Rick N. MI Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 It's beautiful up there. Great photos. Lots of nuggets. I'm happy you went there finally. The gold is good up there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swegin Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Livin the dream. Congrats on the gold. It's on my list of places to go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strick Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Nice work Steve...goes to show what an experienced prospector is capable of on strange ground...could there be a thin layer of graphite also on those nuggets that stained them? Strick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted September 5, 2022 Author Share Posted September 5, 2022 5 minutes ago, strick said: Nice work Steve...goes to show what an experienced prospector is capable of on strange ground...could there be a thin layer of graphite also on those nuggets that stained them? Strick I suppose anything is possible, but manganese coatings are fairly common in various locations. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Catcher Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 Fantastic report, Steve. And congrats for finding these beautiful nuggets. Clearly, the Axiom should be called The Beast 😉. Just curious, you mentioned these are glacial deposits. I always thought glacial deposits are mostly fine gold. Is this different up there? Also, I suppose this was a private claim used for commercial operations? GC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 20 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said: I encountered this very same pay layer at my old mine at Moore Creek, where we called it "coffee grounds" due to the color of the generally sandy material. It was a sign of the best and richest material, and looked like the exact same scenario here. Good work Steve. You make it look easy. You need to remind everyone you are an Alaskan Miner. Your lessons were hard won and not easily transferred to other miners. I've been to Nome, and it is unfamiliar ground. You can't just go to any ol working mine and help'em find gold. I'm glad the Axiom worked as well as it did. It certainly seems like a new arrow in the quiver for avid prospectors. Mitchel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Steve Herschbach Posted September 5, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 5, 2022 2 hours ago, mn90403 said: Good work Steve. You make it look easy. You need to remind everyone you are an Alaskan Miner. Your lessons were hard won and not easily transferred to other miners. I've been to Nome, and it is unfamiliar ground. You can't just go to any ol working mine and help'em find gold. I'm glad the Axiom worked as well as it did. It certainly seems like a new arrow in the quiver for avid prospectors. Mitchel You mean any old novice can’t just hop on a plane and go to Nome, and fill buckets up with gold? For me it’s the Lower 48 that’s unfamiliar ground. Detecting old mines in Alaska is my specialty. Few people have the experience and access that I do after 50 years of prospecting and metal detecting in Alaska. Being in Nome is just me being back in my old stomping grounds. It’s home. 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Steve Herschbach Posted September 5, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 5, 2022 11 hours ago, Gold Catcher said: Fantastic report, Steve. And congrats for finding these beautiful nuggets. Clearly, the Axiom should be called The Beast 😉. Just curious, you mentioned these are glacial deposits. I always thought glacial deposits are mostly fine gold. Is this different up there? Also, I suppose this was a private claim used for commercial operations? GC The clay is settled glacial silt, but the placer is more complex than just simple glacial deposits. Coarse gold can and does occur in glacial terrain. Geology is rarely simple, and here we have chunky gold, with lots of quartz. Plenty of bedrock sources at Nome, many still undiscovered. Long story short more than one thing was happening here geologically. Did you know the Northern California high Sierra gold country is full of glacial deposits, and also has very large gold nuggets? https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/620-glaciers-gold/ Yes, the miners are engaged in serious commercial scale operations. I got to hold a jug with 450 ounces of gold in it. 9 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valens Legacy Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 A beautiful article with great scenery of the area and a nice amount of gold found. Great job Steve and glad that you were able to enjoy yourself while going home. Now that I said that I just have one question for you, why didn't you take me with you. Good luck on your next hunt. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Catcher Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 9 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said: The clay is settled glacial silt, but the placer is more complex than just simple glacial deposits. Coarse gold can and does occur in glacial terrain. Geology is rarely simple, and here we have chunky gold, with lots of quartz. Plenty of bedrock sources at Nome, many still undiscovered. Long story short more than one thing was happening here geologically. Did you know the Northern California high Sierra gold country is full of glacial deposits, and also has very large gold nuggets? https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/620-glaciers-gold/ Yes, the miners are engaged in serious commercial scale operations. I got to hold a jug with 450 ounces of gold in it. Many thanks, Steve! And yes I am aware of the CA glacial deposits. Although I have not spent much time in the very high up Sierra Nevada regions, I have plans to explore some areas more thoroughly. I will PM you to get you thoughts on a specific location that I have in mind... GC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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