[slowburner]

Originally Posted by El Siglo

Not to best of my recollection, it wasn't really the focus of our work just something cursory to give the place context and really his inimitable way of getting us to think outside of the box. When we were brought out on site (over the course of 2 days) we did a walk around, he started off on the very beginning of operations and right up to the present day state of the place. Has there every been any proper archaeological surveys done? Sure there's stuff preserved in the surrounding peat bogs etc...

The very beginnings are what I'm interested in.
There haven't been any surveys that I'm aware of. Avoca suffers from the 200 year rule as far as archaeology is concerned; i.e. if it's more recent than 200 years, it's not worth investigating - that's the state's position, anyway.

There is only one tiny bit of bog in the district, if you could call it bog at all. It's really just a shallow covering of heather.

[bogwalrus]

So my first scouting mission for gold commenced yesterday.

I traced a large river to its source in Coolea up in the mountains.

There was a waterfall type you can see in the pic below. I thought this might be a good spot to pan.




Below is just to show you the river and its source



Here are some pics of the mountains in the area.


Below you can see the river with its waterfalls in the mountains.


I collected soil samples from down stream and found a few goods spots on my way to that waterfall. I Noticed a digger had dug a 3 foot deep path half way up one of the hills so got some soil that would normally be very deep.

I only got to the base of the river near the waterfall and by the time i got there i didnt get to do much as it was getting late so decided to pan what i had collect.

No Luck of course but sure its my first time=)

I have a few questions about the rocks in that area.

>I found tonnes of limestone. At least i think it is limestone. How can i clearly tell the difference between Quartz and Limestone. I got really excited about seeing these strips of white rock thinking i had found a Quartz vein etc

>The land was quite marshy but in a dry spot i was able to dig a small hole (making sure i was'nt doing any damage to eco system in area) and get to a very black sand type. I didn't bring a magnet so could not tell if it was "the black sand" in relation to gold mining. What could this black sand be? Would it be crushed Igneous rock of sorts.

>These peaks seemed to be formed by A glacier as the limestone was near the tops of these hills. I definitely saw some metamorphic rocks and sedimentary etc. So my question is, because these rock types are present here should i still try to make it to the waterfall and follow it up the mountain a bit to test the soils or would it be a waste of time?

One last thing: I noticed a lot of Red waters and even green mucky run off's from streams. There was some very bright red/brown soil and other very red rocks. Would this be Iron and maybe copper in the soil? One rock I picked up was white quartz like with some green rock inside.

Thanks=)

>

[Step23]

How can i clearly tell the difference between Quartz and Limestone

Limestone or Calcite (Calcite is also white in colour like Quartz and is often found in limestone) will react with acid, producing carbon dioxide gas, so you see it “fizzing” more or less. Any type of acid will do even vinegar.

Quartz will not react with acid. (well except hydrofluoric acid, but thats nasty stuff)

Also quartz is quite hard, if you had a piece of glass it would be able to scratch it, however calcite/limestone is soft, so on the same piece of glass it would not be able to mark it.

What could this black sand be?

It would help to have seen this black sand, but I have a feeling it is not proper “black sand”. From your description of the area, as being quite marshy this sounds like it could be organic material.

I definitely saw some metamorphic rocks and sedimentary etc. So my question is, because these rock types are present here should i still try to make it to the waterfall and follow it up the mountain a bit to test the soils or would it be a waste of time?[IMG]file:///C:%5CUsers%5CStephen%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_image001.gif[/IMG]

Metamorphic rocks are a good sign. They often contain quartz veins but that doesn’t guarantee gold. I’d say there is no charm in checking out the waterfall, just remember the rocks at Croagh Patrick are metamorphic, there is something like 10 tonnes of Gold in reserve there!

One last thing: I noticed a lot of Red waters and even green mucky run off's from streams. There was some very bright red/brown soil and other very red rocks. Would this be Iron and maybe copper in the soil?

Are there evergreen tree plantations near by? Generally the area they are grow in has acidic boggy soil. This will generally colour surface water a browny red colour. I am doubtful it is an indication of iron or copper rich soil.

Hope this has been of some help! Hope you get out again, please report on your progress!

Stephen

[bogwalrus]

Originally Posted by Step23

Limestone or Calcite (Calcite is also white in colour like Quartz and is often found in limestone) will react with acid, producing carbon dioxide gas, so you see it “fizzing” more or less. Any type of acid will do even vinegar.

Quartz will not react with acid. (well except hydrofluoric acid, but thats nasty stuff)

Also quartz is quite hard, if you had a piece of glass it would be able to scratch it, however calcite/limestone is soft, so on the same piece of glass it would not be able to mark it.



It would help to have seen this black sand, but I have a feeling it is not proper “black sand”. From your description of the area, as being quite marshy this sounds like it could be organic material.



Metamorphic rocks are a good sign. They often contain quartz veins but that doesn’t guarantee gold. I’d say there is no charm in checking out the waterfall, just remember the rocks at Croagh Patrick are metamorphic, there is something like 10 tonnes of Gold in reserve there!



Are there evergreen tree plantations near by? Generally the area they are grow in has acidic boggy soil. This will generally colour surface water a browny red colour. I am doubtful it is an indication of iron or copper rich soil.

Hope this has been of some help! Hope you get out again, please report on your progress!

Stephen

Your spot on with all you say above. Lots of muddy land so is most likely organic material. There was a forest nearby with evergreens. Soil was soooo red.


Went back the next day to look around and find some new spots. Managed to get some quartz crystals off a few rocks. But today was the best day yet. Have a look at my next post with added pics

[bogwalrus]

I was up early around 7 to head off to my next spot which was an hour drive away and a very very old copper mine.

Here are some of my finds









So panning for ages until i noticed a lot of rocks had gold speckled metal all over. I decided to break them open and found lots of speckles. My feelings are that this is not gold by pyrite or maybe jusy copper with a gold shine?

Sure maybe small bits might be gold??

No Idea what metal this is. Very silvery blueish and metallic


Speckles of a gold colored metal all over this one

[bogwalrus]

So a few more larger pics.

I ground up a few rocks. As you can see that gold looking metal is floating away on top of water. None of the rocks reacted to My magnet either.



These are the kinds of rocks i was cracking open to find Quartz, copper and gold specs

[slowburner]

See here re. fool's gold.
The last rock in your pictures looks as if it contains copper (malachite staining).
What's the old copper mine, it's not Mount Gabriel is it?

[bogwalrus]

It's not mt Gabriel.

I'm still trying to figure out the shiny gold metal. Its not magnetic so its not Pyrite. When i burn it stays yellowish. I have a feeling it is some copper alloy that just isn't magnetic.

[slowburner]

Pyrite only becomes magnetic after heating.
Then it becomes Pyrrhotite

[Step23]

Looks like you had an interesting trip, despite not striking gold you still found some interesting minerals.

My feelings are that this is not gold by pyrite or maybe jusy copper with a gold shine?

Indeed you are correct the gold coloured mineral is not gold, and actually nor is it pyrite, but chalcopyrite (Copper Iron Sulphide, CuFeS2). Due to this minerals copper content it is one of the world main sources of copper. So that is what they were probably mining at the old workings you visited.

Sometimes if the material is fresh you can distinguish between pyrite and chalcopyrite by there colour, pyrite is generally more brassy in colour while chalcopyrite is more golden in colour. Also chalcopyrite is much softer than pyrite. A piece of pyrite should be able to scratch steel which chalcopyrite cannot.

No Idea what metal this is. Very silvery blueish and metallic

You probably noticed that this mineral is quite heavy for its size? The mineral you found is Galena (Lead sulphide, PbS). You can probably guess the reason for the weight now! That is one of the main characteristics of this mineral. Galena is one of the main ores mined for lead. Interestingly enough a bi-product of processing galena is you will often get a few ounces of silver per tonne of ore. And one other interesting fact, Ireland has the most lead and zinc per square kilometre than any other country in the world.

Sure maybe small bits might be gold??

Perhaps there is small amounts of gold in the ore, would need to be analysed, in Curraghinalt mine in Tyrone the gold occurs along with chalcopyrite, pyrite and arsenopyrite, which makes any gold extremely hard to see with the naked eye.

Hope this helps!

[bogwalrus]

Originally Posted by Step23

You probably noticed that this mineral is quite heavy for its size? The mineral you found is Galena (Lead sulphide, PbS). You can probably guess the reason for the weight now! That is one of the main characteristics of this mineral. Galena is one of the main ores mined for lead. Interestingly enough a bi-product of processing galena is you will often get a few ounces of silver per tonne of ore. And one other interesting fact, Ireland has the most lead and zinc per square kilometre than any other country in the world.

Yeah I had a feeling there was lead in it. There was a good few of these rocks about that just look like normal rocks until you pick one up and it weighs ten times more than an average rock its size. That's an amazing fact also about having the most lead/zinc per square kilometre than any other country in the world. Amazing!

Originally Posted by Step23

Perhaps there is small amounts of gold in the ore, would need to be analysed, in Curraghinalt mine in Tyrone the gold occurs along with chalcopyrite, pyrite and arsenopyrite, which makes any gold extremely hard to see with the naked eye.

Hope this helps!

yay!!!! Even if i find a spec then at least I have found gold. lol.

Thanks for all that info step23. I'll hopefully be off on another adventure in a different spot next weekend. maybe i'll find some other interesting ores.

[slowburner]

While we're on the subject of Chalcopyrite I was hoping that someone could tell me if the green stuff in this awful picture is Malachite staining - or is it just lichen?
If a better quality pic helps, I'll post one up.

[Step23]

Hi Slowburner,

A couple of questions should help me be able to tell you if your rock has malachite staining or not.

1) Does the "green" react with acid? (vinegar should work)

2) Is there any sulphide mineralisation in the rock?

3) Where is it from?

[slowburner]

1) I slopped some dilute hydrochloric acid (brick cleaner) onto it, and nothing happened.

2) I'm not sure - is the rusty colour sulphide mineralisation?

3) It's from the Avoca mines (ish)

[Step23]

Malachite will react to acid, so I am thinking the green staining is more than likely lichen.

The red coloured stuff is iron straining. Sulphide mineralisation would be if there is any sulphide minerals present (such as pyrite or chalcopyrite or possibly any other copper sulphide minerals etc).

If youre ever in Glendasan/Glendalough you might come across malachite stained rocks in the old spoil heaps, it is fairly common.