Hard Rock Mining

[micropedes1]

Any one in our group have any hard rock mining experience? Lode gold in a fault zone!

[russau]

Glen I have lots of "hard head" Experience. Does that count?

[polekaat]

Drills, dynamite, crusher, and a recovery system. Should be able to chase the leads with a metal detector, as long as it's not telurides. It's all going to depend on what form the gold is in.

Trevor

[Hoser John]

Would like to work with you BUT I put down the explosives years ago and appreciate the sun overhead. Wish you luck. John

[micropedes1]

I am talking about a vuggy quartz stringer with flecks of visible gold interspersed with fist-sized nodules of gold and quartz intermixed. The stringer and fault coincide The surrounding bedrock has visible gold in micro-fractures. Then there is gold disseminated in the surrounding bedrock,; with gold values dropping as distance from the lode increases (as would be expected). The problem is that it lies directly in an active fault. A shear zone, if you would. One side is gold bearing, the other side is devoid of gold.

Yes, I understand blast, muck it out, crush, mill, and separate. But how does one stabilize strata in an active fault zone? Square-set is not much good if one of the walls keeps moving every so often. And it has done it TWICE in the last year. So far, I have been able to mine a limestone reef that intersects the fault, which has been good. There are bits of gold all thru the fractured limestone which indicate that the gold emplacement is a fairly recent geological event. The overburden eroded and the fractured limestone captured much of the gold. But the really good stuff is in the fault.

John, I have no problem drilling and blasting the face. The hanging wall is stable (except when the fault trembles). But one side of the fault keeps shifting; then it rains rocks everywhere. The only thing that I can think of so far is to blast and recover material from one side only. And keep it as a surface mine for as long as possible.

[russau]

Glen that sounds very promising for you! Good luck on your ADVENTURE!

[Hoser John]

Amen as stinkn' politics has heated up to the sky and MUCH more going on that I'm savy too and the real fight is on in DC as miners invade the halls of congress. Zip my lip but by god I love to sing the truth from the rooftops. Tons a au 2 u 2 Glen and in Calif soon, 2018 by their clock, maybe we can dredge together??John

[micropedes1]

I would love to fight a big dredge on some of our California waters with you, John. Too bad that I cannot bring one of my big 10-12 inch dredges back down south to play. That would be RIGHTEOUS!!!!

[Hoser John]

NEVER count that out as the winds of fortune are heading to a climax-respect to those who still can-John

[polekaat]

Glen,
With the deposit being in an active fault zone, you could theoretically tunnel along side of the deposit and do all of your supporting there. I think the best, i.e. safest way, would be an open pit mine. Yes you'd have to move MUCH more material, but you'd always be able to see the sun, and would be able to do all of your mucking with a loader.
Is this the same deposit that we've been discussing?

Trevor