has anyone found this type of specimen gold ?

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sorry no exciting pics but a query. I am interested if anyone has found or seen specimen gold ie visable reef gold that has come out of a small quartz vein which is surrounded by loose orange or other coloured clay ? I have seen gold that is surrounded by hard rock or in clay but in a floater lump but not from smaller veins in softer material. just wondering if anyone has seen this ?
 
Goldfreak said:
sorry no exciting pics but a query. I am interested if anyone has found or seen specimen gold ie visable reef gold that has come out of a small quartz vein which is surrounded by loose orange or other coloured clay ? I have seen gold that is surrounded by hard rock or in clay but in a floater lump but not from smaller veins in softer material. just wondering if anyone has seen this ?
Yes, common, the clay is usually just a more weathered version of the hard rock that you are used to. A few million years ago most surface rock was converted to clay in much of Australia, but in many areas the soft clay has since eroded away again so the hard rock is exposed. At that time forests similar to those of Tasmania extended all the way to Broken Hill (i.e. it was much higher rainfall). If there was a quartz vein in hard rock, it will still look the same when the rock is completely weathered to clay.
 
Thanks for the answer goldierocks. Amazing the quartz vein can stay intact in such loose material.
 
Goldfreak said:
Thanks for the answer goldierocks. Amazing the quartz vein can stay intact in such loose material.
It is because the rock has weathered to clay in place, nothing has moved it anywhere, so anything in it like quartz veins also stay intact.
 
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