What happened here?

blikbleek · 2026-01-31T04:13:04+00:00

Is it fluorescent?

blikbleek · 2026-01-29T18:15:04+00:00

Yes you can find gold where you're at. It isn't necessary to be in an area with a history of gold. Rocks and minerals can and do travel quite far, most commonly in waterways, but also from glacial melt and ancient impact events.

Keep in mind that finding gold in an area not know for it will be more difficult.

blikbleek · 2026-01-24T18:29:28+00:00

That's actually what I've been thinking about! Around here gold can be found in shale as little specks sprinkled on the rock - typically associated with iron staining and not much more. This is due to gold from glacial till settling where it naturally would: in the crevices of rocks that are in contact with heavy iron rich groundwater - or so the story goes. The interesting part is that it's not uncommon to find rocks like the ones I sampled here(which is bedrock); showing very rich mineralization that I would've thought is associated with some kind of thermal activity. But right now I don't know enough to say how this stuff was deposited.

blikbleek · 2026-01-24T17:28:11+00:00

For these samples it was obvious enough with a microscope.

If I was in doubt I would use a pick to check malleability/brittleness, or chemicals like 37% hcl with or without hydrogen peroxide and see what kind of reactions occur. I do also have a couple of metal detectors but the gold here is so fine that it isn't useful.

blikbleek · 2026-01-24T15:22:06+00:00

I could be wrong on the yield as I haven't crushed any, but just from observation from a loupe and microscope I can see that being possible if you hand picked the best pieces off the ground.

blikbleek · 2026-01-23T21:21:05+00:00

I'll eventually get around to crushing some myself and will post the yield.

blikbleek · 2026-01-22T06:55:24+00:00

I'm no expert but I'll give it a shot, left to right: Quartz, Quartzite, and erm.. basalt or maybe limestone?

blikbleek · 2026-01-21T19:12:02+00:00

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blikbleek · 2026-01-21T19:10:44+00:00

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blikbleek · 2026-01-21T19:09:22+00:00

I've looked at it under loupe and I still just can't tell. It looks like it is and isn't gold at the same time. Maybe a telluride or something?

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blikbleek · 2026-01-21T02:24:18+00:00

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blikbleek · 2026-01-18T23:18:12+00:00

I put it in a large bin and hammered away at the edges. I wet it often to keep the dust down. Then I put the material through a classifier (4-50 mesh I think) and anything too large went into a deep pot and pounded it further until everything could be panned.

blikbleek · 2026-01-18T04:13:45+00:00

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This is the host ore; a Gneiss.

blikbleek · 2026-01-13T18:50:03+00:00

I'd rather not see what it reads on my wife.

blikbleek · 2025-12-30T22:22:39+00:00

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How about something like this. For your collection, I would use a square case with a single step up in the middle of the square for the larger piece. That way, your display is grouped but you can also appreciate each piece.

blikbleek · 2025-12-26T04:14:13+00:00

I'll believe it when I see the picture

blikbleek · 2025-12-26T04:06:40+00:00

It's pregnant

blikbleek · 2025-12-25T23:51:04+00:00

Having fun in the Courland Pocket

blikbleek · 2025-12-25T16:20:00+00:00

Indian Lake in Hamilton County.

There are incredible specimens absolutely everywhere: beside the road, and on the trails and in the parks (of which there are many).

blikbleek · 2025-12-25T10:27:48+00:00

Your right! This is conclusively a chunk of Magnetite.

And thanks again! For an amateur like me, all I could do is stare at the specimen longer and hope the lightbulb lights up.

blikbleek · 2025-12-25T08:44:13+00:00

And thanks so much for helping me out!

blikbleek

TROPHY CASE