Should I dig deeper?

[mdv]

I am lucky enough to have access to a gold-bearing creek on in-laws property, which I visit most weekends. I spent several days last week camped by the creek - communing with nature and having a spectacularly clear view of the lunar eclipse. After much sampling, I found a nice little patch on an inside bend which I proceeded to dig out.

I cleaned out the Walbanker after 3 buckets to check how things were going - see photo. In all, I managed 2.6 gm from this hole.

Most of the gold came out the topmost wash layer and its 1cm-3cm thick contact layer of pea-sized dark gravel sitting 15cm down and on top of the next wash layer. This second wash layer and its contact layer of similar pea-sized dark brown gravel a further 15 cm down held next to nothing (only 2-3 colours to the pan).

This second contact layer sits on top of grey/black clay on the upstream side of the large boulder, and on top of large flat-topped rocks/boulders on the downstream side of the large boulder (see photo). I found no gold at all on top of the flat rock/boulders or in the crevice between them.

But here is the dilemma. Should I attempt to dig down deeper through the grey/black clay in the hope of finding something beneath ... or is it more likely there is nothing more to be found here given the wash layer sitting above the clay was fairly barren?

Any suggestions welcomed.

Not a bad place to camp.

Result of putting 3 buckets through the Walbanker

Downstream side of large boulder - flat rock at bottom of hole and the crevice yielded zip - most of the gold came out of the uppermost wash layer (<15cm from the surface)

Upstream side of large boulder - bottom of hole is grey/black clay (difficult to see this in the photo) - should I punch down further?

How good does it get when you can have a campfire breakfast within a stone's throw of your next panning spot?

 

[backcreek]

Hay Martin,
That's an awesome looking spot mate.
It's nice having a spot all to your self isn't it?

 

[AtomRat]

Its hard to tell what type of area you are in there, but I would personally dig down to hit either the bedrock bottom or the clay bottom just to see what is in there. I have been to areas where the gold is below the black / grey layer. It looks like you are still dealing with a bit of overburden.

 

[G0lddigg@]

great spot your very lucky to have a spot like that all to yourself

I would dig down without hesitation, you would want to assume looking around that at some point that gully was running several metres deep and many more meters wide that's why the hills are carved out around it.

Now consider that with that much water moving through and tat much force how far down do you think the gold would go? all the way for sure, if you hit a clay bottom your probably going to find alot of fine and flat gold but no guarantees. working the clay may produce well but by the looks of the second last picture there's a south westerly decline and if it were my money id be working downward towards that bend.

Once you hit bedrock get a good brush and dust the rocks really well, thats were i reckon you'll do well.

BUT gold is where you find it mate so noooo guarantees, sometimes the best looking spot is the worst and sometimes the worst looking spot turns out great

good luck to you

 

[slowflow]

What a fabulous location.
The bend could be good too & would be tempted to roll that rock where the shovel is to see what caused it to stop & if anything remains in the hole.
Hope it produces well for you.

 

[mdv]

Hay Martin,
That's an awesome looking spot mate.
It's nice having a spot all to your self isn't it?

Thanks Backcreek.

Yes I am very lucky indeed to have this creek to myself. I think I could certainly pull more gold out of the Tuena Creek, which I drive past every time I go out to the family property, but I prefer the peacefulness of 'my own spot'.

 

[mdv]

Its hard to tell what type of area you are in there, but I would personally dig down to hit either the bedrock bottom or the clay bottom just to see what is in there. I have been to areas where the gold is below the black / grey layer. It looks like you are still dealing with a bit of overburden.

Thanks AtomRat.

Not sure how to explain what type of are I am in, but I'll give it a go. This creek lies within the Abercrombie/Trunkey goldfields which were prospected in the 1860's - 1890's. There are scattered shallow diggings along parts of the creek, including where I was camped and the next bend below where I was camped. The creek here flows south/southwest, dropping about 1m every 40m, and is surrounded by basalt hills.

Yes, there is a fair bit of overburden in the creek. Where I dug was on the edge of the overburden where I suspect the normal winter floods reach their highest point. On the flats where I camped there are a few shallow diggings (sample holes?) from the goldrush days (less than 1m deep) plus one hole (4m square) that went down 2m. I might do some test panning on the tailings from this hole which are still there intact.

I estimate the bottom of my hole (which is only 40cm below the surface) is about 1m higher than the bedrock where the creek is currently flowing, about 5m away.

Yes, I think I'll give it a go digging through the grey/black clay next time.

Cheers.

 

[AtomRat]

Tell us later how you go with your digging, it looks like a great area to process some material!

 

[mdv]

great spot your very lucky to have a spot like that all to yourself

I would dig down without hesitation, you would want to assume looking around that at some point that gully was running several metres deep and many more meters wide that's why the hills are carved out around it.

Now consider that with that much water moving through and tat much force how far down do you think the gold would go? all the way for sure, if you hit a clay bottom your probably going to find alot of fine and flat gold but no guarantees. working the clay may produce well but by the looks of the second last picture there's a south westerly decline and if it were my money id be working downward towards that bend.

Once you hit bedrock get a good brush and dust the rocks really well, thats were i reckon you'll do well.

BUT gold is where you find it mate so noooo guarantees, sometimes the best looking spot is the worst and sometimes the worst looking spot turns out great

good luck to you

Thanks GOlddigg.

Good advice. Where I dug is actually on an inside bend - just can't see it from my photos. What appears to be a bend further down on the left in the second last photo is just an angling of the bank - I have sampled along it and found some colour but not as much as where I am currently digging. Interestingly, I have not found any colour in the current creek itself - the oldtimers probably took what was there and I think not much has dropped out there since.

 

[Jukebox]

Hey MDV,

The problem is when you try to go through the clay layer is that you never know 100% how deep it is. My current digging site which I have been on a couple of trips now as soon as I hit the clay I have learnt (trial and error) to scoop everything on top and move forward on the layer itself - and found good results. Fairley easy digging - more turnover - more gold - increase in gold fever - repeat.

However as you said you are pretty sure you are close to the bedrock and then you will be laughing if you hit it. Still 1m from bedrock is pretty hard work - that's a big hole for a camping trip and more so if the clay has nothing in it that is a fair amount of work with no return and it is a gamble on time. (its always nice to be on gold whilst digging)

But you never know until you do.

I be interested in whatever choice you choose.

 

[Twapster]

Hey Martin, 2.6grams is a good start. On most of my digs, the gold is just above or on the clay layer. I love to dig to China but in my experience the gold stops at a certain point and other than some larger pickers,.... is not usually as fruitful. But a secondary deposit may be sitting there untouched for 1000's of years. Blokes like Wal who has dug many more holes than most would be good to offer advice in this situation. With some gloves and a big bar, I reckon you can go down 5 feet in about 30 mins or so.

That way you can sample as you go down. The problem I find is water....as you dig down you may hit water which will fill up your hole and ruin your experiment! Good luck with it and love the photos.

 

[Jaros]

Water ??? whats's that!!!!!

 

[Digginholes]

Great looking spot mate.. Good luck, I hope too see some pics of the good stuff you about to find

 

[Teemore]

Hi mdv, great looking spot and a nice start on the gold.
You mentioned that you had checked the crevice in one of the photos .... not an expert in that sort of thing but if you check out some of the vids (W & L ??) you may see that they 'really, really, really' clean out any crevice ..... by the look of the photo they is a possibility that some gold could still be recovered if that spot was given a real good brush down to get into the tiny crevices that appear to still be covered, just my observation based on what can be seem in the photo (a vacuum cleaner would be nice in there).
Cheers and Good Luck, T.

 

[WalnLiz]

It's not always about digging a big hole behind the biggest boulder in a section of the stream. If that boulder wasn't in the streams "Original" optimum gold line, then very little other than more recent flood gold will have deposited around that boulder.

If it was me checking out that 100m stretch of creek I'd start a systematic set of test pans, in what i call "stream bed loaming". Mark out parallel lines "across" the creek bed every three metres down the 100 metre length of creek you wish to test. Dig sample holes every two metres across the "full section" of the creek and not just the inside bend. Do this for the full 100m stretch of that creek. You will see from this a line starting to form from your test results.....Follow it.

I regard inside bends as a good starting point in very "large water flow rivers" only, where "severe" current flows come into the equations. Small creeks do not always generate the velocities to push gold to an inside bend, and can actually do the reverse and concentrate the gold on the outside bend.

Your test holes need not go to the bottom as with any sort of loaming techniques you only need to be looking for "Current Edges", as these are where the gold falls out. The trick is finding out at which point within the current edge, the majority of gold falls out, and this will inevitably always be in a constant line with the current edge. The best gold will be on the bedrock below, directly following this line, and may be as little as a metre wide.

Sure gold which hits crevices within this fall out zone point will be concentrated in the crevice, but gold will still fall out just as richly amongst "relatively flat bottom", within the boulders in this fall out zone of the current. Too many people concentrate on looking for structure as their main target for gold trapping, and the problem with doing so, is that they are about 150 years too late in their endeavors. The best of that gold is already in an old timers pocket.

"Current lines" and learning how to read them, can be a stream prospectors best friend. Dig a massive big hole outside the "correct current line" and you will have a great day out with plenty of exercise and fresh air,.....but you may not have much to show for it in that little jar you took along. Dig wisely as brute force does not always excel out there on the river.

Cheers Wal.

 

[mdv]

Thanks Wal,

Great insights as I learn, learn, learn. The gold I have found around the large boulder is undoubtedly recent flood gold because it is all fine and ultra-fine and came from the top wash layer. I also suspect that this boulder is not on the optimum gold line ... I do wonder why it has come to lie where it does when all similar-sized boulders are much nearer the creek and in the creek itself.

Guess I need to do a lot more sampling; and with a much more systematic approach than my current 'sample here, sample there' approach.

Thanks again Wal.

 

[Twapster]

I think we got some good advice there Martin, and thanks Wal for the input. Its always tempting to just start digging without a planned approach, and the more experienced blokes seem to do a lot more "looking", and a lot more "testing".

How deep do you go? I for one haven't had much luck past the 2-3 foot mark, and certainly where the clay starts its usually just above that. Having said that I was shown by what I would consider a modern "old timer"....he was a master at digging straight down and did this in a very small/narrow dry creek bed just a few metres wide. He sat there and quite effortlessly used a "half bar" and slowly went deep and it was at about the 4/5 foot mark he was finding a layer that yielded in 1 bucket what 20 buckets thru our banker was giving up. So here we are two blokes shovelling all day into a high volume banker, and the old guy with the bucket, bar and pan......calmly digs his little honey hole, scoops up half a bucket of dirt then packs up and goes home with more gold than me. That's what I call experience! :lol:

 

[WalnLiz]

You got it in one there Twapster, and I'd bet the old fella had been to the area often enough to bottom out on close to original wash. The trick is to bottom out, but that requires depth, and you have to bottom out on the gold line, that requires testing first. Remember...the gold line may be as little as a metre wide, and in an eight metre wide creek, that can leave as much as seven metres of barren wash.

That large boulder, mdv, could easily have been moved from the centre of the creek by the old timers 100 years ago. They moved rocks bigger than that as if they were pebbles.

 

[ched66]

I'd be getting below the clay............ya might get a nice surprise if there's a rock bottom

 

[dwt]

Creek beds change in so many ways and all a slightly different from the last, one particular creek bed i work only shows gold in the top foot of gravels above the clays, and the richest part of it is the clays itself sitting on bed rock, the problem here is the 5-8 feet of gravels sitting on top of all the gold bearing dirt, makes for hard digging and backfilling.