Is it a waste of time?

[Sport]

I live in Socal. Pinacate district is very close by. Thanks to google earth and a background in civil engineering, i can spot old mines and area that have been worked for minerals. The areas in question have yielded gold, I'm guessing that they were lode mines and the placer gold might need a few more thousand years. The rock is flaky shale with small veins of quartz. Is it a waste of my time to swing my detector in this area and scan tailings from these (presumably) lode mines? -sport

[nvchris]

Sport,

It's your time to waste:)

My method is to: Find a mine name, then the ore type then the land status. Not always in that order, most of the time I search by ore type.

I use Hystware, Mines and Minerals, Prospectors Power Pack (a google earth plugin) and BLM's LR2000. And a lot of old books and maps.

Your google earth image is what I call a "modern" mechanized workings. What I call "very old" is pre 1800's very difficult to spot with even high res photos.

Here is an example, a high res arial photo of an old Spanish Mine that dated about 1700. Hint its near the center.

[GlennM]

Looks like, if it's not too far away, it wouldn't be a total waste to head out there and have a look around. Even some of the more reecent mines didn't have the best equipment (although that one looks well organized in its cuts which leads me to think they took their time and worked it well), so there may be pieces available for a detector.

I don't think any huinting is a waste of time, just a learning experience and that much more time swinging in the fresh air.

[EdD270]

No time spent in the outdoors is a waste of time. It might be unproductive in locating gold or whatever you're mding for, but it's not a waste.

[Sport]

I spent a few hours out here today. Found some bullets and shot. Some good beeps deeper than i could dig with my hand pick efficiently. There are many hills in this area that have been dozer punched. I've always wondered why the entire area was grubbed like this. Were they looking for formations? Nearly all the slots you see in the previous pic are on or near hilltops. Anyone understand why the hills are grubbed all the way down to the flow lines? -sport

[Sport]

error

[Sport]

Sport,

It's your time to waste:)

My method is to: Find a mine name, then the ore type then the land status. Not always in that order, most of the time I search by ore type.

I use Hystware, Mines and Minerals, Prospectors Power Pack (a google earth plugin) and BLM's LR2000. And a lot of old books and maps.

Your google earth image is what I call a "modern" mechanized workings. What I call "very old" is pre 1800's very difficult to spot with even high res photos.

Here is an example, a high res arial photo of an old Spanish Mine that dated about 1700. Hint its near the center.

Looks like there is an unnatural horizontal slot on the pic just a bit right of center. Is that it?

[paratrooper]

I have seen many a nugget plucked from the remnants of BIG operations . They went for big stuff . As with many things you must sacrifice something to get something . They often believed that to concentrate on small stuff would only slow them down soooo they went for the big stuff and let some crumbs fall off the plate . Now with those crumbs going for $1400+ an ounce they have taken on a life of their own . Good luck .