Where To Find Gold In Bc & Nwt
In British Columbia, the gold veins occur in replacement deposits at or near contacts of metamorphic with dioritic igneous rocks, the gangue being garnet, epidote, calcite, etc., and the minerals mispickel, pyrite and copper pyrites in quartz fissure veins in phyllite, , in quartz veins and schisted diabase with copper ores in large replacement deposits in tuff and limestone near grano-diorite and syenite with copper ores in veins or replacement deposits in a porphyritic rock near bodies of granodiorite and syenite with copper ores in shear zones at or near contact of monzonite, with sedimentary rocks with copper ores in mineralized zones in quartz-sericite schist with copper ore in lenses in schist with copper ore in replacement deposits in limestone near granite contact with pyrite, limonite, native antimony, and tellurides in quartz veins cutting shale, slate, and graywacke of brown and greenish colors with pyrite, copper pyrites, zinc blende, galena, tetrahedrite, native silver, argentite, etc., in quartz veins and wall rock replacements at contact between quartz porphyry and andesite tuff, and partly in the quartz porphyry, gold and silver values being about equal .
Far Northern California The Northern Mines
There are some extremely rich gold deposits in the far northern part of California. The old-timers referred to this area as the Northern Mines, as they were located a good distance north of the Mother Lode.
This region gets significantly less attention than many parts of California, yet there are still some exceptional prospecting opportunities to be found here.
This region is located just south of the Oregon border in fact it because of its similar geology it could really be considered a continuation of southwestern Oregons pocket gold county.
The main drainages here are the Klamath River, as well as the headwaters of the Sacramento River. The region is primarily contained within Shasta, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties. Good prospecting can be found around Redding, Yreka, and many of the smaller towns here. There are many remote areas here that still hold fantastic potential for gold.
Butt Valley And Quincy Districts
The Butt Valley district is located on the North Fork of the Feather River in Plumas County. The district location is described as an extensive area that lies between Lake Almanor on the north and the Virgilia-Twain area on the south and southwest.
The Feather River and its tributaries were mined for vast amounts of placer gold during the Gold Rush years starting in the 1850s.
The center of the Butt Valley district is the once prosperous gold mining town of Seneca in township 21 0260N 0080E . Seneca is now a ghost town but this area remains an active placer mining center.
The Quincy district is centered on the town of Quincy, county seat of Plumas County. Township 21 0240N 0090E ranks 27th with 48 placer claims.
The image above illustrates that many of the townships around the Quincy and Butt Valley districts are areas of high placer claim density.
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Knowledgeable docents will provide you with a step-by-step guide to successful panning techniques. Youll also learn about alternatives such as hard rock and hydraulic mining. If youre out of luck, dont worrythe South Yuba River is renowned for pristine swimming holes and flourishing wilderness.
The Routes To California
The easterners who had arrived in California or Oregon began going to the western Sierras. However, it was December 1848 before President James Polk officially informed Congress of the findings, which meant that travelers from the East were unable to start a trip. The largest migration in American history was already underway by the spring of 1849.
The plains and desert in spring and summer were better than average, so the wave of emigrants was able to move along. But it still wasnt easy. Many livestock died.
The trip became harder as we went. There was less grass and clean water. Diseases like cholera got more people sick.
Native Americans had lived in the West for a long time without outside competition. But the pioneers lust for wealth was hurting the indigenous people. They were consuming food, land, water, and space.
As a result of the Gold Rush, many new routes were established into California. With approximately 140,000 immigrants traveling via the California Trail between 1849 and 1854, routes were frequently modified or even abandoned.
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Effects Of The California Gold Rush: Gold Fever
Though Marshall and Sutter tried to keep news of the discovery under wraps, word got out, and by mid-March at least one newspaper was reporting that large quantities of gold were being turned up at Sutters Mill. Though the initial reaction in San Francisco was disbelief, storekeeper Sam Brannan set off a frenzy when he paraded through town displaying a vial of gold obtained from Sutters Creek. By mid-June, some three-quarters of the male population of San Francisco had left town for the gold mines, and the number of miners in the area reached 4,000 by August.
As news spread of the fortunes being made in California, some of the first migrants to arrive were those from lands accessible by boat, such as Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , Mexico, Chile, Peru and even China. When the news reached the East Coast, press reports were initially skeptical. Gold fever kicked off there in earnest, however, after December 1848, when President James K. Polk announced the positive results of a report made by Colonel Richard Mason, Californias military governor, in his inaugural address. As Polk wrote, The accounts of abundance of gold are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief were they not corroborated by the authentic reports of officers in the public service.
Downieville And Alleghany Districts
Downieville was one of the first areas mined during the 1849 California Gold Rush. It is also one of the richest placer mining districts in the state. Today the Downieville district is still one of the most active placer mining areas in California.
Downieville is in PLSS township 21 0200N 0100E which ranks third in the state for placer claim density. Four neighboring townships are also in the top ten.
The Alleghany district could be the center of gold activity in the entire state. Township 21 0180N 0100E has the highest placer claim density in California with 188 claims. Just to the north, township 21 0190N 0100E is second in the state with 178 placer claims and an incredible 201 historical gold mine records.
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What River In California Has The Most Gold
The Merced River is an important gold-bearing river in northern California. The river flows through the heart of the Mother Lode, the richest gold regions in California. There are several miles of the Merced River near Briceburg that are open to recreational gold panning within the Merced River Recreation Area.
Where To Find Platinum
The high value and usefulness of the platinum family of metals suggests a careful search for new sources. Small quantities are produced from gold placers, and important amounts as a by-product in the refining of the copper from the ores of the Sudbury District. Formerly the main supply came from the placers of the Ural Mts., Russia, and South America . In those countries, it has also been found in place, associated with chromite in serpentine and peridotite rocks. Some large masses of platinum have been found, one weighing 23 lbs. It should be looked for in serpentine, wherever the rock is mineralized, and particularly where chromite is found. Olivine gabbro should also be sampled and assayed. In South Africa has been discovered a great platinum-bearing belt from Cape of Good Hope through Southern Rhodesia, but the most promising part of this belt is in the Transvaal. The platinum has been found in a great variety of rocks and minerals, including sulphide ores, quartz veins, norite, peridotite, and in the diamond formations. As platinum is very heavy , it will easily show in panning.
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Minerals Associated With Gold
Heavy hard minerals that concentrate with the gold are often a guide. The commonest are magnetite and ilmenite , garnet , zircon , and monazite . Tinstone is often found in gold placers, and may be a valuable by-product. Platinum and osmiridium should not be overlooked they are more valuable than gold.
Women During The California Gold Rush
American women, including Luzena Wilson, went to California. But most women stayed home. These women had to take on responsibilities they had never anticipated, such as caring for their families alone and running farms by themselves when their husbands went away.
In 1850, three percent of the people in Californias mining region were women. There were 800 immigrant women on a ship of 30,000 men.
Before 1849, Californias Constitution said that if a woman was married, she had to share her property with her husband. But in 1849, this changed so that they could own their property and not have to share it with their husband.
Women came to California from many countries: Chile, Peru, Mexico, and China. Dame Shirley, the author, whose real name was Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clapp, wrote about the mining camps. She noted that a woman made USD 100 a month washing clothes there.
Mexican ladies in Sonora sold tortillas and tamales on the street. For sitting near a client, a French girl was rewarded with an ounce of gold. A Swiss woman who worked with an organ grinder made over $4,000 in a few months.
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Environmental Impact Of The Gold Rush
New mining methods and the population boom in the wake of the California Gold Rush permanently altered the landscape of California. The technique of hydraulic mining, developed in 1853, brought enormous profits but destroyed much of the regions landscape. Dams designed to supply water to mine sites in summer altered the course of rivers away from farmland, while sediment from mines clogged others. The logging industry was born from the need to construct extensive canals and feed boilers at mines, further consuming natural resources.
Plumas County Gold Panning
Plumas County is located in northern California and has been known for gold panning since the 1800s. The majority of these camps have been torn down since then, but there are still several areas where the public is allowed to search for any gold left.
What Gemstones to Expect
You will most likely not see any Gemstones while here. You will most likely only be able to find gold flakes while panning at this location. However, gemstones are usually found in unexpected ways, so you may be able to find some anyways.
Price to Dig
Gold panning in these areas is usually free to the public. You can pan for gold in any area that hasnt been staked. There are also public areas where inexperienced gold panners prefer to go.
The Golden Caribou Mining Association does offer lessons for gold panning and even has equipment available. You would need to visit them while in town or message them on Facebook for more information on these.
What Do They Provide?
Due to the free areas, they do not provide most equipment. The Golden Caribou Mining Association does have equipment that they offer to new gold panners. To ask about these, you would need to contact them directly.
What You Need to Bring
If you are able to provide your own equipment, then you should bring it. Along with this, consider wearing clothes that you dont mind being dirty.
Also, remember to consider what the weather conditions will be bringing an extra jacket or a hat is never a bad idea.
History
- Lepidolite
- Quartz
Price to Dig
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California Gold Prospecting And Panning Locations
SET OF SIX CALIFORNIA GOLD MAPS The California goldmines and prospecting and panning locations shown on maps 1 through 6 are continuous map-to-map from the Mexican Border to the Oregon state line.A good gift.
Gold mining production in California Gold Region 6 was second only to the California Mother Lode. There are many gold prospecting, gold panning and gold mining locations here. Gold deposits are shown on the Pacific coast beaches near Crescent City on California Gold Prospecting Map 6. The gold mines and prospecting and panning sites continue to the south on adjoining California Gold Prospecting Map 5 .POPULAR SETS OF CALIFORNIA GOLD MAPSPopular sets, which offersignificant savings, are: California Set , Southern California Set and Northern California Set To request these sets, and other sets offering savings, please go to REQUESTING GOLD MAPS. Copyright © 2015 H & H Engineering. All rights reserved.
North Bloomfield Washington Lowell Hill
The North Bloomfield and Washington districts contained some of the largest hydraulic gold mines in California during the period from the mid 1850s to the early 1880s. The famous Malakoff mine was once the largest hydraulic mining operation in the world.
The mines in these districts produced tens of millions of dollars in gold before 1900. Much gold remains however as illustrated by the high density of placer mining claims throughout the area.
The Lowell Hill district may have been less notable than the other districts mentioned in this section, but today it is the center of a very active placer mining area. Township 21 0160N 0100E ranks 4th in the state for placer claim density with 152 claims and 21 0160N 0110E ranks 6th with 117 claims.
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California Gold Rush: The Discovery Of Gold
John Sutter was a Swiss immigrant. He had come to California back in 1839. He had a dream about starting an agricultural empire. In 1848, he needed lumber, so he asked James Marshall to build a sawmill on the rivers South Fork.
People wanted this golden metal for themselves and started looking for it everywhere they could think of, which led to many discoveries that made them very happy!
Know Where To Look For Gold
The Southwest is full of promising places to look for some gold.
In the southern half of California you can find good streams to work on public lands in that area west of Lake Tahoe, including Placer, El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties. Farther south, down toward Death Valley, you can drive west out of Bishop on Highway 168 for a few miles up into the Sierra Nevada range, where you’ll find streams that may put gold fines and small nuggets into your pan. Still farther south, near Lake Isabella, at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Range, you’ll discover public land with an area set aside for recreational gold prospecting With good luck, you might even find a little gold in some of the stream beds in the Los Angeles area.
At the southern tip of Nevada, you might find potentially rewarding stream beds in the Eldorado Mountains, especially around Eldorado Canyon, the site of a major mining claim in the mid-19th century. You can reach the area by taking U. S. Highway 95 for about 10 miles south out of Boulder City, then turning southeast on state Highway 165, which will take you down the canyon to public lands and the Colorado River, downstream from Lake Mead.
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A New White Gold Rush In Californias Lithium Valley Could Power 6 Million Electric Cars
At the edge of a deserted lake in California, the race for white gold is on. And the jobs brought by the mining companies could save an area that has slowly fallen into decrepitude.
In this geothermal area, several companies are looking to develop the fastest and most environmentally-friendly technique to extract lithium, a metal used in batteries, electronic devices but also ceramics and glass.
Salton Sea Lake is one of the biggest lithium mining sites in the US. According to the Chief Operating Officer of Controlled Thermal Resources , one of the companies planning on mining the precious metal, it will become the largest production site globally.
“The lithium produced from here will go into electric vehicle batteries. And so our lithium product will end up for the most part with EVs made in the US, might be some made in Europe,” said CTRs Jim Turner.
However, extracting lithium is no easy feat as the metal is found deep underground in pockets filled with superhot brine. And to get to it, CTR is drilling a 2,300-metre deep well.
While the company hopes to extract enough to power 6 million EVs by 2024, there is a human cost to the process.
The once buoyant area has suffered from pollution from the lake and high unemployment rates in recent years.
As the water evaporates, the concentration of salts increases, killing off all of the species of fish that lived here save for one.
Northern Californias Mother Lode
When gold prospectors refer to northern California, they are generally talking about the rich gold country of the Sierra Nevada Range. This is the famous region that thousands of 49ers flocked to in search of gold. And they found lots of it.
Gold can be found just about anywhere in this part of the state. Major rivers here include the Feather River and American River, along with nearly all of the rivers and creeks that flow into the Lower Sacramento and Lower San Joaquin Rivers.
The extent of gold occurrence in the Mother Lode region is unparalleled to anywhere in the United States.
Some of the spectacular crystalline gold specimens on display at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. These come from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California.
The geologic conditions produced an amazing amount of lode gold deposits, which even today still hold great potential for prospectors. And it is these lode occurrences that feed the countless placers in the creeks, rivers, and gulches throughout the Mother Lode.
Although cost of production limits some of the gold mining in California today, it is really the political and environmental limitations that affect the gold output today. Much of the gold found today is by individual prospectors, but even small-scale methods like suction dredging are currently banned in the state.
Some of Californias largest gold nuggets have been found using metal detectors.
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