"The Ore Bin"

[Richard36]

Hello Everyone.

I was asked about a year ago to post some photos of the Ores that I've found,
and wasn't able to do so because I didn't have an adequate digital camera.

Now I do.

So, I decided to take a few snapshots of some of the material that I have found,
and post them for everyone to look at.

It is my hope that these photos will help everyone to be able to find a few deposits of reasonably decent Ore.

I have posted much on how to locate "Hot Spots", and "Enriched Zones".
It is now time to post a few more photos of what I have found in such zones so that everyone knows what to look for when they get there.

I hope that everyone keeps me in mind when they find deposits of material similar to the photos that I post.

Enjoy the photos, and keep your eyes open for deposits of similar material.

Happy Prospecting!

These three photos are of the same Chunk of ore.
It is a mix of Quartz, Kaolin, (Decomposed Feldspar), and a little Albite.
It contains very fine sulfides containing micron Gold and Silver.







These two Photos are of similar material, though from a different location.
It is approximately 35% kaolin, and is soft enough to mold like "Potters Clay" when wet.
It is loaded with sulfides.

The assay that I did on the Sulfide Concentrate from this Ore assayed out at
0.815 oz. per ton Gold, and 2.445 oz. per ton Silver.





I am editing this as I go, I can only upload 5 photos at a time.
This is by no means the end of this post.
More will be added in a few minutes, so check back in a few if interested in checking out the other photos, and what all I have to say about them.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[Richard36]

The following photos are of the same type of Ore from two different locations.
It contains Zinc and Manganese.
As for Gold and Silver content, ... Unknown, I haven't assayed it.





The three photos below are of a "Porphyritic" variety of the two photos above.

The Ore above formed at depth,(Igneous Plutonic Emplacement)
The Ore below formed within a "Volcanic Vent System". (Igneous Volcanic Emplacement)

The Bulk of the Rock in both sets of photos is a mix of "Rhyolite" and "Andesite".
Both are associated with volcanic activity resulting from "Mountain Building Processes".

 

[Fournines]

Kryptonite? :shock:

 

[Richard36]

This ore is an offbeat variety of Quartz and Kaolin with an abundance of super fine Sulfides all though it. The amount of Sulfide gives it an obvious heft that the other Quartz/Kaolin/ Sulfide mix Ores do not have.

The other ores of similar composition have an obvious heft,
but this one is at least three times as dense as the others.



The Following Photo is of a completely different type of ore from anything that I have discussed here so far. It is a variety of "Hematite" with enough Silica or Quartz to be called "Cherty", though it isn't "Chert", or "Jasper".

This is a recent find.
I found it on my last Prospecting trip with Roy.

This was regarded as "High Grade Pocket Load" material in the mines close by.
The encasing rock is an Andesite/Rhyolite mix.



Here is another Photo of the same material from a different location.
This was found by a family member and brought to me.
This Material was found as a pocket within the Quartz/Kaolin/Sulfide sample in this photo.



The Ore below is the material that I would like to Find!
It is a variety of "Hematite", and is associated with the "Hybrid Rock" in the Photo.

The "Hybrid Rock" is a mix of Quartz/Albite/Kaolin/Very fine Sulfides,
and possibly Dolomitic material.

It isn't truly a "Skarn", nor is it "Gabbro", though it is similar to those "Rock Types".

The rock at the base of the vile that contains the Red material is "Basaltic Andesite",
and is the only sample of that type of rock that I have found with this particular Ore.

The Red material Assays out at 3 oz. per ton Gold.



The following Is a photo of Copper Ore, most likely a Copper Phosphate.
The large piece, and the two smaller light colored pieces were sent to me from a member here on the Forum, and the darker pieces were given to me by a family member who found a deposit of it.

These are the highest grades of Copper Ore that I have ever did a test on.
They are at least 70% Copper.

 

[Richard36]

Kryptonite? :shock:

Lol!!! :lol:
Thanks for checking out the Photos.
I'm not done yet, I have a few more to post.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[Richard36]

This piece of Ore is mostly Quartz that is super saturated with Sulfides.
The assays vary for it's Silver content, but does contain silver.
The highest assay ran 10 oz per ton.



This Ore contains Copper Sulfides, and a little Iron Pyrite.
The bulk of the Rock appears to be extremely Hybrid.
It appears to be of Andesitic origin.
The material giving it the green hue masks the details that I need in order to be certain of what rock type it is.

It assays out at 1.172 oz per ton Gold, and 3.517 oz per ton Silver.



The Photo below Contains Manganese Oxides that Contain a percentage of Gold and Silver.
The gold/Silver concentration varies in the "Hand Samples" that I have assayed.
The greater the specimens heft, the higher the assay numbers.

The bulk of the rock is Quartz/Kaolin.



The Ore below is A compacted form of Manganese Oxides formed within a "Stock-work Vein System" created by "Hydrothermal Fluids" flowing through the joints of "Basalt Coulombs".



The photo below contains Carbonate Ores of Calcium, Barium, and Zinc, with traces of Strontium. Calcite, Barite, and Witherite are the minerals shown.

 

[Oz]

Some of your red ores remind me of pipestone. In particular the softness you are attributing to your samples. What are the similarities/ differences between the 2. Have you ever assayed pipestone?

 

[shaftsinkerawc]

Nice looking specimens. Thanks.

 

[Richard36]

Some of your red ores remind me of pipestone. In particular the softness you are attributing to your samples. What are the similarities/ differences between the 2. Have you ever assayed pipestone?

Hello Oz.

Mershaum is the only variety of "Pipestone" that I'm familiar with, and it is white from what I understand. There is a red variety that Native Americans used, but I have never held a sample in my hands. I have only read about it.

Interesting thought though.
Yeah, I would like to assay a chunk of it, and see what the results would be.

Pipestone is soft, and so is the softer variety of the red Ore that I posted photos of.
The red variety of pipestone is some sort of sandstone if I remember correctly.
The "Red Ore" in the Photos above isn't Sandstone.

The "High Grade" red Ore is generally 3 to 4 1/2 in hardness,
though it can be as hard as 6.

Pipestone is around 3 to 5 in hardness.

I would have to flip open my books and do some rereading to cite further similarities and differences.

Nice looking specimens. Thanks.

Thanks for the compliment.
I hope that the photos have been helpful.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[Richard36]

These three Photos are of Quartz that Contains Iron Pyrite, and Sphalerite.(A zinc Sulfide)
I found these fragments in a prospect tunnel in an area that I occasional prospect.

A large percentage of the higher grade Ore from my region contained these minerals,
and was processed for it's Gold/Silver content.







The following photo is of Chalcopyrite and Galena.
I didn't find these, I bought them.

I just figured that I would post a photo of them as well considering they are nice specimens.

 

[Richard36]

These photos are of some Ore from Colorado that a friend of mine bought at a Truck Stop for me as a gift as he was passing through.

It is Quartz with Sulfides.
The Sulfides are Iron Pyrite, Chalcopyrite,(Copper) and Galena.(Lead)







I hope that the photos that I have posted so far have been interesting, and helpful.
I'll post more Ore photos as they become available.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[depperl001]

These photos are of some Ore from Colorado that a friend of mine bought at a Truck Stop for me as a gift as he was passing through.

It is Quartz with Sulfides.
The Sulfides are Iron Pyrite, Chalcopyrite,(Copper) and Galena.(Lead)

View attachment 2

View attachment 1



I hope that the photos that I have posted so far have been interesting, and helpful.
I'll post more Ore photos as they become available.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

Hi,
The photos have been very informative and I thank for going to the trouble of uploading them. I look forward for the rest of your collection.

Regards,

Josef Vavryn

 

[Richard36]

Hi,
The photos have been very informative and I thank for going to the trouble of uploading them. I look forward for the rest of your collection.

Regards,

Josef Vavryn

Thanks Josef.
I'll post more photos when I'm done looking through "My Rockpile"
for a few more specimens to use as examples.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[Richard36]

The following pictures are of some Ore that a friend of mine got from a mine owner in Utah, and gave to me as a gift.

I was told that it is an Ore of Gold/Silver/Platinum.
The numbers that I was given for the assay done on it were incredibly high.

5 oz per ton Gold, 7 oz per ton Silver, 8 oz per ton Platinum.

I haven't assayed it to verify those numbers.
These are the only samples of this type of material that I have,
and I don't want to destroy any of them. (Just to much of a "Rockhound" I guess, lol.)







The following photos are of Andesite with an abundance of "Columbite".
Columbite is the Ore Mineral of Niobium and Tantalum.

The two black crystals in the upper left corner are the largest Columbite crystals within the rock and are an excellent visual reference.

Columbite is usually found within Granite Pegmatite, or massive Albite associated with Granite Pegmatite intrusions, so this specific emplacement is way outside the norms of where, and what rock type it is normally found, though it is obviously there within these samples.

The sample with the large crystals came out of the very back working face of an old abandoned mine that I explored a few years ago with a family member.

It was predominately a Copper mine, with Silver, and small amounts of Gold as secondary metals. They completely overlooked the abundance of Niobium and Tantalum, though back in the late 1800's, to early 1900's those metals probably were not of any importance.

The mine is full of this Ore.
The Ore fills a segregation fracture approximately 20 inches wide.
The Adit tunnel was driven into the mountain following this seam.
The encasing rock which hosts this seam is a dark, bluish black Andesite.

The lower photo is the same material, though from a different location.





The following Photo is of Sphalerite, a Zinc Sulfide.
This is an Ore of Zinc, and will often contain appreciable amounts of Gold/Silver.

 

[Richard36]

The following Ore was sent to me by a member here on the forum.

The Ore is Predominately an Ore of Aluminum,
though it does contain quite a few other metals.





Well,
I hope that the above photos in this thread have been helpful, and informative.
Unfortunately, I'm out of Material to post photos of for the time being.

I'll dig though my Rock-pile a little more,
and see if I have a few more examples that I can take photos of and post.

Questions and Comments are welcome and appreciated.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[turtlesteve]

Rick, I have a question:

I used to find lots of iron oxide nodules in upstate South Carolina when I lived there. I found two main types. The first type was reddish brown goethite (FeOOH), pseudomorphs after pyrite. These were pea-sized to softball-sized and were found in saprolitized metamorphic rocks in many different places, but look very similar to the reddish-brown nodules you picture. The second type was black, lustrous, hematite/magnetite, occurring as 1-3 cm crystals in pegmatitic dikes with decomposed potassium feldspar and quartz. I used to visit the sites to look for nice looking (but rare) crystals. I never considered that these might be a worthwhile ore material. From one site I collected a coffee can full of black sands with a large magnet in the span of about an hour. I never found visible gold at any of these sites.

Do you think it's worthwhile for me to try to process or assay any of this? I know I could easily collect lots of a few lb but getting more might be tough.

Steve

 

[Richard36]

Rick, I have a question:
Do you think it's worthwhile for me to try to process or assay any of this? I know I could easily collect lots of a few lb but getting more might be tough.

Steve

Hello Steve.

Yes, I would say that the Goethite, and Pyrite,
as well as the hematite/magnetite would be worth having assayed.
The Black Sand would be a good choice as well, and should be tested for Palladium.

Palladium is becoming valuable enough to be an interesting prospect,
and it has become my experience that Black Sand contains it quite often.

The cool thing about hunting Black sand deposits for Palladium
is that black sand is almost everywhere, and easy to recover.

The magnetic portion will contain the highest percentage of Palladium,
as well as any of the other PT Group metals that may be present within it.

Gold/Silver/PT Group Metals are often bound up in solid solution within the Black Sand,
or as thin films on the individual grains.

A fire assay would work for Gold/Silver,
but I would recommend an ICP for determining if any of the PT group was present.

A "Broad Spectrum" test by "Reed Labs" would be an excellent test to have done on any Black Sand that has a reasonably "High Heft". (Specific Gravity)

The terrain that you described is quite hot for "Rare Earth Metals",
as well as Lithium, Niobium, and Tantalum, especially in the "Pegmatite Zone".

Get a Rock Book, and read up on what all can be found within Pegmatites.
"Pegmatites" are "Super Sweet" zones to prospect in for Rare Minerals, Gemstones, and "Enriched Zones" containing Minerals of Various Metals, Usually of "Industrial", or "Strategic" Value.

Uranium being a common "Strategic Metal", and Chromium, being both a "Strategic", and "Industrial" Metal. Lithium/Niobium/Tantalum are Common "Industrial" Metals found in "Pegmatites" as well.

Anyway, I probably got you wound up enough already, lol!
But Yes, an assay and/or full spectrum analysis on either, or both would be a good Prospect.

I hope that this has been helpful and informative.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[Richard36]

I sorted through my Rock-Pile, and found a few more rocks with some of that red Ore.

They aren't as "High Grade" as the earlier photos,
but it is the same material, just a "Lower Grade".

The whitish rock in the upper right is a sample of
Quartz/Kaolin/Dolomitic material with Sulfides, in Andesite.

It was created in a zone of "Anatexis", which is the process of Subduction of Surface Material toward the Upper Mantel in areas of fault lines associated with Mountain Building Processes.

This rock shows a link between the Quartz/Kaolin/Dolomitic material and Andestie,
which are the two "RockTypes" in which this "Red Ore" can be found.

The blackish rock on the upper left is Andesite with the red Ore.
The whitish rock center right is Quartz/Kaolin/Dolomitic material with the red Ore.

The other reddish rocks are Andesite enriched with the red Ore. (Hematite)



This next photo shows various grades of the same material.
The large rock at the top is a Variety of "Gneiss" which was created by "Anatectic Processes", and contains some of the same Red material.



The two large rocks are varieties of Andesite showing the red Ore material.
The whitish rocks are samples of "Gneiss" created by "Anatectic Processes" with small amounts of the red Ore.

The "Two-Tone" rock center left is "Andesitic-Basalt".
The red Ore attached to it is "Hematite Enriched Granitic Rock",
and so far it is the only piece of this material that I have.



I hope that everyone has enjoyed the photos.
I'll post more as I sort through my various Rock-Piles.

Questions and comments are welcome and appreciated.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".

 

[Oz]

I see I got you thinking about the pipestone. You said you would like the opportunity to assay some, it is not cheap but at the same time not precious metals pricey. I have some but it will take some spare time for me to go dig it out of storage. I will gladly send you a sample as a thank you for what you are contributing to the forum that others lack knowledge in. Give me a call as to what you need for a proper assay.

The material called pipestone is very similar to soapstone but red in color. You may have heard of it by the name of Catlinite. I find it highly doubtful that it contains PMs, but your earlier description did remind me of it.

 

[Richard36]

I see I got you thinking about the pipestone.
I have some but it will take some spare time for me to go dig it out of storage.
I will gladly send you a sample as a thank you for what you are contributing to the forum that others lack knowledge in.

The material called pipestone is very similar to soapstone but red in color.
You may have heard of it by the name of Catlinite..

Thanks Oz.

A 45 gram piece would be sufficient for an assay.

(30 grams would cover the 29.16 grams that I would need for an assay, but a little extra to put on my Ore Shelf, as well as some of the powdered rock to put in a small spice bottle with a 3/4" fragment and a note about the assay results would be nice to have. I do this with everything that I assay, for myself, and others.)

Post a photo of it before you send it.
I'd like to see the stuff.

If it even starts to look like the same material,
I'll be reading up on all that I can find on the Petrology/Geology of where and how it forms.

I'm doing my best to track this Ore like a 9 point buck, and any thing that may broaden my knowledge of how/where it forms would/is of great value to me.

Of all the Gold bearing Ores that I have found, this red Hematite rich material is the best.

It looks so non-descript that most people would walk right past it, and not think twice, including me, for quite awhile, until I took a course to become an assayer and this Ore was covered in the course.

I found the above material, it looked like what was described,
as well as fit the info about it being a material that could be used as an "Ocher".
(A naturally occurring material that used to be used as a metallic pigment in paint.)

I decided to do an assay on it, and got seriously excited about it when the assay showed that it contained 3 oz of Gold per ton of Ore. ... Who wouldn't??? :shock: :mrgreen:

I'm learning about this particular Ore as I go,
and posting what I know about it as I become aware of it.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".