Should I dig deeper?

[mdv]

To all who have responded, many thanks. I have much to learn indeed.

I think the most important point coming through is that I need to be better disciplined in sampling, to find where the best prospects are located and avoiding the pain of digging a large hole for little return. I must adhere to the principle of 'PPPPP' .

For next visit, I may well leave the Walbanker at home an just sample, sample, sample ... comfortable in the knowledge that whatever gold that might be there is not going anywhere or is going to be taken by anyone else. I look forward to using my crowbar as a sampling tool.

Cheers, Martin

 

[Goldtarget]

In the end mate and after some sound advice above all I have to add is put a hand auger in the kit if you want some depth on Clays, whatever you drag to the top just hand process. If you happen on a hot spot just go wider and deeper. 2.6 grams translates to good gold in my book, and enough to generate further interest. Good luck and enjoy it.

 

[mdv]

In the end mate and after some sound advice above all I have to add is put a hand auger in the kit if you want some depth on Clays, whatever you drag to the top just hand process. If you happen on a hot spot just go wider and deeper. 2.6 grams translates to good gold in my book, and enough to generate further interest. Good luck and enjoy it.

Thanks Goldtarget. I must be on your wavelength because I went out yesterday and bought an auger for just that purpose. Learning, learning, learning ... sample, sample, sample. Having fun just finding yellow.

 

[Heatho]

Yeah they are a great tool for finding gravel layers. Just reminded to go down to Bunnings today and get one.

 

[Tige]

Have tried hand augars before.. always seem to find the rocks :|

 

[boobook]

Hi bloke.
I noticed you say the location is within the Trunkey/Abercrombie field and I would seriously say you could hit a "bonanza" in that particular creek system.
In the early '80,s a mate and myself sluiced a lot of those small creeks, the lower run of the Rocky Bridge and the Copperhania all the way down to the joining with the Abercrombie (Sounder Flat).
These creeks are not the source of the gold, it originally came from much higher ground N,E and W of Trunkey Crk.village. There is an ancient river system now exposed on the tops of the hills either side of those 2 mentioned creeks which in the weathering process carried the gold which was then re deposited in those creeks simply by erosion and gravity.
For this reason gold will be found at all levels in your digs but somewhere along the line of concentrate you will hit a "bathtub of gold". The best we ever saw was an old bloke on the Copperhania, dug out about 6 buckets of wash from a pocket around 3m. above the creek level to recover over 5oz. of gold with several slugs around .22 bullet size.
At the Sounder the alluvial wash was over 3m. thick with gold all through. I think it was worked for over 20yrs. by one family group, there is a small cemetery there with marked graves including a child. The race which carried the water down can be traced for around 6km. back up the Copperhania.
If you can get onto Parish maps showing the old claims/leases you can get a very good idea as to where surfacing occurred and the alluvials originally mined. The Bathurst Met. sheet would have some good information also.
mike

 

[mdv]

Thanks Mike for your info.

The creek I prospect is not either of the two you mentioned, although it does join the Copperhannia Ck not far above the Abercrombie. It was pretty well flogged back in the goldrush days, but only surfacing for alluvial along the creek banks and in the creek itself. There are no mines/shafts within several km - the closest mine would be Pine Ridge.

I have a copy of 1894 parish map which shows the land claims around Trunkey Village at that time. It also shows a 1 square mile lot 7km away from the village - all by itself, and which now forms part of my in-laws property. I suspect the original acquirer of this lot had aspirations to find gold there.

It is quite fascinating trawling for info about the goldrush days in this area. I'm confident there's still some gold to be found - but to-date I have only managed to find fine gold and flour gold dropped from recent floods. I am still looking to find some 'old gold'.

Cheers, Martin

 

[boobook]

Hi Martin.
From what you say I gather you are a little downstream from the old Pine Ridge workings which I assume you have visited.
Reckon mate and me must have been lucky, we scraped out the bottom of the old stamper there for nearly 3oz. of gold. Why it had never been touched, who knows!
In the gravels below the mine and well down the creek we dredged (shh!) many, many oz. of fine gold. It was all though the gravels, simply flood gold which most of it is down there. As I said, you will sooner or later hit a pocket of accumulation where it has been diverted/deposited which will be your "bonanza". By the way, its all "old gold", none of it is new!
Do you know people down the Curragh road?
Good luck and keep on digging.
mike