Arizona Gold Rush

While Arizona’s early gold rushes in the 1860s through the 1900s (like in the Bradshaw Mountains and Oatman) relied on visible, narrow quartz veins that prospectors could trace uphill, a completely different type of deposit lay hidden beneath the surface.

Arizona Gold Rush

Arizona Gold Rush

• The Copperstone Discovery (1979): In 1979, an exploration team in western Arizona’s Moon Mountains discovered gold smeared across a shallow, gently tilted fault plane in a broad tabular sheet rather than a narrow vein. This type—later named a detachment fault deposit—was not formally recognized by science until 1988. Copperstone produced roughly half a million ounces and doubled the state’s annual gold output overnight.

• The Mockingbird Trend & Oatman District: Ground previously written off as “mined out” decades prior held massive overlooked potential once modern tectonic and epithermal vein models were applied. For example, the Moss mine near Oatman—optioned by Northern Vertex in 2011 and pouring its first gold in 2018—became Arizona’s largest pure precious metals mine, holding hundreds of thousands of ounces of gold and millions of ounces of silver in an open pit just hours away from old workings.

• Tectonic Mechanics: These deposits formed roughly 18.5 million years ago when the American Southwest was violently stretched apart by tectonic forces (the Basin and Range province). Where stretching produced low-angle detachment faults, gold spread out flat and wide underground instead of forming vertical veins, rendering it invisible to traditional surface prospecting methods.

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  Arizona Gold Rush – Wickenburg AZ

• The Vulture Mine and the Founding of Wickenburg No discussion of Arizona gold is complete without looking at the legendary Vulture Mine, located just southwest of Wickenburg. Discovered in 1863 by Prussian prospector Henry Wickenburg, the site quickly became the most productive gold mine in Arizona history, pumping millions of dollars in bullion out of the desert and directly supporting the founding and growth of the town of Wickenburg itself. Unlike the hidden flat detachment faults, the Vulture was famous for massive, high-grade quartz veins that brought a massive influx of prospectors and stampeders into the desert hills during the height of the territorial era.

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  Arizona Gold Rush – Yuma Arizona gold

• Rich Strikes South of Yuma Down in the southwestern corner of the state, country rock south of Yuma also played a massive role in Arizona’s early mining lore. Districts like the Castle Dome mountains and the historic Cibola and Laguna districts—situated just north and south along the lower Colorado River corridor—saw roaring placer and lode rushes in the 1860s and 1870s. Miners worked drywashing techniques across the arid gravels and desert washes, pulling substantial coarse gold out of areas that many modern visitors assume were only ever known for harsh heat and Spanish colonial history.

• Arizona Gold Rush

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  • Visit our gold prospecting site to view of collection of natural gold nuggets,

    silver and many other unique precious metals collectibles and great gift ideas:

     https://california-gold-rush-miner.us

    A few examples from our site:

    High Grade Silver Ore Slab

    

    silver slab – example only

    Nice sawn vein specimen of fresh, unaltered high grade silver ore from the world-class Cobalt Ontario deposits. Sawn on one side only.  The deposit was described in Mineralogical Record, Volume 43, Number 6.  In general, veins are predominantly composed of carbonates (calcite and/or dolomite) with arsenides and sulpharsenides of Co, Ni and Fe with native Ag and Bismuth.  Most of this material has been squirreled away in collections by now, although specimens do occasionally come to market.

    

    There are a few of these silver slabs available. The very bright silver really makes this piece stand out, but, unfortunately makes it all so hard to photograph. As an example the one pictured above is 66 grams.

    

    Silver, Bornite

    There are a few of these beautiful native silver w bornite specimens available. Here is a 2 inch x 1 inch, Apx. 17.5 grams – Native Silver on Bornite thumbnail specimen from San Martin, Mexico. As an example the one pictured above is 17.5 grams. 

  • This weeks speciaL: Beautiful pyrite specimens found on matrix from Valdeperillo, Spain. Makes a great display specimens or gift, showcasing the unique beauty of pyrite crystals in a matrix setting. It is a rare and unique find for collectors, making it a valuable addition to any crystal and mineral specimen collection. SOLD AS A THREE PIESE SET FOR JUST $45.
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    Pyrite cube

    

    Pyrite cubes

    

    Pyrite cube

    

    Pyrite cube

  • Avon Gold Rush Collectible stein

    

    1987 8 1/2” tall  San Francisco Gold Rush Handcrafted in Brazil for Avon. Each one of is individually numbered (#32017) this is the last one. $35.

  • For further information on these: seo711@gmail.comAll the items shown here are very limited and subject to prior sale without notice.

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    Also see the most expensive type of gold nuggets, the Crystalline Gold Nuggets

    

    Crystalline gold

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    Click Here for great Gold Prospecting Equipment Deals

    • • DISCLAIMER:

        Some of the links in this description and in our videos may be affiliate links, and pay a small commission if you use them, but never increase the basic cost. I really appreciate the support. The content in my Youtube videos & blog posts SHALL NOT be construed as tax, legal, insurance, construction, engineering, health & safety, electrical, financial advice, prospecting or other & may be outdated or inaccurate; it is your responsibility to verify all information. I am a not financial adviser. I only express my opinions based on my experiences. Your experience may be quite different. Investing of any kind involves risk. While it is possible to minimize risk, your investments are solely your responsibility. You must conduct your own research. There is NO guarantee of gains or losses on any investments. My produced videos are for entertainment purposes ONLY. DO NOT make buying or selling decisions based on these videos. If you need advice, please contact a qualified CPA, attorney, insurance agent, contractor/electrician/engineer, financial advisor, or the appropriate professional for the subject you would like help with.

      • Keep in mind land use and land boundaries are constantly changing,  before going to a unknown location you must do extensive research not only into the current weather conditions, access and current land status.  Keep In mind private property owners and mining claim owners do not take kindly to trespassers and or claim jumpers. Always follow local laws and regulations related to prospecting and land use. Regulations and restrictions are constantly changing on BLM lands, State lands, National Monuments  and tribal lands. It is your responsibility to totally investigate any potential prospecting area  prior to heading out.  Failure to do so, could not only result in massive fines but also imprisonment and confiscation of all your equipment.