”Alluvial” and ”Reef” Gold!

”Alluvial” and ”Reef” Gold!

”Alluvial” and ”Reef” or lode gold, for that there is a difference in origin
in many occurrences, is, I think, provable. I hold, and hold strongly, that
true alluvial gold is not always derived from the disintegration of
lodes or reefs. For instance, the ”Welcome Nugget” certainly never
came from a reef. No such mass of gold, or anything approaching it,
has ever yet been taken from a quartz matrix. It was found at Bakery
Hill, Ballarat, in 1858, weight 2195 ozs., and sold for 10,500 pounds.
This was above its actual value.
The ”Welcome Stranger,” a still larger mass of gold, was found amongst
the roots of a tree at Dunolly, Victoria, in 1869, by two starved out
”fossickers” named Deeson and Oates. The weight of this, the largest
authenticated nugget ever found was 2268 1/2 ozs., and it was sold for
10,000 pounds, but it was rendered useless as a specimen by the
finders, who spent a night burning it to remove the adhering quartz.
But the ordinary digger neither hopes nor expects to unearth such
treasures as these. He is content to gather together by means of
puddling machine, cradle, long tom, or even puddling tub and tin dish,
the scales, specks, dust, and occasional small nuggets ordinarily met
with in alluvial ”washes.”
Having sunk to the ”wash,” or ”drift,” the digger, by means of one or
more of the appliances mentioned above, proceeds to separate the gold
from the clay and gravel in which it is found. Of course in large
alluvial claims, where capital is employed, such appliances are
superseded by steam puddles, buddles, and other machinery, and
sometimes mercury is used to amalgamate the gold when very fine.
Hydraulicing is the cheapest form of alluvial mining, but can only be
profitably carried out where extensive drifts, which can be worked as

quarry faces, and unlimited water exist in the same neighbourhood.
When such conditions obtain a few grains of gold to the yard or ton
will pay handsomely.
Lode or reef mining, is a more expensive and complicated process,
requiring much skill and capital. First, let me explain what a lode
really is. The American term is ”ledge,” and it is not inappropriate
or inexpressive. Imagine then a ledge, or kerbstone, continuing to
unknown depths in the earth at any angle varying from perpendicular to
nearly horizontal. This kerbstone is totally distinct from the rocks
which enclose it; those on one side may be slate, on the other,
sandstone; but the lode, separated usually by a small band of soft
material known to miners as ”casing,” or fluccan,” preserves always an
independent existence, and in many instances is practically bottomless
so far as human exploration is concerned.
There are, however, reefs or lodes which are not persistent in depth.
Sometimes the lode formation is found only in the upper and newer
strata, and cuts out when, say, the basic rocks (such as granite,
etc.) are reached. Again, there is a form of lode known among miners
as a ”gash” vein. It is sometimes met with in the older crystalline
slates, particularly when the lode runs conformably with the cleavage
of the rock.
Much ignorance is displayed on the subject of lode formation and the
deposition of metals therein, even by mining men of long experience.
Many still insist that lodes, particularly those containing gold, are
of igneous origin, and point to the black and brown ferro-manganic
outcrops in confirmation. It must be admitted that often the upper
portions of a lode present a strong appearance of fire agency, but
exactly the same appearance can be caused by oxidation of iron and
manganese in water.
It may now be accepted as a proven fact that no true lode has been
formed, or its metals deposited except by aqueous action. That is to
say, the bulk of the lode and all its metalliferous contents were once
held in solution in subterranean waters, which were ejected by geysers
or simply filtered into fissures formed either by the shrinkage of the
earth’s crust in process of cooling or by volcanic force.
It is not contended that the effect of the internal fires had no
influence on the formation of metalliferous veins, indeed, it is
certain that they had, but the action was what is termed hydrothermal
(hot water); and such action we may see in progress to-day in New
Zealand, where hot springs stream or spout above the surface, when the
silica and lime impregnated water, reduced in heat and released from
pressure, begins forthwith to deposit the minerals previously held in
solution. Hence the formation of the wondrous Pink and White Terrace,
destroyed by volcanic action some eight years since, which grew almost
while you watched; so rapidly was the silica deposited that a dead

beetle or ti-tree twig left in the translucent blue water for a few
days became completely coated and petrified.
Gold differs in its mode of occurrence from other metals in many
respects; but there is no doubt that it was once held in aqueous
solution and deposited in its metallic form by electro-chemical
action. It is true we do not find oxides, carbonates, or bromides of
gold in Nature, nor can we feel quite sure that gold now exists
naturally as a sulphide, chloride, or silicate, though the presumption
is strongly that it does. If so, the deposition of the gold may be
ceaselessly progressing.
Generally reef gold is finer as to size of the particles, and, as a
rule, inferior in quality to alluvial. Thus, in addition to the extra
labor entailed in breaking into one of the hardest of rocks, quartz,
the /madre de oro/ (”mother of gold”) of the Spaniards, there is the
additional labour required to pulverise the rock so as to set free the
tiniest particles of the noble metal it so jealously guards. There is
also the additional difficult operation of saving and gathering
together these small specks, and so producing the massive cakes and
bars of gold in their marketable state.

By
J. C. F. JOHNSON
LONDON, November, 1896.

Taken from
GETTING GOLD J. C. F. JOHNSON 1896

RULES OF THUMB
(MINING APPLIANCES AND METHODS)

temporary forge — Making charcoal — Rough smelting on the mine —
Misfires in blasting — To prevenl; loss of rich specimens in blasting —
Simple retorting of small quantities of amalgam — Simple mode of
ascertaining nominal H.-P. of engine — Scaling copper plates — How to
supply mercury and water to mortar-boxes — Power for mills — To
avoid loss in cleaning up — Iron extractor — To silver copper plates —
How to make a dolly, rough windlass, puddler — ^A makeshift pump —
Squeezing amalgam— Sluice plates — Measuring inaccessible distances
— To set out a right angle with tape — Simple levelling instruments —
Levelling by aneroid barometer — ^To determine heights — To find
depth of shaft — Plan for re-using water — Cooling compound for
heated bearing — Cleaning greasy plummer blocks — ^An excellent anti-
friction compound — ^To clean brass — A solvent for rust — To protect
iron and steel from rust— To keep machinery from rusting — Fire-lute
— Rope-splicinir ,..,.... pp. 140-165

To down load the book.

Link
http://www.archive.org/stream/gettinggoldapra00johngoog/gettinggoldapra00johngoog_djvu.txt

Link
http://web.nickshanks.com/books/getting-gold.html

Link
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3679/3679-h/3679-h.htm

james
your comments in regards to

”Alluvial” and ”Reef” or lode gold, for that there is a difference in origin
in many occurrences, is, I think, provable. I hold, and hold strongly, that
true alluvial gold is not always derived from the disintegration of
lodes or reefs. For instance, the ”Welcome Nugget” certainly never
came from a reef. has No such mass of gold, or anything approaching it, ever yet been takefrom a quartz matrix. n It was found at Bakery
Hill, Ballarat, in 1858, weight 2195 ozs., and sold for 10,500 pounds.

I was wondering then about the so called Holterman nugget, I know it is not truely a nugget as such but was called that. A few weeks later after this one was found another mass of gold in the same staight as the first and also found in the same mine. This one was so big it had to be broken up before it could be brought to the surface. Would have these come from some sort of quartz matrix?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Bernhard_otto_holterman_with_630lb_gold_from_Hill_End.jpg

Wombat

Wombat wrote:james
your comments in regards to

”Alluvial” and ”Reef” or lode gold, for that there is a difference in origin
in many occurrences, is, I think, provable. I hold, and hold strongly, that
true alluvial gold is not always derived from the disintegration of
lodes or reefs. For instance, the ”Welcome Nugget” certainly never
came from a reef. has No such mass of gold, or anything approaching it, ever yet been takefrom a quartz matrix. n It was found at Bakery
Hill, Ballarat, in 1858, weight 2195 ozs., and sold for 10,500 pounds.

I was wondering then about the so called Holterman nugget, I know it is not truely a nugget as such but was called that. A few weeks later after this one was found another mass of gold in the same staight as the first and also found in the same mine. This one was so big it had to be broken up before it could be brought to the surface. Would have these come from some sort of quartz matrix?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Bernhard_otto_holterman_with_630lb_gold_from_Hill_End.jpg

Wombat

There not my comments, I can't say! You would have to take that up with the guy who wrote the book. did you not see this at the bottom of the post????

Taken from
GETTING GOLD J. C. F. JOHNSON 1896

James

There not my comments, I can't say! You would have to take that up with the guy who wrote the book. did you not see this at the bottom of the post????

Taken from
GETTING GOLD J. C. F. JOHNSON 1896[/quote]

Unfortunately James I think that would be a bit hard now as I think the pore bugger would be dead. I did see the bottom of the page. But you put up the post, so I was more interested in your comments from the last line in my post in regards to the Holterman nugget.
Would have these come from some sort of quartz matrix?

Wombat

I would imagine what the original writer was saying that the welcome nugget had no inclusions in its entirety but others that were found in matrix had either Ironstone or quartz mixed with the specimen including the Holtermann nugget so you could say that the welcome or for that matter the Hand of faith were in gold terms pure and free of inclusions --so it begs the question has there ever been a slab of gold taken from a reef?? I dont know but I do know that sampling I did in the 90s on my claim in Rushworth that the alluvial gold was a different % to the gold that was still in the quartz --so you could conclude that the alluvial gold did not come from the reef?

Thanks Murachu for that. So what is being said is that nuggets like the Hand of Faith, the Welcome nugget and the Welcome Stranger, and most other solid gold nuggets did not, or, may not have come from reefs or matrix. If so, then the BIG Question is were do's solid gold come from??? I have found nuggets with iron stone stains and some as clean as a whistle. Most of us detectorist when finding nuggets in an area, most times start looking for a reef near by. But this may not be necessary, if finding clean solid gold nuggets, by what is being said.?

Wombat

There are many many hypotheses on how gold was formed --pick one ya like

Ah yes, you should have watched the ABC last night there was a show on about the universe. And how matter was made they went into the California gold mines. You should have seen the gold in the quartz they talked about the meeting of the earths plats the buffer between them been Quartz extra, it is on again next week it is worth a look.
Cheers James