp0WLSUrsS6PZWuItVRAAP268EM9JCV2ah20srreUFBitTSz3di1nY5lQM0SMJ92HWCPlYEM5NcGGaE0zZuXQrGObGCmSPLtnHZ-XDmvBzk07lpTjw1mumLJhw=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsJbGCogXhA1Eb7zbykjCPRdpPG6sOxlW_U5K6xuH9zEbyftDEHckEethn-DrXevucRp0WLSUrsS6PZWuItVRAAP268EM9JCV2ah20srreUFBitTSz3di1nY5lQM0SMJ92HWCPlYEM5NcGGaE0zZuXQrGObGCmSPLtnHZ-XDmvBzk07lpTjw1mumLJhw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDEWGJBImdsc4tFZAw1oIoYsItza6JAFcxxsxYuZFxEuSccKFMH9R-JnChxcS7z7LGIybZ5ecavkpB-zWzz7kjmcOMZyJPuaxGP7TJJECNru3BZsXOFU_4a424LV0NUNDJXplGuD6xmYceLLl4m94hEnMQUTYZ5UvlnuTrSWYPO8vSYIeSzBi0pBS-VQ=s2304" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDEWGJBImdsc4tFZAw1oIoYsItza6JAFcxxsxYuZFxEuSccKFMH9R-JnChxcS7z7LGIybZ5ecavkpB-zWzz7kjmcOMZyJPuaxGP7TJJECNru3BZsXOFU_4a424LV0NUNDJXplGuD6xmYceLLl4m94hEnMQUTYZ5UvlnuTrSWYPO8vSYIeSzBi0pBS-VQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Imagine you are mining along a mineralized vein for<br />galena (lead-sulfide), and the material is very low <br />grade, such as that at Black Buttes, WY (top photo).<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Then, over a short distance, the vein is enriched yielding </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>a massive galena ore shoot, such as that at the Emma mine, </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Utah </i><i>(bottom photo).</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijIsrFs6SvloVdLmdbCo3bnWzQs2HK6KiTLs6Kn3aXVQWjCU6qazJd3qHmxL8IjpellOsfopF5khO9X_2bKLOCQVayn_gHjzPLeaIWwsTaejjqJnUoT9gvv5TAuaZwXOGq5t4k95LvTLELjBhrYrVJuUhSz1POBhZSk_dz8H5jmtThs765BZTgD0Ziuw=s1709" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1477" data-original-width="1709" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijIsrFs6SvloVdLmdbCo3bnWzQs2HK6KiTLs6Kn3aXVQWjCU6qazJd3qHmxL8IjpellOsfopF5khO9X_2bKLOCQVayn_gHjzPLeaIWwsTaejjqJnUoT9gvv5TAuaZwXOGq5t4k95LvTLELjBhrYrVJuUhSz1POBhZSk_dz8H5jmtThs765BZTgD0Ziuw=w400-h346" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A sample of massive galena from the Lark Mine, Utah. While </i><br /><i>searching for galena, a miner might discover that the </i><br /><i>lead-sulfide contains silver within the crystal structure. This</i><br /><i>would also improve the value of the ore (or ore shoot), but</i><br /><i>the <a href="https://athens123.com/Main_HTML/Silver%20mines/silver-extraction-process.htm">silver</a> would have to be metallurgically extracted from</i><br /><i>the crystal structure of the galena. Much galena is used to</i><br /><i>manufacture bullets! So, how does one <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0042207X21007351">separate</a> lead from </i><br /><i>sulfur, and how does one extract silver from lead-sulfide?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>
The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683503677049115651.post-6492721486677566442013-03-28T14:57:00.004-07:002022-02-23T11:11:58.491-08:00Ore Shoots and How to Trace Lode Veins<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2qLLLVY81Qlcoy8TLfJTcvvMOk9IF0dLckMgJgJTe4F2APu3-_oVk9Z53myrBLoftgMpuKlCePKVPxZd1KYP1G86oMglPZ7Tck0IhuNL_ZvXykWDsETcTXD17CXvNn5hlBdVxSZaWxtI/s1600/Duncan+gold+mine+and+mill,+1977+(Hausel+-+Gemhunte.webs.com).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2qLLLVY81Qlcoy8TLfJTcvvMOk9IF0dLckMgJgJTe4F2APu3-_oVk9Z53myrBLoftgMpuKlCePKVPxZd1KYP1G86oMglPZ7Tck0IhuNL_ZvXykWDsETcTXD17CXvNn5hlBdVxSZaWxtI/s1600/Duncan+gold+mine+and+mill,+1977+(Hausel+-+Gemhunte.webs.com).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The Duncan mine and mill as they appeared in 1977 (photo by Dan Hausel).</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Prospectors need to focus on finding ore shoots in veins. Nearly all veins in gold districts will have some gold and silver, but the values are alway erradic. Thus if you were able to follow a vein for some distance you will likely find trace amounts of gold at most locations. When I mapped the <a href="http://southpassgreenstone.blogspot.com/">South Pass greenstone belt</a> and its more than 16-miles of gold-bearing shear zones and veins, it was quite noticable that the vein-shear zone structures had trace gold with periodic zones of highly enriched gold. In some cases, the gold was enriched as much as 100 to 1000 times that of the normal values in the shear-vein structures.<br />
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So, why did these ore shoots occur and how was someone going to be able to identify them without crawling across the 16+ miles of vein-shear structures and assaying every inch? Unfortunately, its not so easy. And then there are large areas that are hidden under soil and aluvium that could easily have cover a very good ore shoot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT7XtOx5A9kWi46eTF8rqbnpi6MMyKiDBJdWxB51-RjvvlnNKbO1e7uEPEzN3FrNsn0GlogYpk9iyWH1Scla9qT1h1Cj-JmRwKYkzsl5MYzLeimeqJbobQUoaDeEm_4pN3DBX3bWOoRqf/s1600/Banded+iron+formation,+South+Pass,+WY+-+note+the+saddle+reef+with+ladder+veins+gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT7XtOx5A9kWi46eTF8rqbnpi6MMyKiDBJdWxB51-RjvvlnNKbO1e7uEPEzN3FrNsn0GlogYpk9iyWH1Scla9qT1h1Cj-JmRwKYkzsl5MYzLeimeqJbobQUoaDeEm_4pN3DBX3bWOoRqf/s640/Banded+iron+formation,+South+Pass,+WY+-+note+the+saddle+reef+with+ladder+veins+gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of a potential structual-controlled ore shoot. Note the fold in the rock. The folded structure in the lower photo is identified as <em>'folded ore shoot'. </em>The 'nose of folds (ore shoot)' may be enriched in gold, as I found at the Duncan and Carissa mines at South Pass.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJPcfw64IWfkKThEBiiKp7wgqTN600InP-ss-WXC-MbS4juMR7e4dSCxr8UqfuaJ6idrrfSrGbjY8jQt7p28Y-9HqG0p7eIoyh0DZ8s_SujcoQp53BDkg8gWWdkb31DVxMleqRXY30WiR/s1600/Banded+iron+formation,+South+Pass,+WY+-+note+the+saddle+reef+with+ladder+veins+gemhunter.webs.com+-+Copy.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJPcfw64IWfkKThEBiiKp7wgqTN600InP-ss-WXC-MbS4juMR7e4dSCxr8UqfuaJ6idrrfSrGbjY8jQt7p28Y-9HqG0p7eIoyh0DZ8s_SujcoQp53BDkg8gWWdkb31DVxMleqRXY30WiR/s400/Banded+iron+formation,+South+Pass,+WY+-+note+the+saddle+reef+with+ladder+veins+gemhunter.webs.com+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
While mapping around the Duncan and <a href="http://carissa-au.blogspot.com/">Carissa gold mines</a>, I found some ore shoots where the gold values increased dramatically. But what was causing this was not quite clear at first. These ore shoots were difficult to recognized because of considerable soil cover and also the rocks that hosted the ore shoots were all black <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibolite">amphibolites</a> and it was very difficult to see entire structures. But at the Duncan mine, I was able to collect enough samples across the structure and was able to actually plot the gold value increases leading into an ore shoot. The values increased about 100 times the normal gold values.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
It turns out that the high gold values I detected (a 2-foot long channels sample that assayed 1.06 opt Au) were part of an ore shoot that was structurally controlled by folding. While mapping the Carissa mine, I found this structure as also intensely folded. Gold values at the Carissa were enriched more than a hundred times the average of the shear structures in the district. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_PmR69qIxLNSlSJXNj9upy9Whqy-wIzbEfziWro7jEIcKsiNBbXcJY9aum1SZKR54LYvN_lQGT1GyNzNATyo8uxn72M7hK3WgYASXVINAEqrLI12NgB2q03WgaPiucRKuYk8ANGAW2bT/s1600/Chalcopyrite-bearing+breccia,+Kurtz+Chatterton,+WY+photo+by+Dan+Hausel,+(gemhunter.webs.com).JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_PmR69qIxLNSlSJXNj9upy9Whqy-wIzbEfziWro7jEIcKsiNBbXcJY9aum1SZKR54LYvN_lQGT1GyNzNATyo8uxn72M7hK3WgYASXVINAEqrLI12NgB2q03WgaPiucRKuYk8ANGAW2bT/s400/Chalcopyrite-bearing+breccia,+Kurtz+Chatterton,+WY+photo+by+Dan+Hausel,+(gemhunter.webs.com).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper (chalcopyrite) breccia from Wyoming. Note the <br />angular rock fragments</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next, let's look at this in three dimensions. Well we can't really, because all we can see is the surface exposure. But at the Carissa mine, the mine shaft was sunk to 450 feet and drilling intersected the ore shoot to depths as great as 970 feet giving us a 3-D perspective. Now imagine these folds are large round pipes (in case of the Carisaa mine, we are talking about a 1,000-foot diameter pipe!). Now imagine placing this pipe in the ground from the surface down into the earth so that it stands nearly vertically. This should give you a general idea of what these ore shoots look like. <div><br />
So, the Carssa ore shoot plunges down into the earth for at least 970 feet (that was the deepest anyone ever drilled in the district), but there is no reason to believe this ore shoot does not continue to the base of the greenstone belt (2000 feet, 3000 feet, 5,000 feet, 10,000 feet?). So, the Carissa likely has a very large gold resource - but it was withdrawn from mining - not by the Federal government, but by its evil twin - the State government (and all done quietly - like a ninja in the night).<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19ze4n6Dn7Hsx4qSPqVhLyAtHcDQSaa603C9lxp1JF5y2p6Q9CaU5VdmGMrDVc_VoXXjUTd2KpQdejlF0hwlI3OzkoZfcBtGI27K9YffJZtLcxggdtgBmEUYsw9Kg1N-5VjSey_pcPF72/s1600/Carissa+gold+mine+shear+structure,+Wyoming+photo+by+Dan+Hausel+(Gemhunter.webs.com).jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19ze4n6Dn7Hsx4qSPqVhLyAtHcDQSaa603C9lxp1JF5y2p6Q9CaU5VdmGMrDVc_VoXXjUTd2KpQdejlF0hwlI3OzkoZfcBtGI27K9YffJZtLcxggdtgBmEUYsw9Kg1N-5VjSey_pcPF72/s640/Carissa+gold+mine+shear+structure,+Wyoming+photo+by+Dan+Hausel+(Gemhunter.webs.com).jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rocks at the Carissa mine are like an accordian - folded <br />and squeezed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Other ore shoots may form where there is considerable breccia, or an increase in open space by faulting or by a rising gaseous vent. So, breccias should be examined for enriched amounts of ore. There are many rich breccias that have been found in Arizona that are the result of high-pressure mineralized gases erupting from depth. Many such breccias have been found about giganic porphyry copper deposits.<br />
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<strong>Ore shoots</strong> are areas in <strong>veins</strong> where valuable mineralization increases, often dramatically. It has always been a subject of economic geology to try to understand where these rich shoots form and why, so miners can predict where the greatest amount of <strong>ore</strong> will be found in a <strong>vein</strong>, <strong>fault</strong> or shear zone.<br />
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<strong>Ore shoots</strong> can form chemically. During vein formation, hot quartz-rich, acidic fluids will react with rocks of favorable chemistry, particularly rocks with calcium carbonate (limestone). Thus following a vein in any area that may have limestone should lead any prospector to search the limestones for gold and other valuable minerals. Replacement deposits and skarns are often formed when such mineralizing fluids come in contact with limestone or even rocks such as limy shales, or limy sandstones. In some cases, the replacement deposits can be very rich.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQjqsMS_ogugpOGMoS8sZfztA0IK9v696s5vM4uUr7rcaD6weMOAiN3i-INWd4Dfj_25sGUTBRLdcsBWv2M_qRnYEhLU1Cct_Kl6sCI6x-cO0RGfQD7ZkQKceoMvSik3zGmuBu09nk0F4/s1600/copper+rich+breccia+with+quartz+filling+vugs,+Arizona+-+photo+by+Dan+Hausel+(gemhunter.webs.com).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQjqsMS_ogugpOGMoS8sZfztA0IK9v696s5vM4uUr7rcaD6weMOAiN3i-INWd4Dfj_25sGUTBRLdcsBWv2M_qRnYEhLU1Cct_Kl6sCI6x-cO0RGfQD7ZkQKceoMvSik3zGmuBu09nk0F4/s640/copper+rich+breccia+with+quartz+filling+vugs,+Arizona+-+photo+by+Dan+Hausel+(gemhunter.webs.com).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper (green) breccia with common quartz prisms in vugs surrounding angular rock fragments.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFtwv-II20H1L_Og9LGaqcQG-LBzddzxo24vqcAtIkjWpsgorK0oxwhf1OWIbJakePZAQwKr7Qq-5xTg9d86YIcG69VN0Vo2NWlLBgULq01E2xHJiTsIssXxNmcgjq71ZUgjNnZBxDxrZ/s1600/DSCF3024.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFtwv-II20H1L_Og9LGaqcQG-LBzddzxo24vqcAtIkjWpsgorK0oxwhf1OWIbJakePZAQwKr7Qq-5xTg9d86YIcG69VN0Vo2NWlLBgULq01E2xHJiTsIssXxNmcgjq71ZUgjNnZBxDxrZ/s640/DSCF3024.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold & silver rich quartz vein on the surface. This resistant rock outcrop of quartz can be traced from the camera and continues to the center of the photograph. Most veins are quite linear and can be traced on the surface for hundreds of feet and sometimes thousands of feet.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683503677049115651.post-86135223111061792182013-02-21T16:41:00.003-08:002022-02-23T11:13:08.207-08:00Lode Deposits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpyfFfMuW3mXsCDIzKMJ5qyqksl8N6rbWN_id2cY8-dgj8pzYwP69lkeGYxgpy9MB2QZb4H09gYk0KreEwlUJJkb8GdHgESN6s5k5k7k5d9EfP7oapQZ2SM35itlbAUrilBR-3Wzmrym7/s1600/Mary+ellen+vein.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpyfFfMuW3mXsCDIzKMJ5qyqksl8N6rbWN_id2cY8-dgj8pzYwP69lkeGYxgpy9MB2QZb4H09gYk0KreEwlUJJkb8GdHgESN6s5k5k7k5d9EfP7oapQZ2SM35itlbAUrilBR-3Wzmrym7/s640/Mary+ellen+vein.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Classical <b>quartz vein</b> or <b>lode </b>emplaced in a fracture in tonalite (granitic) host rock. This<b> quartz vein</b> contains patches (shoots) of <b>gold </b>that are surrounded by milky <b>quartz gangue</b>. Photo taken in the lower level of the <b>Mary Ellen Mine</b> at <b><a href="http://southpassgreenstone.blogspot.com/">South Pass</a></b>. Note that the <b>vein </b>has been faulted and offset.</i></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
According to one the glossary of geology, <i>“a <b>lode </b>is a mineral deposit consisting of a
zone of <b>veins</b>, veinlets, disseminations, or planar breccias; a mineral deposit
in consolidated rock”</i>. This is
straight forward to most geologists, but in may not be for many prospectors.
Most prospectors think of <b>lodes </b>as veins. This is partially correct, but a <b>vein
</b>is only one type of <b>lode</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMANl_tJK49ek3rPuy4vITc4MJqwsXzav27IUVDADi82ZQGIsmtld_Ybh7Kou9lhx6v5gxaDXW9cckTQF6u6lufCitmHCtQd1etbF69wlrKQo9DomuPyzHxlf9kRy9gBi1_njaw5XjcTu/s1600/Mary+Ellen+gold,+South+Pass,+GemHunter.webs.com+-+Copy.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMANl_tJK49ek3rPuy4vITc4MJqwsXzav27IUVDADi82ZQGIsmtld_Ybh7Kou9lhx6v5gxaDXW9cckTQF6u6lufCitmHCtQd1etbF69wlrKQo9DomuPyzHxlf9kRy9gBi1_njaw5XjcTu/s400/Mary+Ellen+gold,+South+Pass,+GemHunter.webs.com+-+Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visible <b>gold </b>in limonite and hematite from a <br />shoot at the <b>Mary Ellen mine</b>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The dictionary definition of a <b>vein </b>is more complex and I
will only include those summaries that apply to our discussion as a vein can be
much more encompassing. Some of the definitions include:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“(1). An epigenetic mineral filling of a fault or fracture
in a host rock, in tabular or sheet-like form, often with associated
replacement of the host rock; a mineral deposit of this form and origin. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i></i><br />
<i>(2). A zone or belt of mineralized rock lying within boundaries clearly
separating it from neighboring rock. It includes all deposits of mineral matter
found through a mineralized zone or belt coming from the same source, and
appearing to have been created by the same processes.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYr4oNFiX4GF0ts9MQS-TjgpX_NCWFi_AP6qKvJRuS1MhZ5ErqnIS9s1i8MwW4SdpYUipuunvQBz9zHlWNYpQ5VUUDH1oaCXW_l3dvwDRa2GLWFp_AiF-V3RedtsnfGh-gmoAHaZTB4lR/s1600/gold-quartz+vein+at+Vulture+mine,+Arizona,+Gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYr4oNFiX4GF0ts9MQS-TjgpX_NCWFi_AP6qKvJRuS1MhZ5ErqnIS9s1i8MwW4SdpYUipuunvQBz9zHlWNYpQ5VUUDH1oaCXW_l3dvwDRa2GLWFp_AiF-V3RedtsnfGh-gmoAHaZTB4lR/s400/gold-quartz+vein+at+Vulture+mine,+Arizona,+Gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gold-bearing quartz vein </b>exposed at the <b><a href="http://vultureaz.blogspot.com/">Vulture Mine</a>, Arizona</b>. The flat<br />
surface on the <b>vein </b>on the left is the dip plane of the <b>vein </b>(the angle that<br />
the <b>vein </b>projects into the earth). This is a very distinctive vein.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>(3). A rock fissure filled by intruded mineral matter. Many valuable
minerals are co-deposited with gangue in veins. Usually the formation is steep
to vertical, unlike a bedded deposit in which values are sandwiched
horizontally. Vein is typically long, deep, and relatively narrow. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i></i><br />
<i>(4). The term lode is commonly used synonymously for vein”.</i></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Most prospectors visualize a
<b>lode </b>to be a distinct <b>vein of quartz</b>. But <b>lodes</b> include more than just veins.
But let’s briefly look at <b>veins</b> first. <b>Veins </b>can be formed primarily of quartz, but
another common <b>gangue </b>mineral is calcite. <b>Gangue </b>minerals are worthless
material that is found with valuable minerals, and when combined, the two
produce ore. So ore is just a mixture of the good and bad stuff. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The formation of ore shoot in veins is not entirely understood, but they appear in many cases to be the result of changes in chemistry sometimes due to changes in the rock type in the wall rocks. They have been identified where <b>veins </b>are folded or where <b>veins </b>intersect other <b>veins </b>or fractures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIVxW_jHC5f6SYls0IWNdqH8U4LJRV4xMfVFt8G2n_amQABrxXHx2HWJ0F7Yn6eDipDtybmoRCWoCtRKsGHH66heSnUUGr_8XJXqvj97l_30RYG3UACvSPY-yJQb2DIcwUYdYkRIFyK7t/s1600/gossan+at+Vulture+mine,+Arizona.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIVxW_jHC5f6SYls0IWNdqH8U4LJRV4xMfVFt8G2n_amQABrxXHx2HWJ0F7Yn6eDipDtybmoRCWoCtRKsGHH66heSnUUGr_8XJXqvj97l_30RYG3UACvSPY-yJQb2DIcwUYdYkRIFyK7t/s400/gossan+at+Vulture+mine,+Arizona.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gossan </b>(rusty rock) adjacent to the <b>Vulture vein</b>. The photographer is<br />
standing on the <b>quartz vein</b> at the <b>Vulture mine</b> looking at the gossan. If<br />
the <b>gossan </b>contains <b>gold </b>(which it likely does), it greatly increases the<br />
width of the <b>gold lode</b> as well as the volume of <b>ore</b>. <br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Often prospectors and geologists get so focused on the <b>vein</b>, they miss all of the other good stuff nearby. At the <b>Vulture mine</b>, adjacent to the <b>vein </b>is a very attractive looking <b>gossan</b>. Apparently, only a minor amount of this <b>gossan </b>was mined by open pit - it may have been because it was low grade, but at any rate, it should be sampled in detail. In <b>Arizona</b>, there are numerous deposits of detrital <b>gold </b>found in fanglomerates that contain enough gold for placer miners. This may also be true at the <b>Vulture mine</b> where a distinct fanglomerate was dug into in the past.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
At the <b>Vulture mine</b>, the <b>gold-quartz vein</b> has a prominent <b>gossan </b>adjacent to the vein and this <b>gossan </b>also has a fanglomerate (a conglomerate deposited as an alluvial fan and derived from a nearby <b>gold </b>deposit). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9uS0esxoo2pHViK-OMByN_RBo9nKGyYKp8-QIo8CS3ei8uelCgBEgUXnldlh1dPMkBRURkkpzi4i5NGcPl19MlEtdV4cmvIuFDNxo6CxcSbTxj6ZfoMXuTHAKl2vGK4TlK6F2m1gi9H6/s1600/Adit+in+eluvium%252C+Vulture+mine%252C+AZ.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9uS0esxoo2pHViK-OMByN_RBo9nKGyYKp8-QIo8CS3ei8uelCgBEgUXnldlh1dPMkBRURkkpzi4i5NGcPl19MlEtdV4cmvIuFDNxo6CxcSbTxj6ZfoMXuTHAKl2vGK4TlK6F2m1gi9H6/s400/Adit+in+eluvium%252C+Vulture+mine%252C+AZ.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adit (tunnel entrance) in a conglomerate adjacent to the<br />
<b>Vulture gold mine, Arizona</b>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This fanglomerate appears to have had some values because the miners drifted into the eluvium.<br />
<br />
At the Commonwealth mine in the Pearce Hills of the southern Dragoon Mountains of Arizona, in some places the lode is very district forming a prominent veins. But other veins in this area are referred to as stockworks and may not be so well-defined to prospectors even though most geologists would get very excited over these stockworks simply because the stockworks (veinlets) are often mineralized as are the rocks fragments in between. So these deposits often represent large tonnage deposits of low grade ore.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwSAamfd1ltWb4f7N0wWmvmVJvfeyzrZQ4fz1T1dXE75oqC2MafPjZe1Lv0ilU1AUCSePxWatt1GoYi85_N-u9f4UAzs9zozEJ3ChEo1K-nCD-q9v1NK5oyluBHAwD-_Rx6slHK9Nw2w8/s1600/North+vein+on+Huddy+Hill+at+Commonwealth+mine,+AZ+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwSAamfd1ltWb4f7N0wWmvmVJvfeyzrZQ4fz1T1dXE75oqC2MafPjZe1Lv0ilU1AUCSePxWatt1GoYi85_N-u9f4UAzs9zozEJ3ChEo1K-nCD-q9v1NK5oyluBHAwD-_Rx6slHK9Nw2w8/s640/North+vein+on+Huddy+Hill+at+Commonwealth+mine,+AZ+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This vein at Huddy Hill in the Pearce Hills of Arizona crops out as a well-defined<br />
quartz vein containing silver and gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyiFBkyLmxT6s1yWh8EbCxBvU-mGegsDu4-ysAe3EQen8oCEa_keslEEvD7JqMhJhCiNBkT6b4Gf7G9O_MdmpwTbWTkhoTfgLUBYKTBGJEa4vXs_yGk6lM5-mkGYkeS8p3LfD0z0fJQ2Y/s1600/nice+stockworks+at+pearce+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyiFBkyLmxT6s1yWh8EbCxBvU-mGegsDu4-ysAe3EQen8oCEa_keslEEvD7JqMhJhCiNBkT6b4Gf7G9O_MdmpwTbWTkhoTfgLUBYKTBGJEa4vXs_yGk6lM5-mkGYkeS8p3LfD0z0fJQ2Y/s640/nice+stockworks+at+pearce+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stockworks in the Pearce Hills of Arizona. Many narrow silver-gold veinlets with breccia fragments inbetween that are also mineralized in silver and gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquu8gst2TlUgVAIbvodcZ3iyDj2VEexfhZ0n-LGAHeKtQwxrBMBZ9xupT5TY1KMT143w9zUQAuzjoDLw4Oso1bfp12ngbxnktknpWWGve6BaP_K__ikAMzHuAQ0GRaA5xXRWu0TSuvkVA/s1600/Copper+King+stockworks.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquu8gst2TlUgVAIbvodcZ3iyDj2VEexfhZ0n-LGAHeKtQwxrBMBZ9xupT5TY1KMT143w9zUQAuzjoDLw4Oso1bfp12ngbxnktknpWWGve6BaP_K__ikAMzHuAQ0GRaA5xXRWu0TSuvkVA/s640/Copper+King+stockworks.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stockworks at the <strong><a href="http://copperking.blogspot.com/">Copper King mine</a></strong> in Wyoming. This deposit may not look like much, but it has a 2 million ounce gold equivalent ore deposit that has excited me since I first looked at it back in 1981. The ore deposit is open in several directions and potentially could be even larger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Most quartz vein gold deposits in Wyoming are mesothermal, meaning that they were formed at great depth. These are usually boring veins that show little textural or color difference and are difficult to predict if they contain commercial mineralization or just 'bull' quartz. One of the principal guides for gold in these types of veins are tawny to light yellow-green limonite associated with the veins. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWALJxmDoY5c4RGSKQ7I6f82BLiIoNTrrgjnG89OrpJcD7L-yOtiq5HhabOmJJF69MwLrihsC475TSTnCQqmD_4WP95c6tx1JRdvf21V5vQ45PaN53uWHUXskL2C31hsHoj1iVcFDuYMGj/s1600/Upper+vein+of+Gold+Rd+mine+along+road,+Oatman.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWALJxmDoY5c4RGSKQ7I6f82BLiIoNTrrgjnG89OrpJcD7L-yOtiq5HhabOmJJF69MwLrihsC475TSTnCQqmD_4WP95c6tx1JRdvf21V5vQ45PaN53uWHUXskL2C31hsHoj1iVcFDuYMGj/s640/Upper+vein+of+Gold+Rd+mine+along+road,+Oatman.JPG" width="521" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper Gold Road vein (lode) in Arizona with open vugs and banded quartz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJfruC8_ijEg2gteZ1yLIHOh0sAtNvWrIgmZBzMGw2czWKt8iTGAo_0bnC8lpXVcncbG7QFiHlt9NdPhEZ7gw8BDDQ-IrH-WZfuDKhxtNMd2cv2Kkk9CybIZhgsvTIsO6npxconF-HXxq/s1600/Ribbon+vein+showing+cross+cut+relationships.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJfruC8_ijEg2gteZ1yLIHOh0sAtNvWrIgmZBzMGw2czWKt8iTGAo_0bnC8lpXVcncbG7QFiHlt9NdPhEZ7gw8BDDQ-IrH-WZfuDKhxtNMd2cv2Kkk9CybIZhgsvTIsO6npxconF-HXxq/s400/Ribbon+vein+showing+cross+cut+relationships.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ribbon vein (mixture of bands of quartz and rock) in the back of the Giant<br />
King mine, Mother Lode, California.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z1_7IsE7fUaV2LPbN-r6oICzsiET1LHH9q0doYX9EpvbcxtPmD7FtjpmZa1pWyd6EHX4LAW3UG0xiwisIUNauo-JRAo3wXOl3rrOYGdBF1ggLq0BW0r1XlJE-gpdzmhEVVGAfk6NVob7/s1600/San+Ignacio+vein+-+Copy.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z1_7IsE7fUaV2LPbN-r6oICzsiET1LHH9q0doYX9EpvbcxtPmD7FtjpmZa1pWyd6EHX4LAW3UG0xiwisIUNauo-JRAo3wXOl3rrOYGdBF1ggLq0BW0r1XlJE-gpdzmhEVVGAfk6NVob7/s400/San+Ignacio+vein+-+Copy.JPG" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The San Ignaceo vein in Arizona showing breccia, open vugs<br />
and banded quartz typical of an epithermal vein.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In other areas, like <strong><a href="http://goldarizona.blogspot.com/">Arizona</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://colorado-gold.blogspot.com/">San Juans of Colorado</a></strong> and Nevada, many veins are epithermal (high-temperature veins formed near the surface) and may have all kinds of textural features including some opaline quartz, banding, and open vugs.<br />
<br />
One of my favorite lodes is that of the <strong><a href="http://carissa-au.blogspot.com/">Carissa mine</a></strong> in the <strong><a href="http://southpassgreenstone.blogspot.com/">South Pass greenstone belt</a></strong> of <strong><a href="http://wyprospector.blogspot.com/">Wyoming</a></strong>. This lode is incredible. Everytime I led a field trip to this mine (possibly a dozen times or more), at least one person (or several) found samples of quartz with visible gold. Drilling established that the deposit was commercial grade and actually very high grade for a vein deposit. It averaged between 0.15 to 0.3 opt Au! <br />
<br />
Being curious, while mapping this greenstone belt, I checked the wall rock at the Carissa lode and discovered that the wall rock was actually part of the lode! I found gold in the wall rock over a few hundred feet and found evidence that the shear zone (lode) was as much as 1,000 feet wide!!! Drilling by past companies also established that the gold mineralization continued to depths of just under 1,000 feet (no one had drilled any deeper). Based on the geology and ore deposit type, I would expect this lode to continue to much greater depth- 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 or more feet! So here is was, the mother lode sitting in Wyoming. The gold deposit likely contains a few million (or more) ounces. <br />
<br />
So, state government again proved they were filled with geniuses and purchased the mine, withdrew it from mining, and opened up a tourist attraction that brings as many as 200 to 300 people a year to the South Pass City historical site at no cost.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuppu9zb8dwMqTQMiV4KAWAfZ0G4Apf1QP-A0EC3kB7nzyw-hYRyq2JRxaC2rAZQtfAnce5uTMbeV8XSnaKfxJl7CeG3wOmfnodS8kxIqCOrEje2tCwElg0i99yksbAuNfBkHo6NQzIR-/s1600/Central+vein.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuppu9zb8dwMqTQMiV4KAWAfZ0G4Apf1QP-A0EC3kB7nzyw-hYRyq2JRxaC2rAZQtfAnce5uTMbeV8XSnaKfxJl7CeG3wOmfnodS8kxIqCOrEje2tCwElg0i99yksbAuNfBkHo6NQzIR-/s640/Central+vein.JPG" width="432" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central Vein in the Mother Lode district, California. Numerous white quartz veins <br />
enclose black schist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQthund88V9j0CmcgBC2nk8YV921oILiVsAqpqWexfQlK2EGxSJI2YCuE2aNbFWKsFXJImSwpms-1MXDIyYhFhBPKOAzlOs77vSpU7c71NQTngBgZZbnaycsUflOMg5gQ-EJbHnJLw-q-/s1600/Consulting+for+mining+company+in+California,+2012.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQthund88V9j0CmcgBC2nk8YV921oILiVsAqpqWexfQlK2EGxSJI2YCuE2aNbFWKsFXJImSwpms-1MXDIyYhFhBPKOAzlOs77vSpU7c71NQTngBgZZbnaycsUflOMg5gQ-EJbHnJLw-q-/s640/Consulting+for+mining+company+in+California,+2012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No visible quartz but lots of tawny limonite - is this a lode? Could be. One would need to take samples in the limonite initially, to see if it has any gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRBsqDE03D8jpJJFuAhmJ5uubF0-3mYEZleivbfVtFPH9EZZ4oqyX6_hy0c-MnwH9kdbj8KH7v3hQtDLnL-fcvB-3wzbuEuYg54LNanSqydj_k-aCuJqf2-iHcbiqUPStCRS7mD4lYOj5/s1600/Carissa+Shear.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRBsqDE03D8jpJJFuAhmJ5uubF0-3mYEZleivbfVtFPH9EZZ4oqyX6_hy0c-MnwH9kdbj8KH7v3hQtDLnL-fcvB-3wzbuEuYg54LNanSqydj_k-aCuJqf2-iHcbiqUPStCRS7mD4lYOj5/s640/Carissa+Shear.jpg" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carissa Lode at South Pass. In the past, miners focused on the primary shear<br />
zone, in fact, all of the rock in this area is mineralized in gold. The wall rock <br />
adjacent to the primary shear is mineralized in lower grade gold ore over a <br />
width of possibly 1,000 feet, a depth of 1,000+ feet and along strike for at least 1,000<br />
feet. <br />
That is one heck of a rich block of ore that will never been mined so Wyoming<br />
could turn it into a tourist attraction that provides no jobs and brings in no tax revenue<br />
to the state. What is wrong with politicians - they apparently have a strange agenda that<br />
suits only their special interests and not the interests of the people they represent.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683503677049115651.post-47883329456293496702013-02-16T08:40:00.002-08:002022-02-23T11:14:29.984-08:00Gold and Gossan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhius5l4mNBNJXB3EMnFH_Pefun_-sDmaRvOBLmOKPi_fIGdZwc5UOrP8yXgCwHWrhbKSwPJersFqZrdnDgPbyQKDf5uo1gwCEDTJqNzKdgdxlH2-n3bpxeba27ONvO9hiqDdvqWzQZQAN1/s1600/Gossan+in+the+San+Juan+Mountains,+Colorado+GemHunter.webs.com+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhius5l4mNBNJXB3EMnFH_Pefun_-sDmaRvOBLmOKPi_fIGdZwc5UOrP8yXgCwHWrhbKSwPJersFqZrdnDgPbyQKDf5uo1gwCEDTJqNzKdgdxlH2-n3bpxeba27ONvO9hiqDdvqWzQZQAN1/s640/Gossan+in+the+San+Juan+Mountains,+Colorado+GemHunter.webs.com+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Gold</strong> in the San Juan Mountains of <strong><a href="http://colorado-gold.blogspot.com/">Colorado</a></strong>. As a <strong>gold prospector</strong> you should immediately notice the <strong>mine dumps</strong>, lack of trees growing on the yellow, brown, reddish brown and tawny colored rock and soil known as <strong>gossan</strong>. It's obvious that these <strong>gossans</strong> were <strong>mined</strong> in the past, but look at all of the exposed <strong>gossan</strong> in the high peaks that have not been <strong>mined</strong>. It is likely there are several rich <strong>gold</strong> and <strong>silver</strong> deposits still to be found in this area. Just search <strong>Google Earth</strong> for 'Red Mountain No. 1, Colorado', or 'Silverton, Colorado' to find this and other gossans scattered over a very large region near the 'Million Dollar Highway (550) in southwestern Colorado.</td></tr>
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<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Gold Prospectors</strong> like to generalize <strong>gold deposits</strong> into two groups - <strong>lode gold</strong> (<strong>gold</strong> which is found in place in outcrop) and <strong>placer gold</strong> (detrital <strong>gold</strong> eroded from a nearby <strong>lode</strong> and deposited in a stream). Both deposits are important, but for the <strong>gold prospector</strong>, <strong>placer gold deposits</strong> are most important because many can be worked with smaller resources and less cost that most <strong>lode gold deposits.</strong> But still, you need to consider scientific <strong>prospecting methods</strong> to insure that you have a commercial <strong>gold deposit</strong> and that you do not make mistakes like many of us have seen on the TV program <strong>Gold Rush</strong>.<br />
<br />
This morning, I'm going to talk a little about gossans - something every <strong>gold prospector</strong> needs to know about as these are often guides to <strong>lode gold</strong>, and they are constantly overlooked by <strong>gold prospectors</strong>. They are also guides to <strong>placer gold</strong> simply because if they are <strong>gold bearing</strong>, erosion will tend to release the <strong>gold</strong> over time and transport the <strong>precious metal</strong> down slope to a nearby stream. As an example, while watching <strong>Gold Rush</strong>, I keep seeing a distinct <strong>gossan</strong> each week located at one of the featured deposits, and it is never mentioned on the program by anyone, nor is it ever explored. So after you learn about <strong>gossans</strong>, start looking for these on <strong>Gold Rush</strong>, but also look for gossans on sites like Google Earth. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaR3ZXgLEB2vGT06zjKtnaSlyDAWJY9yDujGlzAeOjVIImEN0QZ3eg7guWGKlLmfR-zXrpSsD22sycdbPxV5xMxWisVXjWFfk37ZwwR1amMNSBjlzOJeHEmDnZS0E7Yk2JgQ7djokEhMZY/s1600/Cubic+pyrite+in+chloritized+basalt+Gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaR3ZXgLEB2vGT06zjKtnaSlyDAWJY9yDujGlzAeOjVIImEN0QZ3eg7guWGKlLmfR-zXrpSsD22sycdbPxV5xMxWisVXjWFfk37ZwwR1amMNSBjlzOJeHEmDnZS0E7Yk2JgQ7djokEhMZY/s400/Cubic+pyrite+in+chloritized+basalt+Gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Pyrite</strong> cubes in chlorite groundmass. Note not only the <strong>pyrite</strong>, but also the<br />
cubic pits where other crystals of <strong>'fool's gold'</strong> fell out of the rock.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And how important are <strong>gossans</strong>? Over the years, I identified several hundred <strong>gold anomalies</strong> and several <strong>gold deposits</strong>, most are associated with some kind of <strong>gossan</strong>. I've been so successful with this that I have found nearly $<strong>100 billion in gold</strong> contained in <strong>gold deposits</strong>! For example, check out the following sites at the <a href="http://www.uwyo.edu/geolgeophys/news/2012/alumni/alumni-receive-international-mineral-discovery-award.html"><strong>University of Wyoming</strong></a>, the <a href="http://www.casperjournal.com/news/article_7637b7ce-a74e-5a1d-991b-9b37f35e7ad6.html"><strong>Casper Journal</strong></a>, <a href="http://www.casperjournal.com/news/article_7637b7ce-a74e-5a1d-991b-9b37f35e7ad6.html"><strong>Planet News</strong></a>, and the <strong><a href="http://wygmstn.blogspot.com/">Gemstone State</a></strong>. After reading these, you probably have a picture of me in a jacked-up, 4-wheel drive Ferrari with oversized mud tires <strong>prospecting for gold</strong> in the outback. Well, I've been blessed with excellent <strong>prospecting</strong> intuition, but when it comes to retaining <strong>treasure</strong> - I must have been absent when they passed out that part of the brains. So yes, I've made many people very rich, but I'm not one of them. No problem: if I had to do it over again, I would have done it all pretty much the same. I do wish I had some of that money to pass it on to my kids and grandkids, but I love to <strong>prospect</strong> and material possessions are not that important to me.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6h1hPh8y5VhxBa0vruBqr6UOWGS9628Hq-2gezwvo0q-haUs_bVg12XEApswwWpw70CsHqJIR5Mmh3Qa_BTklXBFsArJNk31e3-brDooKN7-a7KFa3jb7tuu1tfqvWOZwKiTB_lN1mxF/s1600/pyrite+cube+GemHunter.webs.com.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6h1hPh8y5VhxBa0vruBqr6UOWGS9628Hq-2gezwvo0q-haUs_bVg12XEApswwWpw70CsHqJIR5Mmh3Qa_BTklXBFsArJNk31e3-brDooKN7-a7KFa3jb7tuu1tfqvWOZwKiTB_lN1mxF/s400/pyrite+cube+GemHunter.webs.com.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One, large, massive piece of <strong>pyrite (fools gold)</strong> showing it's cubic crystal <br />
habit. This specimen has relatively high heft.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Oops, I forgot: I was talking about <strong>gossans</strong>. Most of us are familiar with <strong>pyrite</strong> (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">FeS<sub>2</sub></span>), an iron-sulfide mineral that we often hear discribed as <strong>'fool's gold'</strong>. It should be called <strong>'doublely fool's gold'</strong> because <strong><a href="http://goldmtn.blogspot.com/2012/06/barbara-you-shouldnt-have-when-spring.html">you can be fooled</a></strong> by it two different ways. First, it's not <strong>gold</strong>, although it kind of looks like <strong>gold</strong> to the uninitiated. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4YoIK7xzCCSFdKU8xrN3VFBhM0VZrY-D-fawzDk9PBs-kjVNLdpI-_A8VHRwwqzdvrAhyphenhyphenYSm9cXJmbyLdCalxZJCUY4XwvnShlUbXYwxdTLs4IaQfW8yiZ-0DFRkpz3TGCW7WyNUzJkE/s1600/Douglas+Creek+gold.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4YoIK7xzCCSFdKU8xrN3VFBhM0VZrY-D-fawzDk9PBs-kjVNLdpI-_A8VHRwwqzdvrAhyphenhyphenYSm9cXJmbyLdCalxZJCUY4XwvnShlUbXYwxdTLs4IaQfW8yiZ-0DFRkpz3TGCW7WyNUzJkE/s400/Douglas+Creek+gold.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Gold</strong> from <strong><a href="http://douglascreekgold.blogspot.com/">Douglas Creek</a></strong>, <strong>Wyoming</strong>. Note the distinct warm yellow color of<br />
<strong>gold</strong> as compared to the brassy color of <strong>pyrite</strong>. Also the <strong>gold</strong> is <br />
characteristically rounded and much heavier than <strong>pyrite</strong>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In my <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gems-Minerals-Rocks-Wyoming-Prospectors/dp/1439218560/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361035272&sr=1-2&keywords=dan+hausel">mineralogy book</a></strong>, I described <strong>pyrite</strong> as having relatively high heft. This means it has a relatively high specific gravity (5.0) such that if you had one, big, massive piece of pyrite with no rock matrix, it would feel heavy. If you hefted it up into the air and caught it in your hand, the specific gravity would be noticably high. Pyrite has a specific gravity of 5.0, meaning it is 5 times as heavy as an equivalent volume of water. I also point out that pyrite is brassy colored, not <strong>gold</strong> colored. other things of note mentioned in my book is that pyrite is brittle, whereas gold is maleable. This means if you apply pressure to <strong>pyrite</strong>, it will crush to a fine greenish-black powder, but <strong>gold</strong> will just deform. So, don't make the mistake of thinking <strong>pyrite</strong> is <strong>gold</strong> - it can be costly in some cases.<br />
<br />
But as a <strong>gold prospector</strong>, you need to also realize that <strong>pyrite</strong> can fool you again - particularly if you throw it away without <strong><a href="http://www2.skylinelabs.com/">assaying</a></strong> it. In my <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Prospectors-Geologists-Wyoming-Regions/dp/1463692625/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361035272&sr=1-1&keywords=dan+hausel">2011 gold book</a></strong> co-authored my son, we describe some <strong>pyrite</strong> around the world that has considerable hidden <strong>gold</strong>! That's right, as much as 2000 ppm (parts per million) <strong>gold</strong> has been noted hidden inside the <strong>pyrite</strong> crystals. That means as much as <strong>60 ounces of gold per tonne</strong> might be hidden right under your nose and you may never see it if you don't have it <strong>assayed</strong>, crush the <strong>pyrite</strong> to a very fine powder and <strong>pan it for gold</strong>, examine many specimens under a microscope, or look closely at the <strong>gossan</strong> produced by the <strong>pyrite for visible gold</strong>. But one more way it can actually fool you is that you may have a good <strong>gold deposit</strong> in what is known as <strong>noseeum gold</strong> (<strong>invisible gold</strong>). Well, the <strong>gold</strong> is not really invisible except to our eyes. It is in stealth mode with individual <strong>gold</strong> atoms replacing some of the iron atoms in the pyrite atomic structure. So how do you know its there and how do you get it? <br />
<br />
In this case, it has to be <strong>assayed</strong>. Then to recover it requires some serious chemistry mentioned in our <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=dan+hausel">gold book</a></strong>. If you have a lot of<strong> invisible gold</strong>, it might be in your best interest to try to sell it to a <strong>mining company</strong> as it is not going to be cheap to <strong>mine</strong> and recover.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VymNlJ3iqtdlyTt_hrWnm1uuKytkmJ_-M4c4qkqq_8SriZrPglOatOSflwHyqKRXbtkClA2gQX-zt8w4evOlzZz_gzdaBpB4DwK5e9xSIQ99LB7UIP-3StxnVTCynqRGDkdcLW4UVhRa/s1600/United+Verde+mine,+Jerome+(GemHunter.webs.com)+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VymNlJ3iqtdlyTt_hrWnm1uuKytkmJ_-M4c4qkqq_8SriZrPglOatOSflwHyqKRXbtkClA2gQX-zt8w4evOlzZz_gzdaBpB4DwK5e9xSIQ99LB7UIP-3StxnVTCynqRGDkdcLW4UVhRa/s640/United+Verde+mine,+Jerome+(GemHunter.webs.com)+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://vultureaz.blogspot.com/">United Verde mine, Jerome, Arizona</a></strong>. Note the well-defined <strong>gossan</strong> exposed in the highwall. This mine was so rich in <strong>pyrite</strong>, that the <strong>pyrite</strong> actually caught on fire deep underground and burned for many years.</td></tr>
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Back to <strong>gossan</strong>. <strong>Pyrite</strong> is just iron sulfide. When it weathers, it produces a chemical reaction that releases heat yielding sulfuric acid (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub></span>), rotten egg gas <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Fe<sub>2</sub>S) and rust <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">(Fe<sub>2</sub>0<sub>3</sub>,
Fe0H). If you have ever been close to any politician, you have a good idea of what <strong>hydrogen-sulfide</strong> (rotten egg gas) smells like. If <strong>pyrite</strong> is massive enough and suddenly comes in contact with oxygen, it can actually <strong><a href="http://vultureaz.blogspot.com/">catch on fire</a></strong> because of heat released by the chemical reaction to produce rust. This actually happened at the <strong>United Verde mine in Arizona</strong>, where miners interesected massive sulfides (<strong>pyrite</strong>) at depth exposing the sulfides to oxygen: the fire burned underground for many years until it extinguished itself.</span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1V7t-en7YFUWcNIT1dvzVDwilxubILi9WtNezMOjaNGw9a0XrXwfLQSVWXW0Nf3u4sQMZxREYt6L2RnjvwJndPKuXyX8bz_mTbI92Joa3sjEEEgjtoVZM5RAS-owUzhCGOc7QvMaV-Ob/s1600/Massive+pyrite+partially+replaced+by+limonite+from+Tin+Cup+district+Gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1V7t-en7YFUWcNIT1dvzVDwilxubILi9WtNezMOjaNGw9a0XrXwfLQSVWXW0Nf3u4sQMZxREYt6L2RnjvwJndPKuXyX8bz_mTbI92Joa3sjEEEgjtoVZM5RAS-owUzhCGOc7QvMaV-Ob/s640/Massive+pyrite+partially+replaced+by+limonite+from+Tin+Cup+district+Gemhunter.webs.com.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample of massive <strong>pyrite</strong> collected from the <strong><a href="http://tinkup.blogspot.com/">Tin Cup district</a></strong>. Note that the brassy, <strong>metallic pyrite</strong> appears to be partially replaced by brownish mud. The brown material is actually <strong>limonite, goethite and hematite (rust)</strong> or the classical <strong>gossan</strong>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, <strong>pyrite</strong> tends to rust and is replaced slowly by <strong>limonite</strong>, <strong>hematite</strong> and <strong>goethite</strong> (iron oxides). So by now, you should start getting an idea of what a gossan is. It is rust produced from sulfide minerals that sometimes contain gold and silver. So this is why we look for gossans. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ36kkUTVnDgF6Fq-kvN6MsqS-kXCpaxvJ6ZV4KKaHeUUg7u0JOOaL-D02uEWqN9KzqlPbKkLBCAEFyw5bMP31AjtxdV2EMKcaVHysWLxRM5ttOqRdcSWzSODGJoQ0wDiobyOF-W9cTDTc/s1600/Mary+Ellen+gold,+South+Pass,+GemHunter.webs.com+-+Copy.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ36kkUTVnDgF6Fq-kvN6MsqS-kXCpaxvJ6ZV4KKaHeUUg7u0JOOaL-D02uEWqN9KzqlPbKkLBCAEFyw5bMP31AjtxdV2EMKcaVHysWLxRM5ttOqRdcSWzSODGJoQ0wDiobyOF-W9cTDTc/s400/Mary+Ellen+gold,+South+Pass,+GemHunter.webs.com+-+Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Gold</strong> in rusty <strong>gossan</strong> from the <strong>Mary Ellen Mine</strong>,<strong> <a href="http://southpassgreenstone.blogspot.com/">South Pass district</a></strong>. All of <br />
the brown material was originally <strong>pyrite</strong> that rusted to <strong>limonite</strong> and <strong>goethite</strong> <br />
while exposiing the <strong>gold</strong> hidden inside the <strong>pyrite</strong>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now if the pyrite has gold, the gold is most often immobile (which means it remains right were it originated while the pyrite (chalcopyrite, chalcocite, etc) turns to rust. Often, this results in visible gold showing up in the gossan. <br />
<br />
A few months ago, someone contacted me and sent an excellent photo of a piece of <strong>limonite</strong> with <strong><a href="http://si02.blogspot.com/">quartz</a></strong> and lots of visible <strong>gold</strong>. This photo is perfect to illustrate what I'm writing about, but I need to dig through my email and get this person's permission and name to give them credit. Hopefully, I can find that email - if not, please send me your <strong>gold</strong> photos (with <strong>limonite</strong>), name and permission to use. Until I get permission from that person, the photo above also works quite well. This is a specimen found in the Mary Ellen mine by Steve Gyorvary who donated it to the Wyoming Geological Survey (before it became a den of scum from 2004-2008) and I photographed it using a binocular microscope (the scale is not really in meters as I like to tell some people, it is a millimeter scale).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK10Xm7a_L_B9xuS6tIw3JTZEn1eCW387COXpHwlvC-TRFkKue-6aDLqMtZL-EpjysL2x1rWoqP2N9vEHn14T4vwvvSso7j0-Rgsjx7M_WERtkAwNJLtJHOEMbNiJdDl3ZTP6oe8Gwfb7w/s1600/Chalcopyrite+GemHunter.webs.com.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK10Xm7a_L_B9xuS6tIw3JTZEn1eCW387COXpHwlvC-TRFkKue-6aDLqMtZL-EpjysL2x1rWoqP2N9vEHn14T4vwvvSso7j0-Rgsjx7M_WERtkAwNJLtJHOEMbNiJdDl3ZTP6oe8Gwfb7w/s640/Chalcopyrite+GemHunter.webs.com.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Chalcopyrite</strong> (also known as <strong>copper pyrite</strong>) also will <strong>rust</strong> to produce <strong>gossan</strong> with some <strong>copper minerals</strong> such as <strong>tenorite</strong>, <strong>cuprite</strong>, <strong>malachite</strong>, etc.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, if you have a lot of <strong>pyrite</strong> and it rusts, you now have a <strong>gossan</strong> and an excellent visible guide to <strong>gold</strong>, <strong>silver</strong> and other valuable materials. Sometimes <strong>pyrite</strong> will oxidize and leave silica rich ridges that look porus that are known as <strong>boxworks</strong>. When you find boxworks, always look close at the ridges to see if there is any <strong>visible gold</strong>. <br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqz0s1RIPL_bNm_ceiCMpXX8gUPK6cW0a_LF1Fc8y6vw8VLUq_CUR4oFumO1YVTtRrhyphenhyphensnhAgZiYi7Qw4UtYSxGqrvc4sBsx0e84ANjKq6S1I-BAVj8fuURd_li0b6SbxBLr5CG-LDRgL/s1600/boxwork.tif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqz0s1RIPL_bNm_ceiCMpXX8gUPK6cW0a_LF1Fc8y6vw8VLUq_CUR4oFumO1YVTtRrhyphenhyphensnhAgZiYi7Qw4UtYSxGqrvc4sBsx0e84ANjKq6S1I-BAVj8fuURd_li0b6SbxBLr5CG-LDRgL/s400/boxwork.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Limonite boxworks</strong> after <strong>pyrite</strong>. Note the distinct porous appearance of this <br />
sample - the pores are often good places to look for <strong>visible gold</strong>. Such samples<br />
from <strong><a href="http://az-gold.blogspot.com/">Arizona</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://goldalaska.blogspot.com/">Alaska</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://californiangold.blogspot.com/">California</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://montana-gold.blogspot.com/">Montana</a></strong>, Nevada, <strong><a href="http://colorado-gold.blogspot.com/">Colorado</a></strong>, Utah, <br />
Idaho, Oregon, Washington and <strong><a href="http://wyprospector.blogspot.com/">Wyoming</a></strong> often have <strong>visible gold</strong>.</td></tr>
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In 1981, I started one of several <strong>gold rushes</strong> in <strong>Wyoming</strong> after finding specimens of <strong>gossan</strong> and <strong>boxworks</strong> with <strong>visible gold</strong>. The samples assayed as high as 2.87 ounces per ton of <strong>gold</strong>! These were found on the Penn mine dumps in the <strong><a href="http://seminoe.blogspot.com/">Seminoe</a> Mountains</strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminoe_Mountains_greenstone_belt"> </a><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminoe_Mountains_greenstone_belt">greenstone belt</a>.</strong> <br />
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Pyrite and chalcopyrite not only produce gossans, but other valuable minerals also produce gossans. Often the gossans will have slighting different colors due to trace metals. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIMoswF8ZBsw83D4xbOryq-SVEnHfGxWt5X6BWs1hACO6KU_us9FrBSaPzHu_wrpP7_ybWPgVFQRH3cGnnGC6TttGFJiJtEr-zoMCxll0wJBbMaiVwhvatldoecJ6w2vAq5luUqTwXyWG/s1600/Fluorite+from+Bear+Lodge+Mtns,+Gemhunter.webs.com.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIMoswF8ZBsw83D4xbOryq-SVEnHfGxWt5X6BWs1hACO6KU_us9FrBSaPzHu_wrpP7_ybWPgVFQRH3cGnnGC6TttGFJiJtEr-zoMCxll0wJBbMaiVwhvatldoecJ6w2vAq5luUqTwXyWG/s640/Fluorite+from+Bear+Lodge+Mtns,+Gemhunter.webs.com.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful <strong>fluorite</strong> producing a distinct yellow limonite. Fluroite is sometimes found with gold. This specimen from the Bear Lodge Mountains district where some gold and rare earth deposits are found.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWqEdtUmZoifScmCDM0T4nitxew1ThPeYv5W88pPjHKrRzVR5zG1q64mXcXQGr8npAraqpnFf6xx17biwUkqe_awxzjWqUJnyu9zz-uHJFYKkgJUUdgVth6i01UUCKILhR9NItHJsP3Q3/s1600/arsenopyrite+with+gossan+Gemhunter.webs.com.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWqEdtUmZoifScmCDM0T4nitxew1ThPeYv5W88pPjHKrRzVR5zG1q64mXcXQGr8npAraqpnFf6xx17biwUkqe_awxzjWqUJnyu9zz-uHJFYKkgJUUdgVth6i01UUCKILhR9NItHJsP3Q3/s640/arsenopyrite+with+gossan+Gemhunter.webs.com.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Arsenopyrite</strong> with blood reddish brown <strong>limonite gossan</strong>. <strong>Arsenopyrite</strong> smells like garlic (its the arsenic) and sometimes yields a greenish-yellow <strong>limonite</strong>. Often <strong>arsenopyrite</strong> also contains <strong>hidden gold</strong> as we discovered in <strong><a href="http://donlincreek.blogspot.com/">Alaska</a></strong>.<br /> </td></tr></tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EO9Os9UljcIXsc8etrmfk3QCuu25PaCblnW-NgV7VedmeO5SZ1ly6B8JgVE4aiLzUszOzOLdH12l9rATU0AqMVDUHtFdK8zFhOmvEGce04NLHStbc_-2ztSQF26DomgjwvfHY8RNoeqJ/s1600/Outcrop+of+iolite+from+Grizzly+Creek.+Excellent+Wyoming+iolite+with++limonite+wall+rock+replacing+the+iolite+(GemHunter.webs.Com)+-+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EO9Os9UljcIXsc8etrmfk3QCuu25PaCblnW-NgV7VedmeO5SZ1ly6B8JgVE4aiLzUszOzOLdH12l9rATU0AqMVDUHtFdK8zFhOmvEGce04NLHStbc_-2ztSQF26DomgjwvfHY8RNoeqJ/s640/Outcrop+of+iolite+from+Grizzly+Creek.+Excellent+Wyoming+iolite+with++limonite+wall+rock+replacing+the+iolite+(GemHunter.webs.Com)+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Iolite (water sapphire)</strong> altering to <strong>limonite</strong>. This very high-quality <strong><a href="http://gemstonehunter.blogspot.com/">gemstone</a></strong> is part of a world-class<a href="http://iolite-wyoming.blogspot.com/"> <strong>iolite gemstone</strong> deposit</a> that I discovered in the central Laramie Mountains. </td></tr>
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<br />The Gem Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08140441375536836992noreply@blogger.com0