help reading a creek ?

[madworld]

Nah that looks like brown small rocks on a magnet to me .. see a bit of that here but hardly at all .. we see that orange / brown sludge, were always told it was an algal bloom usually caused from raw sewerage entering waterways but other rotting organic matter can trigger it off I believe ..

 

[casper]

it can look like this... and up to the size of a pea depending on the location...

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/562/1431468611_1401142052_photo.jpg

That looks like magnetite black sands attached to a rare earth magnet..? Not sure if that is what was mean by ironstone above?

Magnetite... you are correct! the similar looking ones that are not so strongly magnetic might be haemetite - Prospectors may refer to both of them as Ironstone. Depending on your location the black sands in your pan might also be cassiterite commonly known as Tin.

casper (I'm not a geologist)

 

[Picker]

Yeah that's typical of the cons after a days sluicing at eldorado + plus some garnet and tin. Ok didn't know people referred to it as ironstone also. I was wondering if there is things to looks for in a dry gully visually, of where to sample. Thought he may of meant mineralized red stained wash. At the place I'm working the heavies are pure black and near pea sized stuff.

 

[Wombats1]

really good information creeks rivers fluid dynamics etc all new

thanks

 

[Muzzle]

Very helpful read thanks all

 

[20x]

A bloke showed me some nice pickers and small nuggys he got from there. He snorkels/dives the deep holes..