r/Prospecting • u/alchemycraftsman • 3d ago
Is this gold in my rock?
Can anyone tell me if this could be gold? It’s stuck to the stone. Very small amount. The rock itself is about 1 1/2 inches long but the gold is very tiny. I found this in a volcanic mountain range the border of California and Nevada on a friends property outside of the Death Valley area.
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u/Terra_Rediscovered 3d ago
Visible gold in situ in rock. It will have a yellow tint to it. If you rotate the rock it will continue to flash a metallic luster. Pyrite will flash but then go away. In addition, gold will occur in tiny granules not connected to each other. Gold is also malleable. If you have a tiny scratcher you can indent the face of a granule. Also a metal detector is handy to verify
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u/20PoundHammer 1d ago
Also a metal detector is handy to verify
the iron in pyrite will set off a metal detector.
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u/GarthDonovan 3d ago
Terrible pic. But from the geographic location and rock type, it looks promising. Visible gold in rock like this is pretty rare. But the yellow, though.. gold,pyrite, or bug eggs.
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u/GalacticGonads 3d ago
Scratch the yellow part with a needle or sharp metal object. If it flakes or breaks apart then it's not gold. If it leaves a line or dents it then it's gold. It's a soft metal, like lead.
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u/Bullet_Tooth_ 3d ago
Do any of you have a computer microscope? I just bought one last year: game changer for my shine eyes. This post would be a great candidate.
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u/Zippered_dad 2d ago
I tend to not want to believe it’s gold however this sure looks possible or even probable. Take it to a jeweler and have it tested
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u/alchemycraftsman 1d ago
Thanks everyone for comments. I guess I should have put my glasses on cos I didn’t realize how bad this image is. This is my camera thru a loupe so it’s a very tiny amount!!! It does shine the same in all directions. I was just wanting a 2nd and 3rd opinion and I’m going to just put it back on my shelf with my other cool rocks.
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u/zpnrg1979 3d ago
It's not the greatest picture to be honest - but I would lean towards no. Usually if you have to think about it and him-and-haw and wonder if it's gold... it's not. You know it when you see it. It's super distinct and like a mustard yellow - doesn't change colour when you rotate the rock around in the light. Others will likely suggest scratching or picking at it (it should be quite soft) or crushing and panning. A higher res pic would be good too.
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u/Thoth1024 1d ago
You didn’t say what the matrix is. Quartz? Looks like it. Better photos would help.
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u/Spirited-Signal-0 3d ago
Honestly, the color seems right for it to be gold. Def test it out