Jim in Idaho

I was in the Air Force  4 years after the quake. I remember a buddy from Anchorage that had an album full of pics of the quake damage. Can't even remember his name now. I remember being astounded at the damage.

Jim

Ya know, the Navy did a whole bunch of research at their facility on Priest Lake here in Idaho. They were researching ultra-low frequency communications for talking to the world-wide fleet of submarines. Would be interesting to know what freq they ended up using, assuming you didn't go to jail for espionage...LOL. I thought your idea was pretty good. If I remember right it was useful for more than precious metals, too....like rare earth minerals. I'm still getting into the data-logging with the two box deep detectors, though haven't been doing anything with it since winter set in. Start of March we had bare ground, and then the blizzard hit and we had 15" of snow, and single digit temps, and that took care of spring for awhile. Snow's gone now, but we got 3/4" in one squall this morning. I think I'm still looking at a month before I can do much. Looking forward to at least one trip to your area this summer.

Jim

1 hour ago, jasong said:

With seismic (sonic) waves, you are not measuring strength but instead measuring the refracted or reflected impulse that results from the interface of two different materials which two different velocities which sound travels through it. You are measuring the initial impulse (thump) time and then measuring the arrival time at an array of sensors. It's all time based. Signal strength is only really relevant insomuch as you want a strong enough impulse to travel as deep as you need it to go., but how strong it is is mostly irrelevant. 

Velocity is a function of time, distance between sensors is known, thus time is your critical measurement for this type of subsurface imaging.

Similarly like with sound waves - EM waves travel through different rock types with different velocities. So you can use very similar methods to measure time and determine where formations change. In this case it's not so much the density of the rock (as with sound waves) as it is the conductivity changes in the rock.

Seismic refractometers (oilfield thumpers) are an example of the sound wave frequency range tools.

GPR are an example of the EM frequency range tools. 

There are cool tricks to measure the speed of light (actually, less) over tiny distances, since it's often faster than 1 cycle of the fastest CPU's. These can be employed cheaply, and is one reason why I've been saying GPR needn't be as expensive as people think it is, it can be a "pro-sumer" level tool, and it already is decreasing in price rapidly plus has drone mounted options. 

Yeah...after watching the entire video, I'm starting to understand how this works. Mainly, it's a ton of calculations to arrive at a conclusion. I can also see why it's now becoming useful. Wasn't that long ago we didn't have enough computing power and speed to do the calculations. It' sort of a play on the old "give typewriters to a large enough group of monkeys and eventually they'll produce the works of Shakespeare"....LOL, but with hi-tech enhancements. Hoping all is well with you, Jason. I imagine, like me, you're itching to get out prospecting again.

Jim

6 hours ago, jasong said:

Not me, but Jim has. ?

Separately, a company I sold a project to did some resistivity surveys with a professional contractor. That contractor ended up unfortunately lighting a part of the mountain face on fire in doing so a few years back! 

Still seems to me, Jason, you'd have to know the strength of each random noise source, relative to each other in order to make it work. GPS works because the initial impulses are at a set timing, so distance can be calculated at the receiver, and compared to other delays to calculate angle, and thus location. I'm still not confident that random noise would be much use, other than having the random noise from a known source location. Even then you'd have to know the comparative distance from each sensor in order to determine the earth effects. Maybe I'm just slow....LOL

Jim

Looks like pieces of a citrine quartz nodule.

Jim

9 hours ago, GotAU? said:

Their system is scanning multiple frequencies, but not only that it’s also looking at patterns at each frequency, so I think it can identify individual types of vibrations by that and follow it as it traverses through the landscape. It’s using timing to determine how dense the material is that those pulses or vibrations are traveling through along the array. Anywhere the signal slows down would indicate a change in density of the ground at that point. They can determine depth by the distance between the sensors as well.  I think it’s pretty cool technology, and the resulting maps are interesting.

Of course it doesn’t replace groundwork, someone has to go out there and identify what the different density materials are and if they’re worth digging up.

I can see how that would work, assuming lots of sensors over a wide area. But seems to me it would lack  much resolution. It's interesting, but probably has a long way to go. Might be pretty good for really large deposits.

Jim

I'm curious how they can use random noise, at unkown distances, to determine anything. I can see how known power going into the ground, at a known point, being used however. I also see how measuring the ambient soil voltage could indicate a conductive ground anomaly.

Jim

8 hours ago, phrunt said:

If you ever want to part with that 6x4" coil, give me a buzz ?

I've got a Razorback 3 1/4" x 6 1/4", Simon, and so far, I haven't been able to run with GB off. Granted, I haven't used it alot. I think our soil would be considered "moderate".

Jim

Slightly off the subject, Steve....that display kinda reminds me of the DFX Signograph.

Jim

2 hours ago, GeoBill said:

About 30 years ago when I was doing some work more to the SW, there was active gold exploration in the Drum Mountain. In Millard County.

Found this Utah Geological Survey Open File Report in my files which might be of some help

Mines and Prospects Containing Gold in Utah
UGS OFR-207

ofr-207.pdf 43.27 MB · 3 downloads

That's right, Bill. I'd forgotten about the Millard County. Had a buddy working at the mines around Millford, too. Mostly copper, but gold was produced, too. Though the OP asked about Box Elder county, this thread has morphed into all of Utah...LOL

Jim

1 hour ago, paradiceau said:

Jim and MSC, thank you both for your input, it is appreciated!

Keep us updated if you find anything worthwhile. Maybe between the 3 of us we can do some good.

Jim

 The only place I know there is the old, I think it was called, the Texas Mining district in the old days. It had gold, but was mainly silver. It included the Vipont mine, which is privately owned, and they don't like trespassers. I've done considerable prospecting in and around the old PegLeg mine on the Idaho border..literally, right on the border, and just a short distance north of the Vipont. It was gold/silver. And this summer, about 5 miles north of there, a company from Nevada had a drilling operation going on, but after talking to them I got the feeling they were not finding the gold that the company that hired them hoped was there. The drilling crew kept pestering us about any gold we might have found. They wouldn't do that unless they weren't finding any. There currently, in the ICMJ magazine, is an old gold mine for sale north of Rosette, over at the base of the mountains. It was a fairly large operation. I think he was asking a couple of million. There's also a trommell setup on the south side of the hiway just east of Park Valley. I've always wondered if it was a gold operation. That area east of PV has a LOT of volcanics, and is not far from the Blackpine district in Idaho, which was a gold mining area. I think there also were some gold claims at what is now City of Rocks National Reserve, but no digging is now allowed. All this, of course, is in the western part of a very large county. I know nothing about the portion over towards Logan.

Jim

5 hours ago, Smithsgold said:

All very Good even Mine !!!! LOL   Thanks Jim

AAhh heck, Jeff, anybody that doesn't enjoy you and Gary has no soul...LOL One of these days, I'd like to meet-up with you guys when you travel to Nevada. I'd invite you to Idaho, but our gold sucks...what there is of it...LOL

Jim

Really sorry to hear that. I appreciate the notice. That was quite a family, and they left a strong legacy.

Jim

For myself it's Two Toes, Chris Ralph, Smithsgold, and for sheer entertainment it's Colorado Gold Camp, amongst others.

Jim

Yup...I've got vernier dials on both Threshold, and GB. But I liked a different control. I prefer the ones from Max Gain Systems. Mine are 6:1. I sold the kits for awhile. Still think I have one left somewhere in the mess...LOL

I recently bought a pair of used non-metal boots for $50. They're made by Royer. Mine are the 6" 'Rover' model. Great condition, comfortable, and will last me the rest of my prospecting career, I bought them online on Ebay from a place I think called "used shoes. com" or something like that. Before that I bought a pair that were claimed to be non-metal, and found out they lied. Chinese brand, of course.

Jim

1 hour ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

This time of year is fantastic, as long as the heavy rains or heavy snows have not saturated the soils.

Congratulations on the ? nugget.  Yes I've seen 100+ a night when detecting at night out there in the summer when days are extremely to hot (late July- early September ). 

Desert over by Green River, WY is full of them too, Gerry. Provided you're below about 6,200'. Get above that, they start disappearing.

Jim

13 years ago is about when I started prospecting over there. I've spent considerable time there myself, Bear. Found chrome diopside as large as 5 carats, but have never seen a diamond. I have one little valley below Sage Mntn, and west of Cedar that still kicks out some nice indicators. We were there last summer I keep thinking that spot will give up a diamond, as it gives up the largest CD's I've found, but no luck so far. I think the remnants of a   pipe are very close to that spot, having once found a CD with kimberlite still attached, but we still have not located it.

Jim

Hey Bear, did you prospect for diamonds in Wyoming?

Jim

1 hour ago, 1515Art said:

tasty nugget and next time you could always...

Hey Clark, hope you're doing well! Same ol', same ol' around here.

Jim

Looks great, Jon. That gold would be HUGE on the Snake near me...LOL

Jim

My buddy and I were down in that country about 10 miles north of Winnemucca 4 years ago. We were on a friend's claim, and we each dug out a full 4" long scorpion chasing nuggets. Until then, I had no idea there were scorpions that big in Nevada. Later, our friend was stung by a 1 1/2" one.He's from the middle east, and almost died from shock...LOL. We had to calm him down, and tell him there wasn't any real danger. We later ran into a bull snake, and he almost fainted from that encounter, too. There are REALLY nasty snakes and scorpions in the middle east, so his fear was justified, though he mostly grew up in Nevada.

Jim

OK, guys I got some boots bought. I found a pair of 13M's in a Royer 6" metal free for $47.69, all up. They'll do. I appreciate all the advice, and help. I've got a copper prospect to investigate down in CA this winter, and these boots will get a workout. I'm going to be doing both 2-box with the data-logger work, and doing some ground resistivity work. Chris and I found a blow hole along a heavy quartz seam down there 2 winters back. The ground was littered with oxydized copper of green and blue. Last winter I dug down along the extrusion about 5' deep. Kept digging up more specimens, but never got to any native copper. I'll use the two-box along the extrusion, looking for native copper, and the resistivity will show any highly-mineralized zones below the blow hole. I've got enough wire to "see" about 100' deep at the hole. It's going to be interesting, but a lot of work, too. The data logger, and the resistivity device both give an image to study, and save. That's the fun part...LOL

Jim