Exploration And Windy Rocky Mtn Nuggets

[jasong]

I've been scatter shot prospecting in the Rockies on my ATV, 20-40 mph winds constant. Normally 50 degree is my ideal prospecting temperature, but in winds like this it can be uncomfortable. It's a struggle to hear signals even in headphones in this kind of wind, but doable.

There is very little written mining history, and not much geologic mapping and reports available in this area. This is one of long list of places closer to home which I've spent over a decade researching and compiling information on, to explore during free times like this when work and health aren't preventing me from going to the field and it's too hot to prospect down south. In most cases, my coil is the first to touch the ground here, so where there is gold around, it's almost all very easy targets. The ground is pretty mild here too for the most part, just how I like it.

Auto+, easy sailing. Locate gold bearing areas, move on to the next. Quick, tactical prospecting...bring the 15" concentric X Coil on the GPZ in later when I want to find the deeper (and conceivably larger) pieces in the deeper soil.

This is the type of prospecting and exploration I truly love. And finally I have a machine in the 6000 that makes it easy - no rig up/rig down time. I can drive my ATV until I see good topography and gravels, be detecting in 15 seconds, then throw the detector back on the rifle rack and be moving on within seconds again, until I see somewhere else favorable looking and do it over.

My dog thinks I am reaching for beef jerky whenever I set my detector down. He wasn't too happy to see a camera instead. I got him in 2012 and he has been on every single detecting and dredging trip I've ever taken since then. If he can't go, I don't go. Meanwhile, I've yet to convince any of my non-prospector friends to come out with me even once! 

Some of these cracks in the bedrock hide nuggets.

But sometimes they are just hanging out in the grass roots, or in the soil right near surface too.

25 for the day (one is hiding, mostly covered by the wide boy). I like when things work out with nice numbers, so I chose to stop at a pleasing place. I also think this is the most nuggets I've found in one day, so it's easy to remember. There are many more left, but the gold isn't as important as showing an spot is gold bearing in general to me. I found a few patterns. Have a few theories. My understanding of the area is increasing. Have a bunch more spots to investigate and then I can start searching for the lode sources. 

A trash shot for Simon so he doesn't feel alone in digging the bird shot. Definitely a few more trash targets than nuggets, but was close to 1-1. Can't complain there.

On the subject of trash targets, one thing I would like to see improved on the 6000 or whatever it's successor is, is a faster recovery time. I'm finding it quite difficult to use in trash, especially shallow trash, due to how hard it hits, and then stays "hitting" long after the coil has moved away. In places with lots of shotgun pellets or tinslaw bits, this can make it quite difficult to try to work through the trashy spots. And separately, while I mentioned it in another thread, I really do feel like there is some "bogging" down happening in the electronics at random times that is causing me to not just miss targets in my scoop, but in the ground too. Unless it really just is so directionally sensitive that being off on a swing by a few degrees is the difference between hearing a target and not.

Anyways, no product is perfect, and I'm glad to finally have a lightweight, quick machine to use with almost no rig up/rig down time. I got close to having this with the GPZ and 8" X Coil, which thankfully showed up at the perfect time to save my elbow from further damage and I'm very thankful for, but the 6000 just is one level quicker still and requires less "stuff" to tote around, so it's my main machine. I do feel the 8" X Coil does better in heavy salt still though, and the 15"/17" concentrics blow the 6000 out of the water when it comes to depth, bar none. I'd sell my GPZ and just stick with the 6000 if it wasn't for those two coils.

 

[strick]

Thats a nice haul and low trash to boot..looks like you have done your homework well. The nuggets are of the corn flake variety..which is interesting so I'll take a chance and ask a potentially dumb question since I am more of a detectorist then a prospector...what made them so flat? 

strick 

[phrunt]

That's some excellent gold Jason, very flat pieces.  It's awesome you take your pooch along to every gold adventure, he'd love it.

The 8" and 15" Concentric are my two favourite coils too.

Thanks for the trash shot! It's good to see people showing their trash to nugget ratios! 🙂

 

 

[jasong]

54 minutes ago, strick said:

The nuggets are of the corn flake variety..which is interesting so I'll take a chance and ask a potentially dumb question since I am more of a detectorist then a prospector...what made them so flat? 

Not a dumb question at all, I'm not 100% sure actually. The easiest answer is that this gold was initially derived from glaciation carving into ore bodies and flattened out during this process.

Except I can't find any evidence of glaciation. Which doesn't mean it didn't happen, it could just all be erased now. Most of the high Rockies were glaciated at various points in time. I see evidence nearby, but at best what I can find here are potential fossil meltwater channels.

I don't think glaciers are the whole story though. I have a pretty wacky theory actually. I think these nuggets aren't coming from any kind of modern gravels, but instead from the bottom member of a ~500ft thick sedimentary formation. My theory is that some of this flatness is simply from getting squished by the enormous mass of rock and sediment sitting on top of them.

I have one the size of my fingernail that only weighs 0.1 grams. The flatness/thinness is pretty remarkable, and that factor also seems to indicate to me that it wasn't glaciers alone, something else happened.

Also, they aren't just flat, under a microscope they are pockmarked with craters, like the surface of the moon. And in many craters, you can see grains of quartz. It's like someone took a hydraulic press and just smashed them and any quartz that was in them cratered the flakes out.

[abenson]

Nice bunch of gold you found. Congratulations on your research paying off.

[jasong]

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

The 8" and 15" Concentric are my two favourite coils too.

I think after I'm done exploring and mapping I'll go to one of these spots and work it out with the 6000, gridding. Then go run that 15" concentric over it and see what it pulls up that the 6000 missed, then try the 17" cc over it too. Not scientific by any means, just out of pure curiosity.. 

My elbow is garbage, so if that 15" cc keeps up with the 17" cc to some degree, then that's the only one I'll be using. I still haven't had a chance to run the 15" yet but its noticeably lighter in my hands.

A footnote for others reading this: I don't know if you can even still buy the X Coils in the US due to the geopolitical climate and all. But damn... that 17" cc is a weapon. I'm not exaggerating. It's like having my own personal GPZ 2 in terms of outright depth. I got these right after my last prospecting season ended, and didn't really get a chance to try them until recently, as I was mostly running the 6000 (it's definitely still my main detector though).

[phrunt]

I think if you like the 17" you'll love the 15", it comes close to matching the 8" for small gold performance while having the concentric depth on the bigger stuff, you really need to put that 17" CC and GPX down and give the 15" a go next time you're out 🙂

The 15" CC is 1200 grams with skid plate (2.64lbs) so lighter than the stock GPZ 14x13" coil.  1360 grams (2.99lbs) for the 17' Concentric with skid plate, which is similar to the stock coil I believe.  I haven't weighed my stock coil, I don't even know where it is, out in the garage somewhere but I vaguely remember it being discussed as at 3lbs.

[Valens Legacy]

Great hunting with some very nice gold to take home.

Good luck on your next outing.

Nice looking dog.

[Glenn in CO]

Nice gold! You show how researching and dedication can pay off.👍

[WesD]

I hear you on those loooong  audio hits.  Too bad there isnt a limiter adjustment to clip off the top end of the signal, as it really kills the hearing with headphones on.  Years ago I made a headphone adapter with a push-button switch that cut one of the audio leads. It helped save the ears when working trashy areas and you could still hear a slight bit of signal come through.