trees and shrubs

[stoneage]

Just looking for a bit of advice, I've been told to keep an eye out for certain plants when detecting and just wondering if anybody can give me a clear description and/or pictures of a Wild Cherry tree and a Prickly Hakea.
Also how and why are these plants indicators of possible nugget spots?
Thanks everyone...... great forum for a great hobby!

 

[MJB]

To add to your list Stoneage, I have read that Iron Bark is a a good indicator of mineralised ground and lone cypress pines are indicators of where chinese were. They used to chew pine nuts apparently.

Nice nuggets BTW

 

[Heatho]

Just looking for a bit of advice, I've been told to keep an eye out for certain plants when detecting and just wondering if anybody can give me a clear description and/or pictures of a Wild Cherry tree and a Prickly Hakea.
Also how and why are these plants indicators of possible nugget spots?
Thanks everyone...... great forum for a great hobby!

All plants have a prefered PH range and nutrient/mineral profile, I'd say that has a lot to do with it more than anything in my opinion. If the PH is wrong then they can't draw nutrients through their roots. If the nutrient profile is wrong then growth is impossible or very difficult.

 

[stoneage]

Thanks MJB.
interesting info Heatho, would the ground PH etc have a lot to do with nuggets forming "in situ" as discussed in another thread?

 

[Metamorphic]

A lot can be learned about gold bearing areas by studying the vegetation, just like they can by reading the ground.

Others are correct about PH ranges and mineralization profiles of certain types of vegetation, but water tables, rainfall levels, elevation levels etc also play a major part.

For example in the Vic goldfields, Ironbarks are an indicator of shallow ground containing moderate to heavy mineralization in areas of deep or non existent water tables and low rainfall, usually around the tops and sides of rising elevations. Indicators of Anticlines, shallower reef dip, shallower older rock and possible reef deposits etc.

The presence of Grey Box which begin to appear amongst the ironbarks is an indicator that your reaching lower levels of elevation such as towards Synclines and drainage points where the water table is not as deep, where alluvial shed gold may be present etc.

A classic giveaway that your on a possible old lead (apart from the heavy old diggings) would be the presence of Red Gums, again these will be among the Grey Box/yellow box with little or no presence of the Ironbarks which prefer the drier, shallower ground.

Red Gums love and need their water, so their presence would indicate shallow water tables along low lying areas where possible ancient river systems once existed and represent good areas where any rainfall will accumulate leading to secondary gold deposition as salinity drops.

These are but some examples of how i use the surrounding vegetation to read the area i may intend on working as they can and do, offer valuable clues.

It may be worth noting that all this vegetation is rather new, and has began to grow long after the times of the original gold rush days, but would still have retained the same growth patterns as it would have been back in 1850.

The old timers were experts at reading ground and vegetation to lead them to gold bearing areas, we should be doing the same!

Good luck

 

[Tassie Daz]

Yep, I get that MM but I get to the spot and all I want to do is start up the wand and get into it. I guess my biggest fault is that I don't look around first. And I know I should but I get there, put the ATX on the ground start it up, ground balance, and I'm off. I do see those things, the trees, the broken crockery, tins and rusty crap everywhere but if I'm honest, I probably get wrapped up in the swinging and not the looking. My problem ! I guess.

 

[Heatho]

Thanks MJB.
interesting info Heatho, would the ground PH etc have a lot to do with nuggets forming "in situ" as discussed in another thread?

Meta expanded on it pretty well. I think it must to a point for sure, or did when the Gold formed, soil profiles change though over time and with different types of vegetation. I mean look at the salt pans that never used to exist but have been created from growing the same crops year in year out, rising salinity and PH changes can happen over time especially once native vegetation is wiped out and the natural equilibrium is changed.

So I guess at the point in time that Gold formed in situ conditions were ripe for it to happen, ph, water table, nutrient levels/types. I'm far from being anywhere more than a novice on this but it does make sense when you think about it.

 

[stoneage]

Thanks Meta all very interesting and helpful.
Gotta love the help ya get on this site
I still need help identifying the different trees esp the wild cherry. I have come across a small, very gnarly tree in amongst some iron barks that I think may be a wild cherry. It's the only one I've seen in the area and its almost right on top of a small hill near some reef diggings.
see photo below. If someone can confirm that it is a wild cherry and if so where in relation to it should I start detecting?
I hope that's not pushing my luck by asking too many questions :8 any help is appreciated.

 

[Big Nugget]

wild cherry it is Stoneage.

Exocarpus Cupressiformis, cherry ballart, native cherry.

they are partly parasitic and will attached themselves to the roots of surrounding gum trees.

some say they indicate underground water.

cheers

 

[stoneage]

thanks Big Nugget,
I'll concentrate my efforts around the area and post photos of all the nuggets I find
cheers
Jeff

 

[Metamorphic]

Yep, I get that MM but I get to the spot and all I want to do is start up the wand and get into it. I guess my biggest fault is that I don't look around first. And I know I should but I get there, put the ATX on the ground start it up, ground balance, and I'm off. I do see those things, the trees, the broken crockery, tins and rusty crap everywhere but if I'm honest, I probably get wrapped up in the swinging and not the looking. My problem ! I guess.

Gday Darryl, I hope you and Mrs Tassie Daz are both well and enjoying life!

Mate i was exactly the same when i started out prospecting...time is of the essence right!

With little success in the beginning, i began to realize that i needed to work smarter, not harder.

I read somewhere that the old timers, when arriving in a new spot, would spend a good day or two just walking around the area reading the ground and so forth for the favorable indicators before they even swung a pick.

This is now what i do also and it helps immensely to increase your success rate on the ground.

I know a lot of prospectors dont get a lot of time on the ground like i do, so yes i completely understand the urgency to get 'swinging'. It is hard to focus on reading a new area when you are only there for a day or two, but even spending an hour or two doing this will help you.
And i guess you have got to have the knowledge to know what to look for in order to increase the odds in your favour.

I hope your goodself and wifey are able to make it too the Laanecoorie Bash again this year, we all had such a good time last year and i would enjoy catching up with you both again.

I promise to take you around to some old patches and some good ground in the area i know, so we can get straight to work ok!

Take care my friend, and until next time, cheers!

Wayne

 

[Big Nugget]

thanks Big Nugget,
I'll concentrate my efforts around the area and post photos of all the nuggets I find
cheers
Jeff

my pleasure mate.

you can also eat the fruit, good bush tucker and the old timers used the branches as Christmas trees.

 

[Westaus]

I read somewhere that the old timers, when arriving in a new spot, would spend a good day or two just walking around the area reading the ground and so forth for the favorable indicators before they even swung a pick.

This is now what i do also and it helps immensely to increase your success rate on the ground.

I know a lot of prospectors dont get a lot of time on the ground like i do, so yes i completely understand the urgency to get 'swinging'. It is hard to focus on reading a new area when you are only there for a day or two, but even spending an hour or two doing this will help you.
And i guess you have got to have the knowledge to know what to look for in order to increase the odds in your favour.

Knowledge... arggg So true, I do hope to try and do some of this before firing up the machine in June. Great advice again mate.

Tree Question -

I don't have a photo at the moment, however when in the WA bush we see a tree approx 2-4mt with a straight trunk and then a very heavy canopy like a tree would look round sides with a semi top to it. It is also very Green leaved and provides good shade, it certainly stands out. I have often wondered what it is, and if there was any significance. If you saw them you would know what I mean. Hope someone may be able to shed some light on where to look and what it may be.

Also interested to hear of any WA shrubs to be on the lookout. Any knowledge is good.

 

[Metamorphic]

Gday Westy,

Have very little experience on WA soil so I would just be learning from scratch myself, maybe one of the other members here knows a bit more about your vegetation habitat.

Not sure if you have seen Bogi Zemlja. He is a WA geologist and his YouTube channel has some excellent vids on reading the ground and what to look for in your goldfields areas. (especially his ones titled, the art of gold mining)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvrGGJwV1bzTKzAVqNYAaw

I guess i would start by researching what sort of plant life likes the skeletal soils which cover the laterite sheets, calcrete and banded ironstone areas as opposed to those which prefer the more 'colluvial soils' common around the greenstone type areas such as the Mt Manning ranges etc.

I admire your willingness to gain more knowledge on this topic, as this will surely give you an edge in your hunt for color over those who just land on a mapped area and fire up the detector.

Good luck mate and i hope it pays off.

Cheers