Bedrock Vs. Cemented Gravels

[tboykin]

I have been working an old area that mostly has fine gold, though I have detected and recovered a few nuggets up there. But it's not a big producer. There are bench deposits of old river gravels on bedrock above the main channel, so naturally I worked to bedrock. The deeper I dug, the worse values turned up. Bedrock is key, right? Not here.

Turns out the gold is actually sitting on top of the ancient hard pack! Once I learned that whenever the gold was deposited, it could go no deeper than the crunchy stuff I was able to get some nice chunky gold out to add to my collection. Hope this helps someone else out. Interesting that it must have weathered after the river bed was cemented, and it's rough enough to show that it hasn't travelled far.

[Ridge Runner]

Hi Tom

 Well you hit what one would call false bedrock. Like you said you’re finding gold on top of this .

 What I’m about to say and to do some would say a big question why but only cost you a little time. If you can get your hands on a hand post hole digger try this . Dig a hole pass that false bedrock and as you dig pan the material that you bring out . That false bedrock was made over time and between it , it’s a true bedrock that your post hole digger may hit . Remember things have been going on long before man came on the scene. Who knows you may hit another false bedrock of different material before you reach the real one .

 From what it’s worth department . I miss your face and voice coming from White’s.

 Chuck 

[Steve Herschbach]

Good to see you are out and about finding a little gold Tom - thanks for posting! 

[tboykin]

15 hours ago, phrunt said:

Good to see you around Tom, I thought you'd done the runner on us ?

Nice gold too, A mixture of chunky and flat bits.  I do hope that's not a glass bottle, I learnt the hard way not to use them!
 

I've been there mate. Spent a whole summer working bedrock and dropped a glass vial once - never again! I take plastic out in the field and save the glass ones for home.

It's been a busy spring with working my new gig so trips have been rare, but I'm hoping to get out more once things slow down.

[LipCa]

Not fun vacuuming up a broken glass vial of gold off the tile floor at home either!! 

[johnedoe]

Good to see you posting again Tom.....

Don't be a stranger.

Nice gold by the way. 

[alaskaseeker]

Nice looking gold, .......

[Horst]

you've done good! Congrats on the gold!

[tvanwho]

glass vial in the clothes dryer even worse...I stick with plastic lipstick round containers now.

I hope to get gold in the creek gravels laying on bedrock this weekend where  I found a public access on an Indiana creek.

Just hope the gravels are shallow. That trick worked upstream where my buddy panned out 3 small nuggets in maybe 8 inch thick layer of gravels. Maybe I better bring a detector too? Hmm, GB2, MXT, Lobo ? No ground minerals but most likely all kinds of fishing stuff and weights and camping trash.

 

-Tom