Elusive wash layer

[spikegold]

Hi ya'll been digging again, this time a gully in wedderburn. Shallow diggings everywhere. Did some research of the area but is tough to get details of depth and wash. Anyway we have gone down 8ft now and have hit pipeclay. Was late in the day so only got to take a 30L bucket of home to wash. Took just above pipe clay and 6 inches of pipe clay. Washed it and only scored 6 specks got lots more small stuff about a foot below surface in drift.
From research it says in this area bottom was 14ft, so would that indicate 6ft of pipe clay to go until bedrock? And is it likely to hold better gold on or near bedrock? I thought I would have found wash dirt just on top of pipe clay but didn't notice much at all. Is it possible to get wash under pipe clay?
Looking forward to hearing your experiences. Cheers

 

[MJB]

Unreal Spike, although I can't really give you any advice I can give you a big pat on the back for an awesome effort. I would get down through the pipeclay...what have you got to lose??you have dug this far and who knows there could be a welcome stranger under your feet.

 

[dwt]

Are you detecting after every foot of dirt moved?

 

[spikegold]

Mjb I won't stop till bottom, not doing so would be a heinous crime

Putting the lot through dry blower dwt, why's that?

 

[G0lddigg@]

Despite the reports of large gold out that way there was alot of hit and miss. Are yoi digging in a lead?

 

[spikegold]

Golddigg@, no its not in a lead. Reports on this gully state lots of holes were dug with only a few finding payable gold. Wish I'd found that info before committing to bottoming. Would you always advise digging in a lead? If not going for new ground?

 

[Twapster]

Commendable effort there!

 

[G0lddigg@]

Golddigg@, no its not in a lead. Reports on this gully state lots of holes were dug with only a few finding payable gold. Wish I'd found that info before committing to bottoming. Would you always advise digging in a lead? If not going for new ground?

In the gt i pretty much always look for leads off shoots of leads gullies between leads.

 

[Hunting the yellow]

that's a great effort I would call the creamy colour actually bedrock as it looks to have small quartz veins running all through it I would just dig down to what you have all ready because to me that looks like the start of bed rock true rock bottom you could use a trommel to break up the clay and dirt and make it easer to process as for digging down maybe a pulley system between 2 trees with steel buckets or a A frame above the shaft

 

[Panda]

I am greatly 7nterested in the method employed to engage such a feat. Can you assure me this was conducted under the conditions as outlined within a miners right, or is this being conducted under a differing set of circumstances?

I commend any hand dug workings to the depth you have indicated but in in conducting such a feat it must be over a long period of time, by a tenacious individual, or multiple individuals!

 

[spikegold]

Thanks had I'll direct my efforts to leads. Makes sense.

Hty I'm with you there. There was quartz veins running through creamy colour. Very thin but definitely there, (very well spotted).

So take everything above the creamy stuff, bell out the bottom and process the clays, was noticeably sandier at this point.
Also is it not strange to have no obvious wash layer above bottom?
Thanks for feedback it's awesome.

 

[Hunting the yellow]

hi panda as long as hes using just hand tools pick shovel crow bar in a miners right it states that him or her have no limit on how far they dig down in the ground or for how long unless they are using a explosives or a jack hammer to mine/dig down a shaft like above he or she is not breaking the law under the miners right and it also states that they must back fill in there holes when finished so technically you could work on that spot for years but only by hand if you really wanted to because spike gold isn't breaking any rules of the miners right

 

[Hunting the yellow]

Thanks had I'll direct my efforts to leads. Makes sense.

Hty I'm with you there. There was quartz veins running through creamy colour. Very thin but definitely there, (very well spotted).

So take everything above the creamy stuff, bell out the bottom and process the clays, was noticeably sandier at this point.
Also is it not strange to have no obvious wash layer above bottom?
Thanks for feedback it's awesome.

yes ive done this type of prospecting lol but not as deep or big as you

I would sample from the bedrock up if there's any big gold it will be resting on the bedrock some areas wont have a defined wash layer like in a creek so if there is no wash layer in your hole dig down to bedrock like your doing and process all the dirt and clay above the bed rock

ps what are you trying to really find ?
1 a rich quartz reef in gold or
2 just bigish alluvial gold siting on the bedrock ?

 

[spikegold]

I am greatly 7nterested in the method employed to engage such a feat. Can you assure me this was conducted under the conditions as outlined within a miners right, or is this being conducted under a differing set of circumstances?

I commend any hand dug workings to the depth you have indicated but in in conducting such a feat it must be over a long period of time, by a tenacious individual, or multiple individuals!

Panda I can assure you it was picked and shovelled by me and with buckets lifted out by missus then dry blowing shared by both of us. It took 2.5 days of sweat but it's entirely achievable. It is the thought of it that stops ya doing it. Having the time to do it without full time job is massive help otherwise it's a weekend egoist which seems even more out of reach. We haven't hit it rich yet but with perseverance I'm sure we will

 

[Hunting the yellow]

I am greatly 7nterested in the method employed to engage such a feat. Can you assure me this was conducted under the conditions as outlined within a miners right, or is this being conducted under a differing set of circumstances?

I commend any hand dug workings to the depth you have indicated but in in conducting such a feat it must be over a long period of time, by a tenacious individual, or multiple individuals!

Panda I can assure you it was picked and shovelled by me and with buckets lifted out by missus then dry blowing shared by both of us. It took 2.5 days of sweat but it's entirely achievable. It is the thought of it that stops ya doing it. Having the time to do it without full time job is massive help otherwise it's a weekend egoist which seems even more out of reach. We haven't hit it rich yet but with perseverance I'm sure we will

sounds like fun ill show you my tunnel one day 8 meters in by hand starting to hit solid rock soon too

 

[spikegold]

Hty we are after gold on bedrock or there abouts but would definitely keep our eyes out for quartz at the bottom too
It's too good having a missus that wants the gold as bad as me

 

[Hunting the yellow]

ok maybe digging a wide long trench might be better instead of a shaft that may fill up with water when it rains ill tell ya what you can move some dirt

 

[spikegold]

Whoa hty that's awesome. That's serious depth
So just to clarify don't go deeper than creamy clay with quartz but bell it out and see from there?

 

[Hunting the yellow]

here's my work

 

[Hunting the yellow]

Whoa hty that's awesome. That's serious depth
So just to clarify don't go deeper than creamy clay with quartz but bell it out and see from there?

yes like open cut style but you must fill it all in when done under the miners right