Goldquest & tailing piles

[Anonymous]

Has anyone used the Goldquest in tailing piles where there is a mix of hot and neutral rocks? Would the sat take care of these hot rocks or is the GG best used where the ground would be more uniformly hot. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Lance,
I have used the forerunner to the GQ around old tailing piles associated with large scale dredging and found it to do extremely well.
In fact, the rocks were no problem at all, but small pockets of clay would produce a weak to medium positive response depending upon the amount of clay that wasn't processed. This wasn't a bad thing since such locations were indications that either these piles were part of the overburden removed before the main processing was done, or it was material that passed over through the dredging operations without being properly processed.
Getting back to the rocks, I have hunted these same areas with a VLF and found it very difficult because of the intense signals from the rocks. The PI was so quiet at times, it was scary. I wasn't sure the detector was really working ok until some piece of trash like a lead bullet would produce a really strong response letting me know it was.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Reg - maybe that weak single on the clay could be used to advantage. I understand the clay sometimes in going over the dredge sluice tables would pick up some of the gold - so that weak signal could be a sign to check out that clay! Lance

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Lance,
You make a good point. Some of the guys who hunt the area on a regular basis take a large tarp or plywood and toss this clay onto the tarp or the plywood board, then break up the clay, rake it flat, and finally hunt it.
It proves to be time consuming but effective, since much of the gold found is wire gold.
Unfortunately, I haven't hunted the area as much as I have wanted, but I plan on spending more time up there this summer after the snow melts.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

Regards,
Rob (RKC)

 

[Anonymous]

My experence detecting bucket dredge tailings is much the same as Regs (above) except I have not come across any clay. The GQ SS completely ignores the hot rocks that make detecting tailings with a VLF extremely difficult.
Regards,
Rob (RKC)

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Rob,
Looks like you have a few more rocks to cover than most people. Where I live, the areas dredged are quite limited and access is difficult.
A couple of friends of mine who have studied the old dredging operations where I hunt, indicated that the first few feet of overburden were removed without being processed. Then the operation of processing all other material down to bedrock took place. However, the old dredges were not very efficient with claims of not much better than 60%.
I have no reason to doubt the claims. To add credence, there are piles of well washed rocks as well as areas where it is obvious the piles were not processed or not processed effeciently. In such areas, the rounded "river" rock is mixed with a clay base. These are the areas where much of the gold has been found with detectors.
When I searched the area, I was using a modified Beachscan that was not as sensitive as the GQ, but fairly close. Hunting these areas with the PI was a pleasure after trying to hunt them with a VLF.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

What you will see in most dredge tailings is that the clay wads or seams that went thru the dredge are now decomposed soil plots. Always slow down when you see these places and scan in and around both sides of the soil. Years ago around Fairbanks I had an opportunity to detect around an active mine and the clay wads were very hot, when you panned the material out, all you found were minute pieces of black sand...Dredge tailings are very challenging because it seems that every pos and neg rock in the world have been turned up, but when you get away from the rounded rock and get into the squared off blocky material, this is the bottom of the river, is bedrock, and that is where the pay streak was, so scan carefully...HH...Geo

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Frank
They were a few coils made with black coil housings. Same coil, different color. <IMG SRC="/forums/images/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">
Mr. Bill

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

G'day Reg,
All I'm after in bucket dredge tailings piles is the gold oversize (10-15mm+) that went straight through the trommel/screen. And these nuggets can be anywhere.....except close to the surface. The lose and disturbed nature of tailings makes detecting tailings somewhat different from the other types of detecting carried out these days.
The photo below shows a trommel from a modern mining operation, and the same principal applys today as it did in the days of the large bucket dredges.
Regards,
Rob (RKC)

 

[Anonymous]

The oversize from a trommel going into a tailings pile.

 

[Anonymous]

A modern Digger and Screen showing the oversize...and such tailings are as just as well worth detecting as any bucket dredge tailings from earlier years.
Regards,
Rob (RKC)