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Author Topic: Blue shale roadside stop  (Read 2072 times)

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Kaljaia

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Blue shale roadside stop
« on: March 11, 2016, 09:14:50 PM »
Behind the dumpster in my 'home town' is a patch of dark blue shale in a seep. I stopped by there today to see if anything interesting was around.




One interesting thing was the amount of white mineral residue that had seeped from between the layers. I assume calcium because that's what we tell everyone the white scale left by the water is, but really I have no idea. I wasn't about to taste any either ;)




Part-way down the patch of shale was a vertical vein of white quartz. It's pretty fractured but kind of neat, so I brought a few pieces back. I don't have the saw set up yet (hopefully this weekend) so I don't know if it holds together or not.



Either way an interesting spot, and since it really is *right* beside the road/dumpster, not exactly out of my way ;) I need to go back when I have more time. I remember finding iridescent green and yellow mineral residue/patina one time in there, but my childhood memory may not be correct.
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- Erika

I rock hunt in the Antelope/Ashwood area of the John Day river basin in Oregon.

Phishisgroovin

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Re: Blue shale roadside stop
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2016, 09:43:25 PM »
i would try and run a metal detector on that whole area, horizontal shale like that is where they find gold.
Gold likes to be in rotten quarts, it could be worth your efforts.
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Phishisgroovin

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Re: Blue shale roadside stop
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2016, 09:45:01 PM »
in that bottom photo, break that layer of rotten quarts away, scoop up all the black dirt behind it into a bucket, get everything down to the quarts under/behind it and go pan it out. i bet there is colors under it.
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Kaljaia

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Re: Blue shale roadside stop
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2016, 09:59:15 PM »
Really? That'd be pretty cool. There's a fellow out here with a lifelong dream of finding gold, so I'll make noise in his direction and see if we can't find a metal detector or gold pan between the two of us. But I'm skeptical that gold would be behind the community dumpster just sitting in a shale hill that's been exposed for 50 years ;) We're in proximity to the Horse Heaven mercury mine, but I've yet to see record of gold found in the area; if it was, people sure kept quiet about it. Thanks for the tip, though! Will definitely give this place a closer look.
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- Erika

I rock hunt in the Antelope/Ashwood area of the John Day river basin in Oregon.

Phishisgroovin

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Re: Blue shale roadside stop
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2016, 06:08:44 AM »
there also may be fossils within the shale layers, leaves etc....
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lithicbeads

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Re: Blue shale roadside stop
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2016, 08:55:46 AM »
Is that calcite stringers in the quartz?If it is solid quartz the iron stained areas may heat treat to red.
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