Rock crushing from alluvial creeks

[Danielkrupski]

I have got some gravels from classifying cons left over from highbanking and some large interesting rocks. I was thinking of keeping them and making up a dolly pot to crush and see what I get. I will more than likely crush it all. So I'm just looking to see what I should start on. Quartz? Shale? Blue stone granite looking rock that has quartz running thru it. Also some conglomerate. Which is a mix of quartz and the blue stone granite stuff. Would any of it contain gold being that it has come from the creek and an alluvial creek at that rather than near a hard rock mine? First time doing this and trying to maximise what I have got for those summer months where I don't prospect much. Thanks

 

[nucopia]

You probably wont know the answer until you do it and then pan it out ..

 

[MJB]

Crush the quartz mate...at least gold is known to form along with quartz

Granite is barren and from what I understand slate is good for catching gold in its cracks. If a quartz vein has intersected slate then gold may have formed close to it but not as part of the slate. If iron stone is present and has bits of quartz attached I would give them a dolly up too.

 

[AtomRat]

Crush rocks containing seams or veins of mineralisation like pyrite or arsenpyrite and hydrothermals. Qaurtz can yield some great hidden gold or specimens but harder to find

 

[Danielkrupski]

Kinda my thoughts exactly. Smash it all up. But I will do my own testing for certain stones grouping as I go. Quartz with quartz and quartz with iron stains and so on.

 

[Metamorphic]

Alluvial is always shed from the hard source deposit and only gravity puts it in the river....sometimes it just as nuggets pure, a lot of the time its encased within its host rock!

Yes its most likely encased within quartz, ironstone but this can depend on the deposit it sheds from which includes the topographic area surrounds.

Discount nothing.....conglomerate is well known to hold gold.

 

[dwt]

When I first kicked off banking seeing gold in the pan led me crushing, sample after sample until I realised there was no source within miles of the area gold was being recovered, for its weight, gold can travel for miles and miles in a creek before it lays to rest, I've crushed a lot of samples in the hope I was onto a gold bearing vein, but alas, not paying attention to what the gold was telling me only led to large amounts of barren fines kicking around the backyard.
Study the gold in your pan, get yourself a jewlers loupe if need be, sometimes the host rock can disclose itself through one of these, once you have a rough idea the area you think a gold bearing reef/vein might be located, only then would I head down the path of crushing,
But, if you love dollying all day long, then hunt the conglomerate, higher chance of colour in the pan then random pieces of material from the creek bed

 

[Danielkrupski]

Thanks

 

[Danielkrupski]

Weekend crushing all stones containing quartz and conglomerate for a big fat zero. Can anyone help with useful links as to what I should be looking for. Thanks

 

[Metamorphic]

Have a read of this thread Daniel.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8490

Understanding gold, how it is formed, its characteristics in local geology etc etc, will start to move the odds in your favour!