NEW MINE STARTING
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Keep posting your progress Rios The results from rios9 big rock sample look very promising if you can identify the rock type and trace it back to the source, I like your style of prospecting BTW,
Just to spread the risk I have decided to sink a shaft on the claim where people are already mining while I still decide on the way forward on my own land. The guys are now 4 meters deep and have now reached competed rock which we are now drilling using a jack hammer and explosives. We will give the owner of the property 25% of whatever we get. Its a sort of tribute arrangement.
We are sinking a vertical shaft targeting the known proven reef 40m below. In a month's time we should get there. This project is just to diversify the risk. It is actually less risky because it is on the brownfield where people are already mining. Most of the miners abandon their shafts because of water at around 70m. We are hopping to go beyond these levels as we will be having the proper pumping systems that they are generally reluctant to invest in.
We will collar the shaft soon enough
Below are the pictures
We are sinking a vertical shaft targeting the known proven reef 40m below. In a month's time we should get there. This project is just to diversify the risk. It is actually less risky because it is on the brownfield where people are already mining. Most of the miners abandon their shafts because of water at around 70m. We are hopping to go beyond these levels as we will be having the proper pumping systems that they are generally reluctant to invest in.
We will collar the shaft soon enough
Below are the pictures
There are a few issues that I can see in the above photo.
The miner in the bottom of the shaft does not have his safety
rope clipped to his harness. :N:
How are you going to find him in the event of a collapse. 8) :|
I also see that the material that he is digging through is of a Grey
loose friable nature.
There is a change to higher iron oxides about 3/4 of the way down.
Are you sampling each 1 foot of layers to determine the mineral content.
The miner in the bottom of the shaft does not have his safety
rope clipped to his harness. :N:
How are you going to find him in the event of a collapse. 8) :|
I also see that the material that he is digging through is of a Grey
loose friable nature.
There is a change to higher iron oxides about 3/4 of the way down.
Are you sampling each 1 foot of layers to determine the mineral content.
Hi Rios,
Great story!
I'm a newcomer to this forum but I'm actually an Exploration Geo so might be able to help you out a bit. Firstly can I ask what your own background is, so I don't go off on a technical rant that you might not understand...
Btw, what SWright above is pretty much on the money. IP is a technique much more suited to base metal exploration where continuous, conductive sulphides are highlighted by the technique. It is less useful in gold. However it lights up all conductive horizons, so in the geological setting in your case, it could also highlight structures filled with graphite (Very electrically conductive. Think batteries).
These structures can be the conduit for mineralising fluids (ie. the path along which the gold-carrying fluids flowed). Gold reefs are commonly found in the hangingwall of significant structures which have the right geological setting. And it does seem like you're in one judging by the working NE along strike from your lease.
Before I go any further, can you tell me exactly how you took the samples from the trench?
And what was the orientation of the trench in relation to the projected strike position of the reef that your neighbours are mining?
If there's anything in this post that you don't understand (hence my question above), just reply and I'll explain :Y:
Great story!
I'm a newcomer to this forum but I'm actually an Exploration Geo so might be able to help you out a bit. Firstly can I ask what your own background is, so I don't go off on a technical rant that you might not understand...
Btw, what SWright above is pretty much on the money. IP is a technique much more suited to base metal exploration where continuous, conductive sulphides are highlighted by the technique. It is less useful in gold. However it lights up all conductive horizons, so in the geological setting in your case, it could also highlight structures filled with graphite (Very electrically conductive. Think batteries).
These structures can be the conduit for mineralising fluids (ie. the path along which the gold-carrying fluids flowed). Gold reefs are commonly found in the hangingwall of significant structures which have the right geological setting. And it does seem like you're in one judging by the working NE along strike from your lease.
Before I go any further, can you tell me exactly how you took the samples from the trench?
And what was the orientation of the trench in relation to the projected strike position of the reef that your neighbours are mining?
If there's anything in this post that you don't understand (hence my question above), just reply and I'll explain :Y:
Yeah, further to what tathradj wrote, make sure you timber up properly as you go.
Prevents the loose surface material from collapsing.
Other thoughts:
Drilling is a better option to cover a fair bit of prospective strike length.
Unless your labour costs are peanuts (relatively speaking)....
But the RAB technique has a hard time penetrating into solid bedrock. If you're after a quartz reef, chances are that the surrounding ground will also be silicified and be hard.
Depending on how quickly the bedrock gets hard (ask your neighbours?) it might not give you the answers you need.
Best percussion technique is RC. It gets down several hundred metres through solid rock. But it's much more expensive.
The best compromise would be slimline RC (a halfway house between RAB and RC) that would still get deep enough to intersect a shallow reef and prove
a) it's actually there at all, so you have confidence the whole exercise will be fruitful
b) exactly where it is, so you can plan the location of the shaft accordingly
If your neighbours give up when they hit water despite mining a productive reef, have you thought about buying their leases off them and setting up there? If you're prepared to invest the CAPEX in pumps, compressors, winders, etc you can just dewater as you go and continue on where they left off KNOWING that you're straight into gold :Y:
Prevents the loose surface material from collapsing.
Other thoughts:
Drilling is a better option to cover a fair bit of prospective strike length.
Unless your labour costs are peanuts (relatively speaking)....
But the RAB technique has a hard time penetrating into solid bedrock. If you're after a quartz reef, chances are that the surrounding ground will also be silicified and be hard.
Depending on how quickly the bedrock gets hard (ask your neighbours?) it might not give you the answers you need.
Best percussion technique is RC. It gets down several hundred metres through solid rock. But it's much more expensive.
The best compromise would be slimline RC (a halfway house between RAB and RC) that would still get deep enough to intersect a shallow reef and prove
a) it's actually there at all, so you have confidence the whole exercise will be fruitful
b) exactly where it is, so you can plan the location of the shaft accordingly
If your neighbours give up when they hit water despite mining a productive reef, have you thought about buying their leases off them and setting up there? If you're prepared to invest the CAPEX in pumps, compressors, winders, etc you can just dewater as you go and continue on where they left off KNOWING that you're straight into gold :Y:
Tathradj said:
At this stage, shaft collapse simply wont happen. Maybe when the hole is deeper, but by then the shaft will be collared.
We arent sampling. We know we have mineral content, we know the mineralised reef's strike, that is why i said we shall intercept it at 40m if not before.
Zengeo said:Hi Rios,
Great story!
I'm a newcomer to this forum but I'm actually an Exploration Geo so might be able to help you out a bit. Firstly can I ask what your own background is, so I don't go off on a technical rant that you might not understand...
Btw, what SWright above is pretty much on the money. IP is a technique much more suited to base metal exploration where continuous, conductive sulphides are highlighted by the technique. It is less useful in gold. However it lights up all conductive horizons, so in the geological setting in your case, it could also highlight structures filled with graphite (Very electrically conductive. Think batteries).
These structures can be the conduit for mineralising fluids (ie. the path along which the gold-carrying fluids flowed). Gold reefs are commonly found in the hangingwall of significant structures which have the right geological setting. And it does seem like you're in one judging by the working NE along strike from your lease.
Before I go any further, can you tell me exactly how you took the samples from the trench?
And what was the orientation of the trench in relation to the projected strike position of the reef that your neighbours are mining?
If there's anything in this post that you don't understand (hence my question above), just reply and I'll explain :Y:
I am a revenue specialist (tax collector) who studied banking at university level before that having done a year of metallurgical engineering. I have done a few introductory courses to mining at our school of mines. I understand when you geologist speak because i am working with a geologist who is also a geophysicist. He helps with the technical aspects though i have a banker's habit of always seeking second opinions before signing cheques
The trench took the same direction and same position as the i.p. line. Black line in the image below. Neighbours' reefs follows the direction of the red dots which indicate their shafts. I have 1 shaft there too now, 4m deep now, labour is very cheap, too cheap.
We just dug a straight line in the the center of the trench and picked the loosened soil and chirped rocks at meter intervals.
Zengeo said:
I plan to timber shortly
One thing i have stressed from the beginning is i shall not drill, i wont spend money on it, its too expensive.
Its not easy to buy off the guys. Their claim had a dispute that was resolved by subdividing it and yet its registered under 1 guy. So its a bit a legal minefield. Its better to just mine on a tribute basis. Get to the water depths and get the gold there. There is supposedly old 'german' tunnel at around 20m. They never got to go too deep as they had to rush out after world war 2 or so we are told. That there is an old shaft is true, thats how the current miners got to mine. They never went beyond the 1st level so i hope to exploit that. I will go down and dewater and tunnel, and drive into the reef at different levels
Hi Rios,
I've gone back and actually read your report now. Should have done that properly first
The recommendations your geo lays out look pretty good. I'd just follow those for now.
From your trench assay results it looks like you've got anomalous gold (0.2 g/t +) across the zone of your highest grade result. That's to be expected adjacent to a reef but wouldn't extend too far into the country rock.
I take it the material you trenched is pretty much 'in situ', or does it look transported? (ie. moved down the slope a bit) If its in situ then that high grade location would be the extended position of your reef. Does that match up about right? You could drill a hole or two into the down-dip position to confirm or you could just move about 5-10m to the footwall and sink your shaft there down into solid bedrock then drive NW to intercept the reef. If you're intending on developing quite a show, always put your infrastructure in the footwall to preserve it best.
What's the dip on the reef from the mines to the NE and is the dip fairly consistent between them?
Does the reef pinch and swell?
The answers to these questions should guide the placement of the shaft and the consistency of grade you can expect once you hit your reef.
If the dip is mid to low angle, you could just get away with an underlay shaft straight down along the reef, which would take care of access and haulage.
Good luck and keep us updated on how you go!
I've gone back and actually read your report now. Should have done that properly first
The recommendations your geo lays out look pretty good. I'd just follow those for now.
From your trench assay results it looks like you've got anomalous gold (0.2 g/t +) across the zone of your highest grade result. That's to be expected adjacent to a reef but wouldn't extend too far into the country rock.
I take it the material you trenched is pretty much 'in situ', or does it look transported? (ie. moved down the slope a bit) If its in situ then that high grade location would be the extended position of your reef. Does that match up about right? You could drill a hole or two into the down-dip position to confirm or you could just move about 5-10m to the footwall and sink your shaft there down into solid bedrock then drive NW to intercept the reef. If you're intending on developing quite a show, always put your infrastructure in the footwall to preserve it best.
What's the dip on the reef from the mines to the NE and is the dip fairly consistent between them?
Does the reef pinch and swell?
The answers to these questions should guide the placement of the shaft and the consistency of grade you can expect once you hit your reef.
If the dip is mid to low angle, you could just get away with an underlay shaft straight down along the reef, which would take care of access and haulage.
Good luck and keep us updated on how you go!
Heatho said:
"Asta Lavista baby""-------------gunshots.---------blowing smoke away.. :N:
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Jaros said:
what ?
geeeez lot of you should not tell the guy what to do why not you actually help the guy instead of telling him what to do or how to do it sorry but it just reminds me of the Mooralla post I put up a while ago where I copped a lot of crap from everyone just for digging a friggen hole and was taken down anyway
rios not sure where you live mate but keep doing what you love check out some of the detailed books on mining in this section for great mine development ideas and timbering I would say once you get to where you are now I would advise you to timber it if you can if you can't by yourself ask someone for help don't give up just because some people don't like what your doing
rios not sure where you live mate but keep doing what you love check out some of the detailed books on mining in this section for great mine development ideas and timbering I would say once you get to where you are now I would advise you to timber it if you can if you can't by yourself ask someone for help don't give up just because some people don't like what your doing
and maybe like me don't share interesting stuff with anyone online sad but true
Rios keep it coming mate :Y: i am enjoying following your progress , at first i thought you were a dreamer or scammer but after the first page i could see what you were out to achieve, i wish i knew more to help but your knowledge is obviously far greater than mine on this topic :Y:
Good work i hope one day your putting up pictures of gold bricks :Y:
Good work
i hope one day your putting up pictures of gold bricks :Y:Hunting the yellow said:
i think he lives around
Nkenyane Area of Bubi District in Matabeleland North Province
