A few shots from work.

[PipeLeisure]

HOLLY CRAP THATS A BIG RATTLE SNAKE :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Here's some more pictures of life in the desert.

Some basalt encrusted with tufa, a calcium carbonate mineral coating over eons. Usually found on shorelines of the lakes of the Great Basin, past and present.

Random caterpillar eating fresh bitterbrush shoots.

So lazy.

No idea what this flower is, it's the first time I've seen it.

 

[Puff Daddy]

No idea what this flower is, it's the first time I've seen it.

Leaves look like a geranium, flower looks like a poppy.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Leaves look like a geranium, flower looks like a poppy.

Definitely neither. The last few years have brought out flowers I've honestly never seen--it's funny what wet years can do. I know the fauna more than the flora here, anyway.

 

[docwatson]

Fantastic photos Kyle. Thanks for sharing and bringing the old west to me out here in the NorthEast.
:cheers: :cheers:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Fantastic photos Kyle. Thanks for sharing and bringing the old west to me out here in the NorthEast.
:cheers: :cheers:

*tips hat* Ain't nothin'. 8)

 

[DustyRoundup]

Man Kyle, You are the man!

I'm sort of a rockhound, gold prospector hobbyist.

I have a Whites MXT, and I would go nuts if I could put it in Prospect mode out in Nevada.
My part of Montana is known for gold and copper, and tungsten, but, its not too good for metal detecting.
So, I usually dig alot of pulltabs in the parks. (pulltabs and gold rings have the same conductivity reading)

But anyhow, years ago, I had a gold dredge , and a good buddy that had dredges and a highbanker, we actually spent 30 days across the Cali border highbanking near Camptonville..

But a few years later I hooked up with him , and was his rockman, under an 8 inch dredge, dredging in 18 foot of water, with 90 pounds of weight to keep the current from blowing us out of the hole.. we breathed through hookah air lines, and we had warm water flowing into our wetsuits.
Here is a pick, after hitting a stringer, and I am holding a 1 1/4 oz and a 3/4 oz nuggets.
The 3/4 oz became mine,,, when Gold was $300. somethin an oz,,, I sold it for $500.00 as a collector piece



This was quite a few years back, and we stopped at a dredgers camp on the way out that evening, to have a few beers and celebrate.
We spent 8 hours under water every day. It was quite the adventure for me.
Actually, up in the mountains to the west of you, my buddy is still dredging, PIRATE STYLE,,, the last I heard, his boy told me that his dad was dredging at night, so as to not get caught.. Dangerous, but he has GOLD on the brain, always has.. I hope he's still alive.

 

[docwatson]

Fantastic Dusty, you guys are killing me with the life experiences you have. Holy Cow Crap, solid gold nuggets, I'd be back there underwater at the price of gold right now.
:cheers: :cheers:

 

[kieveryuu]

Great pictures.

Kyle, I hope you keep this thread going as you see things worth posting.


Side note brought to mind by dusty's post: I used to have a neighbor that, when he was younger (he was a police officer now dead for many years) owned a stake in both gold and silver mines. Rocks from these mines where in his front yard as decoration. Knowing that he was not going to be around for much longer, he let my brother and me collect a few of them to break apart and keep what ever we found. The rocks from the silver mine proved worthless to nothing worth keeping while the gold mine rocks proved to be something. I still have two film canisters worth of gold pulled from several rocks. I keep it as is such that one of these I will make a ring for that special someone that I marry. You know. One of these days. Sometime.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Well, we just finished up yesterday (50 lode claims staked, 10 placer corner boundaries established, probably put 200 wooden posts in the ground over six square miles... :lol: ) and we're happy it's over--exhausted. I thought I was gonna sleep in this morning but nope, still up at 5:30am. *sigh* :lol:

These are some interesting specimens, a churt-like rhyolite called "wonderstone." No gold (as this project is actually a clay mine trying to get under way) but there's a lot of interesting volcanic rock in the area. I grabbed a few and gave them to my friend Melanie who owns a store in Reno:

This project is boring as hell product-wise. No gold, no silver, nothing. Volcanic clay. Geologically the area is fascinating though.

Anyway, Dusty, I don't work too much with placer mining, which sounds a lot closer to what you were doing. That's a lot of hard work--usually for meager pickings. You gotta love doin' that stuff to keep doing it. I usually work for larger companies that want to do tunnel and/or pit mining for low-grade metal ore. Seeing physical gold in rock is very rare for me.

So I'm headed back to civilization, gents, no more pictures until next time. 8)

 

[docwatson]

Fantastic Kyle,
Really enjoyed seeing your posts and pics concerning the desert and mineral deposits. What interesting hard work it is to be trudging through the arid expanse and staking out property bounds. Glad you are back to get some R&R.
:cheers:

 

[DustyRoundup]

Hey Kyle,, Those are some cool wonderstones.
Have you ever heard of Montana wonderstone? out of and area just east of Dillon Montana? Its HUGE stuff! most are like that, but theres also some green bands in some.

The reason I ask, is , in that same area, "Volcanic" theres an "ash" bed about 10 miles away from the wonderstone spot, and in that ash bed are " Birds egg Opals" from what I researched, I guess it has something to do with raindrops falling into the ash bed, then somehow, brought together "silica"??? and more ash fell, conditions were just right, and hence, formed , The opals
Did I get that right?

And ,, do you find Opalized stuff in your prospecting? Down there in Nevada.

and ,, LOL, are you allowed to keep cool specimens?
and ,,,Do you keep specimens??? or, do you see so many that you are bored with common specimens?

Ya know, here in Butte Montana, theres the school of mining and minerology, and the museum they have there is absolutely awesome, theres like a 3 foot tall amethyst in there, that was found local.


Man Kyle, the rockhound in me , would just love to hang out with you and pick your brain..
But I'd probably annoy you,, ,,,If I get to annoying you talkin about your job,, just say so , I'll back off.

 

[desertpiper]

GREAT HORNY TOADS! couldn't resist. Your desert views are similar to mine. being from Tucson. You being from central Arizona would agree. My wife and I are starting beginning rock hounds. The stuff we've found the most of is fire agate. with some other agates thrown in. We've done most of our rock hounding over in the Stafford and Clifton, AZ areas. The one area that I've been in Nevada was the Valley of Fire, would love to rock hound there.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Not sure how I missed responses to this, sorry guys.

Dusty: I find opal-like stones pretty frequently in that area, but nothing that's spectacular. I don't think there was enough moisture at the time(s) of volcanic activity around there. I haven't checked too extensively the mineralogy of the area (you have to concentrate on the work, or else you'll geek out and waste time, get lost, etc... :lol: ). Opal and opaline rocks form under various conditions. For example, there's old petrified forests and even an opal mine you can go to with some equipment and dig out your own here in Nevada. Just search "Nevada Opal Mine." There's several to choose from.

Wonderstone is somewhat common, unless it's described legally as an "uncommon variety," which is then able to be staked and commercially used. It tends to look similar, and exists from the Dakotas to Colorado, and from up where you are to Mexico. Nevada hasn't much of it, but Utah, Idaho and Montana have some exceptional deposits. It's pretty, but ain't worth much to folks except rock hounds and people that want pretty rocks.

I can keep stuff I find, but I don't do too much of that. One, I have to haul it back miles to the vehicle, and weight is better offset by the stuff I'm out there being paid to look at and carrying water. :lol: Two, you have to be careful if you pick up stuff on someone's claim--otherwise, it's stealing and prosecutable. If I find a pretty rock or two, I usually give them to people or throw 'em in the fish tank for color (provided they aren't toxic). 8) Nah, I don't get bored with rocks. It'd be pretty silly if I did. I probably only know about 5% of what's to be known about rocks, I have YEARS to go, and so far I only really know Great Basin geology. Keep rock hounding, it's a fun hobby.

That school there in Butte is gonna end up turning into more museum than school with the way laws and the EPA is going. :lol:

Desertpiper: The Great Basin and Sonora Desert are WAAAAY different, geologically, geographically, and biologically... I miss Arizona, quite honestly. Nevada is one sparse area. Going from Nevada to Arizona for me is like someone going from an alpine forest to the Amazon. The bugs, critters, plant life and rocks there are mind-boggling. There's a lot of agate here in NV, but it is localized to one volcanic episode (fairly recent) compared to the 150 (guessing) or so episodes of Arizona. You can find some AWESOME rocks in your back yard. We gotta work for it out here. :lol:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Also, I'm headed to Winnemucca today for another project, so I'll post some more pictures for you guys soon. 8)

 

[desertpiper]

That's true there are a lot of awesome rocks and minerals out here (I just had a coworker show me his gold that he dug for over the weekend). The only problem everyone who does rock hounding noes it. So the pickings can be pretty slim. unless you can get into a mine. Plus there's the jem and mineral show every year. If any rock hounders are interested come on down for the show, it's awesome.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Plus there's the jem and mineral show every year. If any rock hounders are interested come on down for the show, it's awesome.

...and the Holograms? I hear she's outrageous. Truly, truly outrageous. 8)

:lol:

There's plenty of rocks in the ground for everyone, you just gotta go looking for it. You might have to hike to where people don't usually go--parking on the side of a highway or in a state park probably won't be very fruitful.

 

[desertpiper]

oh, we hike. the last time we hiked 4 miles up a wash just to get to the area were the agate's at. No roads what so ever, out in the desert. We found two nice pieces, and a couple of buckets of stuff that needs to be cleaned and examined.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

oh, we hike. the last time we hiked 4 miles up a wash just to get to the area were the agate's at. No roads what so ever, out in the desert. We found two nice pieces, and a couple of buckets of stuff that needs to be cleaned and examined.

Sounds about right. Washes are great places--you know it goes though, whatever you find (or don't find) might be better or worse over the next ridge. Classic prospector's nightmare. :lol:

 

[desertpiper]

Yep, already have done that. Like everyone already dug here, so I'm going to go on the other side of this mountain and look the picking must be better, lol.