Mine Shaft

[Stumpdust]

I found a mine shaft today way back off the beaten trail, it went back for 200 feet in solid rock, there seems to be a small blackish vein they were working on about 1 to 2 inches thick, it doesnt look like quartz at all, i did find a small picker down hill from this and it to had some black stuff in it, does gold come out of stuff like this, maybe-- well i did answer my own question, but what is it?? ill get a picture next time up there.

[russau]

Get a good sample next time and bring it to a college close to you to their Geology Department and ask them ! Or there are books that will help you I.D. this mineral! BECAREFULL IN GOING INTO MINES hope there was a good airflow but at 200 foot of solid rock it don't sound like it did! theres the old saying, "stay out and stay alive!" But I would be tempted to go in myself! Be safe!!

[Hoser John]

Vapor deposition type gold is often associated with flakey black shale. Is this stuff you found like that? It's like opening the pages in a book with layer after layer of shale sandwiched with gold in between. We had a massive amount of the stuff on the family summer home on the Merced River by Yosemite. John

[Stumpdust]

Vapor deposition type gold is often associated with flakey black shale. Is this stuff you found like that? It's like opening the pages in a book with layer after layer of shale sandwiched with gold in between. We had a massive amount of the stuff on the family summer home on the Merced River by Yosemite. John

Yes the black layer didnt look to be solid. it looked flakey

[getterdone]

Been in a lot of old tunnels, longest was 1320 , wrote my name and date on the wall at the end of
that tunnel using my carbide light. If you use a candle to test the air & the candle goes out, run like
HELL back out side. Be careful with the candle if the mine appears to be in material that is gaseous.
That long tunnel was in Limestone, wood rail & 8 inch air line most of the way in.
I would say send in about a 5 lb. sample to a lab & pay to have it tested for Gold & silver.
Look at the dump & see if it contains much of the vein material you described. Could be some
gold in the quartz material I doubt it. Read this months Mining Journal about gold in quartz.
Always have someone stay outside the mine in case help is needed. You could also test the
material with a metal detector.