TheRagMan Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 ......kkkkkkkkkkkkyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertNuggets Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Good question! Yeah its because silver is rare to find in nugget form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRagMan Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 [kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkdddddddddddddddddddddddd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 RM;this post and your other post indicate a serious lack of research...while you are jobless why not go to the libary and read some books about prospecting, minerals and metal detecting...if they don't have any you can join a club and use the members collection that most clubs have...any of Jim Straight's books or Chris Ralph's will give you a solid start in nugget hunting...any Karl Von Muller or Charles Garret books will give you a realistic base for coin and treasure hunting...You could even buy some of these...used or newfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Okay; thanks for the definitive answer!:-)Hi Ragman, good question. I will try to give as simple an answer as possible.Silver is very reactive. It combines easily with a lot of different minerals in the ground. It will mix with these other minerals to form salts and complex minerals (all minerals are a combination of a salt and a metal). Because silver is so reactive it is unusual to find it in it's pure form - no nuggets because it's already used up in mixes with other metals (lead, zinc etc.) and salts.Gold is very non-reactive. It doesn't combine with other minerals easily. Although most gold mined is found as a mineral in one of it's complex ore forms, the gold near the surface of the earth has often lost it's bonds to salts or minerals and sometimes can be found in relatively pure veins of gold metal ("free milling" gold). As these veins erode they release their gold into the rocks and dirt around the vein. Some of these gold pieces are "nuggets" in their own right but most nuggets are a conglomeration of many small pieces of gold veins all compressed and stuck together until they form one solid nugget. OK, it wasn't all that simple but at least I didn't get into atomic valences or ion replacement. clayMinerDigginsSubscribe to the NewDiggins Newsletter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Chris Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Some of these gold pieces are "nuggets" in their own right but most nuggets are a conglomeration of many small pieces of gold veins all compressed and stuck together until they form one solid nugget. It was a great answer until you hit the sentance above. Next time we get together, we can talk about that. Most nuggets form by growth deep in the ground. Eteched sections of nuggets show intergrown crystal patterns that were created as they grew. My good friend Jim Straight would also argue that many nuggets form by secondary growth near the surface by the disolving of gold and re-growth as gold bearing solutions percolate downward. We see that one slightly differently as I would suggest that process forms only very tiny particles of gold and only rarely things we would call nuggets. Jim would suggest that nugget sized pieces formed from secondary growth are a lot more common that I think they are. There are respected geologists on both sides of that fence. Nobody tossed in the idea of platinum nuggets. Platinum is unreactive like gold, but is uncommon in sizes large eoungh to form nuggets. As a result there are probably more platinum nuggets than silver (because its not a reactive metal), but not nearly as many as gold as it normally forms smaller sizes - just specks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 It was a great answer until you hit the sentance above. Next time we get together, we can talk about that. Most nuggets form by growth deep in the ground. Eteched sections of nuggets show intergrown crystal patterns that were created as they grew. My good friend Jim Straight would also argue that many nuggets form by secondary growth near the surface by the disolving of gold and re-growth as gold bearing solutions percolate downward. We see that one slightly differently as I would suggest that process forms only very tiny particles of gold and only rarely things we would call nuggets. Jim would suggest that nugget sized pieces formed from secondary growth are a lot more common that I think they are. There are respected geologists on both sides of that fence. Nobody tossed in the idea of platinum nuggets. Platinum is unreactive like gold, but is uncommon in sizes large eoungh to form nuggets. As a result there are probably more platinum nuggets than silver (because its not a reactive metal), but not nearly as many as gold as it normally forms smaller sizes - just specks.Hi Chris,I'll look forward to that conversation- or any other you might be willing to entertain- always willing to learn. I probably wasn't clear that I was referring to post erosional conglomeration of small gold fragments into larger "nuggets". This depends more on golds malleability and semi-amorphous qualities over time - purely mechanical. You might call it the "window glass" effect were you teaching 101 students. I would be interested in hearing Jim's theories on (non-hydrothermal?) redeposition.There was a lot of free silver found near my present location north of Silver City, including a single 1500 pound "nugget" ledge found in situ. This solid piece was hauled by custom made wagon to Santa Fe for assay and was declared to be "pure" silver by the assay office. I have hopes of finally finding my own silver nugget this summer.In your own State of Nevada the Treasure Hill mines produced a horn silver outcrop that was chopped out of the earth with axes. Portions of the Silver Chloride ledge found there were pure enough to be baked on the evening cook fires to produce metallic silver.I imagine if PGMs were as common as gold we would be platinum and gold nugget hunters. I have never found a silver nugget but I would consider it a treasured piece for my collection. I've got a load of stephanite to make lots of silver nuggets from though. Thanks for the response Chris it's always a pleasure to hear from someone so knowledgeable.clayMinerDigginsSubscribe to the NewDiggins Newsletter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homefire Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I think the largest single silver strike found in the us was here in New Mexico.The Bridal Chamber.http://www.agmc.info/the_bridal_chamber.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tundra Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Ho Hum BURPI agree with Fredm...I live 2000 miles from silver nuggets,the border east and west of Nogales is noted for small nuggets to bolder sized ones in it's colourfull past you might want to take a arsenal of guns and company with you if U venture along those drug corridors..the areas are on the internet.Rodd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tundra Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 overpost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tundra Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 ditto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutch john Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 TheRagMan... You are Persistent and Dedicated to learn the "secrets ofsuccessful prospecting and mining for gold." Good for you... Keep on learning. But do not let the Quest become Obsessive... balance needed... You are getting great advice from fellow posters. But keep in mind there are numerous opinons, even one or two as alluded to in earlier posts on this thread. This will be your learning curve, so keep an open mind.Ol' jim straight; Mackay 'old School' and a 'lace boot' soil engineer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Ol' jim straight; 'lace boot' soil engineer.I like the signature Jim! One of your best yet.I often think of myself as a "Lead Remediating Functionary" Your Follow the Drywashers was one of my greatest inspirations. I strongly recommend it to all who have not read it no matter what your experience level.Can I blame you for making me dig bullets Jim? ClayMinerDigginsSubscribe to the NewDiggins Newsletter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutch john Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Gosh Clay... We have been out doing it... Got the aches and pains to 'prove' it. Let meexplain about 'lace boot' it was originally a term regarding a practial miner who became more knowedgeable then his fellow peer group. Thus, since back then prospectors and minersas well as credentualled mining engineers wore high-top lace boots, those that became moreknowedgeable were acceped as an uncrdentuled mining engineer... and some were good at it.Although I have a BS Degree in Geological Engineering, I do not pretend to be very knowledegable as say, a metallugical engineer, or a mining engineer. But I spent consideable time in the dirt so as to speak, involved with three soil engineering labsand also for Cal-Trans. To add to this, I was ROTC at UN (Reno) and competed the 120EOBC at Ft. Belvour VA., and spent 19 months as a platoon leader, Ex. Officer and finally as a Company Commander; then as a "short timer" I finished out my active duty as CommitteeChief of Engineer Power Tools... I was in the reserves fron 1950 to 1962 and with my oblgation finished I was dischared as 1/lt. So all of this gave me a 'lace boot' education in differnt areas... Moreover... Clay, do not sell your self short... you are a most knowledgeable 'lace boot' geologist... My Best... Ol' jim straight (please excuse the typos... ZZZzzz) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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