ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 18, 2016 19:25:52 GMT -5
I was just wondering. For those who have been successful. How do you search when doing a mine pile in the U.P.? Are you the kind who walks around looking at all the exposed stuff sitting on top, picking up whatever you get lucky to find or do you find a good looking spot and sit down and dig? Last year while exploring the Cliff Mine poor rock piles I used the walk around and find whatever you get lucky enough to find approach. I found lots of prehnite and calcite but I really would like to find some datolite and some chlorastrolite. I couldn't seem to locate either of those with my walk around and look approach so would digging help perhaps? I know both of those are found there. Datolite nodules look like cauliflower heads and chlorastrolite will be found in amygdules in the poor rock. I saw old dig sites all over the top of the most westerly of the piles up near Cliff road. I was thinking about changing tactics and settling down to dig when I go up there this summer. Probably less chance of twisting an ankle or breaking my leg that way anyway. Is that going to help me perhaps? I plan on letting my hubby do the dirty work (the actual digging) and I will use a rock pick to open up promising possibilities, examine the stuff for anything we might get out later and of course look through everything he throws my way. Also plan on doing the Wolverine, Iroquois, and Clark mine piles as well (to mention just a few.) Thanks in advance
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 18, 2016 23:24:14 GMT -5
Hire a dump truck and back hoe , haul a couple loads home , pick out what you want and haul the rest back . Works for beach rock too . Seriously , I found it was better to dig a little , at least roll some rock out of the way . Otherwise your looking at the same rocks that a thousand other people looked at . Depends also when you go , before , during or after mineral week . We only looked for copper when we were there , now that we have a better idea of what is there and how to identify , a whole new world has opened up . I know we tossed a lot of good stuff away because of lack of knowledge . There is a bunch of other mines we are going to check when we get back up there . We have made a lot of good contacts who have told us where we can find what , just didn't know how to id most of it . There is a lot of good to be found but a lot of others looking for it . Most of those simply don't have the time to dig around for it , or they think the good stuff is scattered around on top for them to grab . Hopefully this helps even a little bit . Just remember , most of the time good things don't come without a little effort . Happy Hunting
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 19, 2016 9:45:03 GMT -5
Hire a dump truck and back hoe , haul a couple loads home , pick out what you want and haul the rest back . Works for beach rock too . Seriously , I found it was better to dig a little , at least roll some rock out of the way . Otherwise your looking at the same rocks that a thousand other people looked at . Depends also when you go , before , during or after mineral week . We only looked for copper when we were there , now that we have a better idea of what is there and how to identify , a whole new world has opened up . I know we tossed a lot of good stuff away because of lack of knowledge . There is a bunch of other mines we are going to check when we get back up there . We have made a lot of good contacts who have told us where we can find what , just didn't know how to id most of it . There is a lot of good to be found but a lot of others looking for it . Most of those simply don't have the time to dig around for it , or they think the good stuff is scattered around on top for them to grab . Hopefully this helps even a little bit . Just remember , most of the time good things don't come without a little effort . Happy Hunting Well, the first option is way out of my price range seeing as I'm on a fixed income of just enough to live on each month with twenty or so bucks left before the month ends. Fortunately I am also able to stash away a little each month so I can take a trip up there in the summer. We will most likely go there in june or july when it finally gets warm enough to actually search up there. When we went up there in august last year we never saw another person on any of the mine piles we went to so I'm not too worried that we will be luckless because of others. We definitely planned on the change of tactics to digging this year so it looks like that's what we'll do. Not afraid to put the effort in when needed. I do lots of online research about the mine piles and what can be had there so I'm not going to pass up anything good due to not being able to identify it. Just got to find it first. Thanks for your input (and confirmation.)
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Post by 150FromFundy on Dec 22, 2016 17:53:40 GMT -5
A general rule of thumb is if it is easy, it has already been found.
It's easy to dig through the top foot, or so of a tailings pile. Therefore you have to dig deeper than that.
Look for the most remote, difficult to access part of the tailings pile, and dig there.
Trees and roots deter many diggers, so many good finds are found in the root mat of trees.
Most dirty dug rocks get overlooked. You need a water bucket, or spray bottle, or go digging in the rain.
I have found many nice samples in picked over areas using these general principles.
Dig where it is tough.
Darryl.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 23, 2016 18:58:42 GMT -5
A general rule of thumb is if it is easy, it has already been found. It's easy to dig through the top foot, or so of a tailings pile. Therefore you have to dig deeper than that. Look for the most remote, difficult to access part of the tailings pile, and dig there. Trees and roots deter many diggers, so many good finds are found in the root mat of trees. Most dirty dug rocks get overlooked. You need a water bucket, or spray bottle, or go digging in the rain. I have found many nice samples in picked over areas using these general principles. Dig where it is tough. Darryl. Sounds like do-able advice. Up there at the Cliff mine, you have a lot of tailings to choose from. It's also plain to see where people dig and where they don't dig. Is there something they know about the places they don't dig at and a reason only basically one pile there has any evidence of people digging? I went up on top of three piles and only one had been dug at. Turns out that the pile with all the dig spots was the one closest to the road but other than that I don't know why the other piles looked un-dug.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 19:17:24 GMT -5
At Cliff mine , the right pile usually is scraped off at mineral week for fresh material . I think the diggings on the other piles are old digs that get freshened up from time to time . I like looking for copper on the side slopes where the dozer pushed material over the edge . Probably a lot of other good things to be found also .
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 23, 2016 19:29:02 GMT -5
At Cliff mine , the right pile usually is scraped off at mineral week for fresh material . I think the diggings on the other piles are old digs that get freshened up from time to time . I like looking for copper on the side slopes where the dozer pushed material over the edge . Probably a lot of other good things to be found also . The right pile I am assuming is the one labeled C&H Waste Pile? That pile is actually a front lower level and a rear higher level connected. I saw where the pile was bulldozed but it was only the front lower level. I actually also found some native copper, prehnite, and calcite in the plowed area myself. Inspection on the rear higher level showed no trace of bulldozing or digging. The left pile out by Cliff Road is the one with collector dig spots all over the top. Is there something there in that left pile people dig a lot for? Strangely, on the right pile there was only evidence of the bulldozing, but no collector pits. Also, I read somewhere that the South Cliff mine pile was buried and is no longer there. I never really even looked for it when I was there because I was unaware it existed. It there still a South Cliff pile? I also was wondering how hard it is to scale the #3 pile up the cliff face? Have you ever done that there?
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 23, 2016 20:40:59 GMT -5
I just dig into the pile and stay there for a few hours,digging and digging........
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 20:46:22 GMT -5
I think the pile close to the road get picked hardest because it is close to the road . Might also have something to do with what depth the different piles were dug from . The C/H pile with bulldozing is where I have had the best luck for copper . Only on the other pile one time though . That was the first time we were up there . My GF was up by the #3 pile , she was just exploring , but didn't really get right to that pile . I think they have scraped the C/H pile every year we have been there . Never been there for mineral week , before and after , but I think one would see a lot of diggings . Lots of fresh material without a lot of digging . As for the south mine , never over there either . We didn't know if it was private or not. We were up on top of the cliff at #4 one time . Really cool up there , walked up the small pile and its quite a view . Look right down at top of the old stack . We detected the big pile a little but the weather got really nasty , was like we were in the clouds . Probably haven't helped you much , we didn't yet get hit with the rock addiction when we were at Cliff mine . Want to get back there but each time we go up , there is always a few new mines we have to check out . Next time you go up there , stop at Prospectors Paradise . The owner is very helpful and if there is a girl working there , talk to her . She can probably point you in the right direction . Next time we go we have a much better idea of what to look for and where . Good luck and happy hunting
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 23, 2016 21:17:19 GMT -5
I think the pile close to the road get picked hardest because it is close to the road . Might also have something to do with what depth the different piles were dug from . The C/H pile with bulldozing is where I have had the best luck for copper . Only on the other pile one time though . That was the first time we were up there . My GF was up by the #3 pile , she was just exploring , but didn't really get right to that pile . I think they have scraped the C/H pile every year we have been there . Never been there for mineral week , before and after , but I think one would see a lot of diggings . Lots of fresh material without a lot of digging . As for the south mine , never over there either . We didn't know if it was private or not. We were up on top of the cliff at #4 one time . Really cool up there , walked up the small pile and its quite a view . Look right down at top of the old stack . We detected the big pile a little but the weather got really nasty , was like we were in the clouds . Probably haven't helped you much , we didn't yet get hit with the rock addiction when we were at Cliff mine . Want to get back there but each time we go up , there is always a few new mines we have to check out . Next time you go up there , stop at Prospectors Paradise . The owner is very helpful and if there is a girl working there , talk to her . She can probably point you in the right direction . Next time we go we have a much better idea of what to look for and where . Good luck and happy hunting Yep. Been to Prospectors Paradise. We stayed at the Whitehouse Motel in Mohawk and that was like 5 miles down the road on 41. I think the pile by the road at the Cliff Mine is the oldest one there so it probably has some different material than the newer piles. I'm thinking maybe more datolite is found there. We have plans on also hounding the Iroquois, Gratiot, and Ojibway rock piles to the north of Mohawk, and the Wolverine and Allouez piles to the south. We usually stay 4 or 5 days in a central location and search in various directions from our base. One other place we want to see is Clark Mine near Copper Harbor. Right out behind our motel in Mohawk is the Mohawk #2 poor rock piles. I'm going to ask the motel owner if he knows if we can do those piles too. Mohawkite was found in all the Mohawk shafts. It was originally found in the #1 shaft which is just east of the #2 piles. Someone on this forum told me the mohawk claim with the mohawkite is privately owned. For that to be true he would need to own 9 total piles. The #1 piles are out behind a storage place that is for sale on 41. #3 piles are across the street from a school. The #4 piles are across from Bethany Lutheran Church. #5 is at Stanton and Ballman St. and #6 is near the intersection of #5 and #6 roads. I can see no private property signs or no trespassing signs. I will clear this up when I go back there this summer.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 22:04:40 GMT -5
Prospectors suggested Ojibway for Datolite the first time we went . Said it looked like cauliflower , so we went there and I was looking for something looking like a store bought vegetable . I have learned a little since then . We do the same , central base of operation and work out from there . The first time , I forgot to get reservations early so the White House was booked , got a cabin at Vics Cabins and have been staying there every time since . Looks a bit rough on the outside but inside was very well taken care of . New owners the last time we were there , 2015 . Wolverine mine is basically a couple blocks behind the place . One of the Wolverine piles was being crushed for road gravel . Found some copper there , but also lots of rock with green nodules in them . Copper agates , greenstone , I don't know . If I knew then , they would be here now . I'll look at my maps to see where the mines on your list are and if we have been to them . I remember how to get there but forget the names . Is the Allouez on Bumbletown Rd ? We were at one on that road once , found some chrysicola there . I thought the Gratiot was private . Could be wrong . I'll dig through my info , if I find anything that might be helpful I'll let you know .
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 23, 2016 22:19:28 GMT -5
Wolverine mine is basically a couple blocks behind the place . One of the Wolverine piles was being crushed for road gravel . Found some copper there , but also lots of rock with green nodules in them . Is the Allouez on Bumbletown Rd ? We were at one on that road once , found some chrysicola there . I thought the Gratiot was private . Could be wrong . I'll dig through my info , if I find anything that might be helpful I'll let you know . The green nodules were probably Chlorastrolite (Greenstone). Allouez is off Bumbletown first dirt road to the right past Pine St. as you head out of "town". I think the Gratiot rock pile is open for collecting but one of the Objibway piles has a vehicle gate. There are two piles there with one sitting well off the access road to the right as you come in off 41. That one is open. The second one a little farther down the road and close to it is the gated one. I've seen people park on the exterior side of the gate and walk in to collect. I think the owners are absentee, an energy company in Chicago that doesn't really enforce no trespassing stuff and doesn't even post signs.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 22:21:41 GMT -5
I think #2 and 3 Mohawk are private , not sure . #6 I think has no trespassing sign . We were at # 5 I think for a little while but didn't know if we were supposed to be so we didn't stay long . Were told one time that in general , if they aren't gated or signed it is alright to go picking . I don't want to find out the hard way that that is not true . Wish I would have known what to look for all the times we have been up there . Hopefully we get back this year . Lot of people we would like to see again . People that know what we want to know .
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 23, 2016 22:25:00 GMT -5
I think #2 and 3 Mohawk are private , not sure . #6 I think has no trespassing sign . We were at # 5 I think for a little while but didn't know if we were supposed to be so we didn't stay long . Were told one time that in general , if they aren't gated or signed it is alright to go picking . I don't want to find out the hard way that that is not true . Wish I would have known what to look for all the times we have been up there . Hopefully we get back this year . Lot of people we would like to see again . People that know what we want to know . I picked the #3 pile. Its open with no restrictions. It's right behind a school and they even had a little picnic bench sitting there next to the pile. No signs, no fences, no one ever took any notice that I was there on the pile.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 22:37:12 GMT -5
Yup , we were at Allouez . Ojibway has some ruins by the pile off the first corner and we did go beyond the gate , found some wire and a few nails with detectors . That mine didn't pan out well for copper so they gave up on it . I highly recommend getting a metal detecting pinpointer if you go to Wolverine . Some of the green nodules sounded off , some didn't . Greenstone , agate , copper agate , could be any of those . Hind sight .
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 22:41:38 GMT -5
Is it #1 and 2 behind the motel ? Must be # 4 right next to Gay Rd or whatever its called .
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 23, 2016 23:04:23 GMT -5
Yup , we were at Allouez . Ojibway has some ruins by the pile off the first corner and we did go beyond the gate , found some wire and a few nails with detectors . That mine didn't pan out well for copper so they gave up on it . I highly recommend getting a metal detecting pinpointer if you go to Wolverine . Some of the green nodules sounded off , some didn't . Greenstone , agate , copper agate , could be any of those . Hind sight . The mindat page for Ojibway has some photos of the Datolite, Pumpellyite, and Quartz with green inclusions that has been found there. We want to specifically search for Datolite and Pumpellyite (Greenstone) at that location. From the amount of copper specimen photos on the mindat page from that place, no wonder you couldn't find any there. It's all been collected there instead judging by the amount of stuff in these photos In regards to the Mohawk piles, the #1 piles (2 total) are out behind a storage unit on highway 41. The #2 piles (2 total) are behind the Whitehouse Motel. The #4 pile (1 big pile) is right on 6th street (which turns into Fulton and then turns into Gay/Mohawk) in Mohawk across from the church. I've been on both the #3 and #4 piles. Just a surface scan. Didn't do any digging and never saw anything really interesting either on either of them. I'm sure with some effort that could change.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 23, 2016 23:50:33 GMT -5
We are going to be doing more rockin than copper hunting in the piles now . Like I said before , we had no idea what to look for . About all you can find are pictures of either cut or polished rock . A couple people showed us real world rock to look for and where to look . I always thought Mohawkite came from just one shaft , guess we will have to check those piles more . I do have a nice piece of it I bought . A lady from Calumet was set up at a rock show down here this fall . Talked with her a long while , turns out she is sort of related to a guy we know well from Calumet . That's who I got the Mohawkite from . One of the guys we know was a geologist at C/H mine when it was operating . Loads of info there .
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 24, 2016 12:02:28 GMT -5
I always thought Mohawkite came from just one shaft , guess we will have to check those piles more . It was first discovered in the #1 shaft. Then they found two more veins of it in the #2 shaft #2 shaft mohawkite info
From stuff I read at other sites that I haven't found again yet, there is mohawkite found in the other Mohawk shafts as well. As soon as I find that info I will post a link to it.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Dec 24, 2016 12:16:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the info . From what I have read , Mowhawkite should be worked with care because of the arsenic content .
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