Moving South
Started a new test pit. May have found the old creek bed but won't know until we get a little deeper.
Started a new test pit. May have found the old creek bed but won't know until we get a little deeper.
RotGrub's Video's from CA
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Another cool vid guys, it's like a mini 'gold rush' version, without the cussing and D10, keep it up looking forward to the next one 
I cant wait till you find some large river boulders deeper and get that channel! Are you looking for rounded rock as well as a lot of that seems angular fragments or a slate?
Is there a mesh on your slurry separator is it cut slits.
I'm showing my missus this video, your partner sets a great example of keen prospecting too
Is there a mesh on your slurry separator is it cut slits.
I'm showing my missus this video, your partner sets a great example of keen prospecting too
AtomRat, we can't wait either. The gravel beds we have encountered in all 3 test pits are tailings from the old timers (that's my theory for now). The way the gravel is laid in with not much compaction and the lack of big rocks is similar to what we would expect from a dredge but I'm confident than no or very little dredging took place in this area due to the lack of water for decades. The available records tell us they ran long boxes which supports my theory. The rock and gravel is a bit angular but so is the gold which tells me the source is not far and we are aware of a few lode mines in the area. The drainage basin is also quite small so the potential travel of the material and gold is contained in a small area. The tailing screen uses either stainless steel 60 mesh or nylon mesh. The nylon is 40% cheaper but will only last for about 70-75 buckets while the SS screen will go 700-800 buckets before it fails. In this area the angular material starts to plug the SS mesh as it is ridged. This is why we are trying the nylon as it flexes a bit which allows the material to pass the screen when brushed. Lyn (wife) got me into mining... She is a great partner and a very tough girl. I've seen her work men into the ground in her younger days; she spent 18 years as a union laborer building bridges so digging a few holes is somewhat relaxing for her... She is in the house packing our gear for next weekend!
MJB
matt
Good luck this weekend Rotgrub....I never thought I would get so excited over a hole in the ground.
Your missus needs to talk to mu missus and convince her to help me out every now and then.
Your missus needs to talk to mu missus and convince her to help me out every now and then.
Old tailings usually are scattered facing all random directions, the rock in your last vid looks like its all laying flat, more like a river flow to me? An the colored layers to me more seem flood or dry layers again. But still it could be tailings still.
Do you have an area where two gullies meet with one another or a long bending hillside facing the alluvial fan direction at all?
Keep chasing, even if the signs are little mate! Id love to see you dig the black dirt from under the boulders, you will get there and the color will be awesome!
Do you have an area where two gullies meet with one another or a long bending hillside facing the alluvial fan direction at all?
Keep chasing, even if the signs are little mate! Id love to see you dig the black dirt from under the boulders, you will get there and the color will be awesome!
MJB, I don't think its something you can teach... gotta be born with it. There are some downsides to it though. She doesn't hit like a girl... we've broken coffee tables and a few lamps during our wrestling matches in the house and the first time we met (30 years ago) she threatened to kick my ass... but I wouldn't trade her for anything.
AtomRat, I too am not 100% sure of the material. After digging 2 test pits and now working a third my only explanation is tailings. There is no defined water paths with the exception of the small creek bed on the north side of the claim. The current terrain is about 140 years old with new vegetation and layers of organic and gravel material sitting on top of a clay layer approximately 5 feet down. The flat section between the mountain sides (north to south) is about 500 feet wide so the old creek bed could be anywhere between the toe of the hills. Back in the day there was no water other than seasonal runoff. The area was so dry that the miners in the area built an above ground water trough that ran for several miles. It burnt down 90 years ago which stopped any serious mining on this claim. I believe that the 50 miners diverted the water from the main creek to run their long boxes. Records tell us that these miners would dig and stockpile their pay dirt and wait for the winter runoff. This operation took place for about 5 years so the amount of material they scattered is substantial. Now when I try to visualize how these miners saw the area and worked the material (none of the current trees or vegetation we now see was there in 1870) they would go to the gut of the creek and go after all the easy gold. They had to stockpile their pay dirt nearby on virgin ground and move it (probably with mules) to a location where they diverted the creek flow outside of the main gut. This is what I believe is currently exposed on the north side of the claim. This is why we are exploring south of the creek. I will know more after this weekend and follow up with part two of Moving South.
Sounds great RotGrub, only way to tell is dig hehe.
Any chance of a giant old tree left over? Have a dig near something that's lasted to try and see the original strata or alluvium
Are their ( the old blokes ) workings visible still? Shafts or adits?
Was there any other mining apart from placer or deep lead mining done there, like reef digging?
Keep it up mate, your much more open to being free there with what to do.
If you look on Google earth, can you see the border which was logged back in the day to see the radius of the goldfield in your location
Any chance of a giant old tree left over? Have a dig near something that's lasted to try and see the original strata or alluvium
Are their ( the old blokes ) workings visible still? Shafts or adits?
Was there any other mining apart from placer or deep lead mining done there, like reef digging?
Keep it up mate, your much more open to being free there with what to do.
If you look on Google earth, can you see the border which was logged back in the day to see the radius of the goldfield in your location
Na AtomRat nothing like that left behind. Just pick & shovel miners working the creek bed. Google earth just shows forest. We'll know something in a few days... 8:50pm here in CA. Been holding above 100* for days now. Calling for thunder storms this weekend; good it'll keep the dust down...
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Just found your videos RotGrub, they're fantastic! Good luck with the search mate, sounds like you've done your research and you're continuing to refine your theories. Best way to find the good gold I reckon. Good luck for this weekend if you're out, hope you find what you are after!
Thanks ProspectorB, We did get back out over the weekend and I will be posting part 2 of Moving South in a few days...
Hay Rotgrub,
I like the part 2 clip mate, I like to watch hard work.
You and Lyn are moving heaps of dirt, have you thought about decreasing the size of your test holes.
Here in Aussie in the goldfields the test shafts are about 3ft x 4ft and in the area I'm prospecting in up to 20ft deep.
They are works of art, square and plumb as you like and in remarkable condition for 150 years old.
The old boys obviously did this to save time getting down to the wash layer.
They also cut foot holds in the sides so they didn't need a ladder, they just shimmied up the sides.
Anyway a little food for thought, I don't want to tell you how to suck eggs.
Keep up the good work.
I like the part 2 clip mate, I like to watch hard work.
You and Lyn are moving heaps of dirt, have you thought about decreasing the size of your test holes.
Here in Aussie in the goldfields the test shafts are about 3ft x 4ft and in the area I'm prospecting in up to 20ft deep.
They are works of art, square and plumb as you like and in remarkable condition for 150 years old.
The old boys obviously did this to save time getting down to the wash layer.
They also cut foot holds in the sides so they didn't need a ladder, they just shimmied up the sides.
Anyway a little food for thought, I don't want to tell you how to suck eggs.
Keep up the good work.
Backcreek, 20ft deep... Those men were much tougher than Lyn and me. I'm guessing you would tunnel outwards to follow a pay dirt. We usually start out with a 3x3 hole and see where it goes. As we go deeper we begin to widen to give us more room for the 6ft bar and shovel. More often than not, you encounter what seems like a rock somewhere in the hole. A few hours later this rock has grown to a boulder and as more time passes you end up increasing the hole to get around or remove the boulders. I much rather digging down 3-4ft, hit bedrock and fill my box with chunky gold...
What a tough descision you have there. After putting in the hole, like they say, go that extra 2 feet and if nothing then fill. As you mentioned the large rocks, I too felt the excitement but its clearly mullock.
Do you have many shafts from the old timers to inspect or is it all hydrosluiced away
Do you have many shafts from the old timers to inspect or is it all hydrosluiced away
USFS, is that forestry? What did they have to say Rotgrub?
Great vids.
That's the way the old timers did it.
Spent a day with a full-time prospector in Tasmania looking at where the different wash layers are on an old creek bed.
The first place I was digging was much the same approach as the vid but I learned that the best wash layers were too deep there at 50ft. We moved to a different location and the more accessible wash layers were at 5-8ft. More diggings there by the old timers. Lots of coarse gold.
The full-time prospector worked with an excavator on that creek from nearly 15 years just to focus on a 6 inch wash layer and not really worry about the rest of it. It wasn't his claim, just 100m South of it but he was kind enough to explain wash layers to me and my son.
Great day.
If your serious I reckon you'd been doing the same method for the virgin areas.
That's the way the old timers did it.
Spent a day with a full-time prospector in Tasmania looking at where the different wash layers are on an old creek bed.
The first place I was digging was much the same approach as the vid but I learned that the best wash layers were too deep there at 50ft. We moved to a different location and the more accessible wash layers were at 5-8ft. More diggings there by the old timers. Lots of coarse gold.
The full-time prospector worked with an excavator on that creek from nearly 15 years just to focus on a 6 inch wash layer and not really worry about the rest of it. It wasn't his claim, just 100m South of it but he was kind enough to explain wash layers to me and my son.
Great day.
If your serious I reckon you'd been doing the same method for the virgin areas.
AtomRat said:
Giving it some time isn't bad... No need to fill it in just yet and no, there are no shafts in the area that I'm aware of. I believe the ground the old timers walked on is now 5ft below the current surface. May bring up a chipping gun and see...Oh wait, you haven't seen part 3 yet...
Chewy said:
Yes Chewy, he was an law enforcement officer from the US Forest Service. He was concerned with fire hazards which there were none... snooping I suspect.
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