goaled Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hello,Some various specimens collected in the Carolina Slate Belt near its eastern border with the inner Piedmont Belt. I will add all I remember about locality, cleaning methods and tests for what I show but rely on the experience of you guys, if you have some time to comment. I start with some quartz matrix, and then will show some more unusual hosts, such as phyllites and limonite boxworks.Anyways thanks in advance for any yay / nays or any other comments!First specimens below collected near gold / copper mining area in Guilford Co. NC. Cleaning methods were various but strongest acid used was muriatic. Passes all tests but I don't really want to start removing material for nitric acid tests for fear of damaging it. Size is app. 6" long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Au Seeker Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 What are you asking our input on about this specimen?Have you tried crushing and panning any of this material?The photo maybe better for us to see what the specimen has in it if you take the photos outside in natural light without a flash, what I see in this photo appears to be pyrite.Have you tried to stick the pyrite looking material with a needle or knife point, if so did it indent or crumble? That all being said and or asked, the material look good, very mineralized and could contain gold, I would crush it and pan it to see if there is any free gold in it, if there is gold locked up in sulfides it would cost more to free the gold up than it would be worth, IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goaled Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hello,I was asking if you think this is Ag/ Au in the matrix based on the images and what your eyes see. (The silvery blob specifically).I have not crushed and panned this piece.The photo was taken outside without a flash.The specimen has been cleaned in muriatic acid, which dissolved some of the limonite (which has formed after the pyrite). I engraved my initials on the slivery blob with a safety pen with ease.Since those pics are not good enough, here is another piece found at the same locality a phyllite (I think) soaked overnight in HCL which dissolved the chlorite and exposed the golden wires, is it gold? It looks like it's wearing a gold chain.Thank you for your time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Au Seeker Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Have you tried doing a streak test to see what color streak the material in question leaves?It's very hard to determine what one is seeing in photos, as you already know it sometimes even hard to tell what a material is in person, only the normal list of tests will tell you what you have, starting with luster, metallic, non-metallic, hardness, streak, melting point, etc., the last on the list will be doing an assay to determine what a mineral is.But give this topic some more time, others members with more knowledge than I are sure to comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hello,I was asking if you think this is Ag/ Au in the matrix based on the images and what your eyes see. (The silvery blob specifically).No...Sorry . Keep looking and learn how to crush & pan samples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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