⭐ Alluvial Show n Tell

[grubstake]

Tiny yes, but so cute! Looks like there's some microscopic gemstone grains in amongst them too.

 

[Windar]

Been ages since I have been out so went out Tues night to "check the water level" at the creek. Pretty good levels, just 4 degrees but waders kept me warm and water temp was about 12 degrees so fine to have my hands in. About 90 mins work and just under 0.1g. Just need to keep it up and find the consistent line and follow it.

 

[Colb20173]

Tiny yes, but so cute! Looks like there's some microscopic gemstone grains in amongst them too.

Thanks for the kind words. Yup, I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of shapes in such tiny pieces. I guess that's normal but it still made the use of a microscope worth it. I'd wondered if I was seeing micro gems in some of my samples. Reds, oranges, and light greens are present in many. Peridot for the latter perhaps? I've kind of been dismissing the orange ones as iron stained quartz but have no real basis for doing so. OK to post those here or should they be over in gemstone posts?

 

[grubstake]

Thanks for the kind words. Yup, I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of shapes in such tiny pieces. I guess that's normal but it still made the use of a microscope worth it. I'd wondered if I was seeing micro gems in some of my samples. Reds, oranges, and light greens are present in many. Peridot for the latter perhaps? I've kind of been dismissing the orange ones as iron stained quartz but have no real basis for doing so. OK to post those here or should they be over in gemstone posts?

Probably better in the Gemstones section I think. Hopefully there'll be more chance of the experts in that field seeing them and commenting then.

 

[Colb20173]

Back on the micro-gold briefly, has anyone seen anything like this before? Colour and behaviour matched other micro gold in the same sample so I've assumed it is but.... The piece is centre right, kind of crescent moon shaped. Very, very thin. For scale, it's sitting on top of very fine black sand, quartz etc mix. The clear quartz fragment to its right is maybe 1mm. I only ask as the edge just looks a little too perfect compared to all the other micro bits I've found so far. If it turns out to be a flake of mica I'll go and stand in the corner of shame for the night.

 

[grubstake]

The surface looks quite granular (or is this just pixelation?) and the semi-circular shape seems too regular to be natural:

 

[Colb20173]

The surface looks quite granular (or is this just pixelation?) and the semi-circular shape seems too regular to be natural:

Agreed. It's a cheap microscope so it does tend to pixelate metallic surfaces. Even pieces that are definitely gold tend to look a little 'off' if the lighting isn't quite right. Definitely looks like something man-made but the small size has me wondering just what that could be... I'll have a dig through my vial of micro bits to see if I can find it again and take some more photos.

 

[bumdags]

A mate and myself put in About 4hrs on the highbanker on Sunday

 

[Eldorado]

A mate and myself put in About 4hrs on the highbanker on Sunday

You did well.

 

[bumdags]

Cheers mate. It cost me a face plant into a puddle on the hike out. Just glad I didn't have the cons bucket

 

[20x]

Sampled up a new line today, next straight down from the last.
Should do alright on this one when I get the highbanker finished

 

[20x]

I remember when I started prospecting I struggled to get a gram in a day highbanking, same creek and years of experience later just panning

 

[Windar]

Managed to get out last weekend. Sat with the kids and Sun by myself. Went ok for a few hours each day at 0.18 first day (pic on the scales) and quarter gram on the Sunday by myself (pic in the pan). Made a difference to my back taking an old camp chair to put in the water and sit next to the sluice to feed it. Got to love my 888 from GoldRat with the leg kit now, much easier to find a place to set up and get going. Three tailings tests (after each almost full 40L flexitub) went 1-0-1 specs so have to be happy with that.
So nice to sit there watching the indicator mat develop some colour on it.
Hope to sneak back out tomorrow before the rain comes and the levels change again.
Best of luck to everyone out chasing it!
Cheers

 

[Longfellow]

Went out for a bit of a dig yesterday. What you see is after 4 hours of panning, the day was as you would except for this time of year cold, as was the water. But I did have fun.

 

[Goldfreak]

Pretty chunky stuff. I am getting it off some bedrock. Trying to work out where its shedding from. Found this this morning on bedrock. Hope to get some more the next few days.

 

[G0lddigg@]

Managed to get out last weekend. Sat with the kids and Sun by myself. Went ok for a few hours each day at 0.18 first day (pic on the scales) and quarter gram on the Sunday by myself (pic in the pan). Made a difference to my back taking an old camp chair to put in the water and sit next to the sluice to feed it. Got to love my 888 from GoldRat with the leg kit now, much easier to find a place to set up and get going. Three tailings tests (after each almost full 40L flexitub) went 1-0-1 specs so have to be happy with that.
So nice to sit there watching the indicator mat develop some colour on it.
Hope to sneak back out tomorrow before the rain comes and the levels change again.
Best of luck to everyone out chasing it!
Cheers

looks like an awesome day out mate good to see the legs are serving you well

 

[Nihilus]

Biggest piece I've found panning so far. These floods in NSW sure have changed the course of rivers...but has also brought a fair bit of gold down with it

 

[G0lddigg@]

Biggest piece I've found panning so far. These floods in NSW sure have changed the course of rivers...but has also brought a fair bit of gold down with it

awesome feeling seeing that chunk in the pan hey

 

[Nihilus]

That's total for the overnight trip. Not a whole lot but it still looks pretty

 

[WalnLiz]

That's total for the overnight trip. Not a whole lot but it still looks pretty

Nice chunky little bit there, and you are right with the great new flood deposits available to us now. Once the water levels subside back to normal some good gold will be up for the taking this summer.