Tortuga Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Dug this specimen the other day in a gold-bearing wash.Copper was also heavily mined in the area.It was about a foot down and I had to dig through some cobble to get to it.It was overloading my GPZ. It was a real screamer. I thought it was going to be a nice, big gold nugget because of the depth and sound I was getting from the detector.I think it's some kind of copper nugget? It weighs about an ounce. Just a little heavier than your average rock of the same size.All the green oxides make me think it's some type of copper specimen mixed with quartz. I'm unsure of the black areas tho. Probably just iron but they have a shine to them under a loupe and they aren't magnetic like black magnetite. Maybe silver?The reddish streaks in it definitely look like copper under the loupe tho.Not really interested in giving it an acid bath or polishing it to test what it is. I like my rocks "au natural".Was just looking for a second opinion on it, was wondering what you guys thought it might be. Like I said it was LOUD on the GPZ 7000 which makes me think part of it has to be some kind of metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted October 8, 2015 Admin Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Hey Tortuga, Copper nuggets really scream on metal detectors. Looks like a copper nugget/specimen, but there is always a chance it could have a dabble of gold also. I have found specimens, similar in look, that have small veins along with copper staining. It's common to find copper, silver and gold nuggets all in one location, such as a wash. I will have to show you some day a spot out there that you can dig huge copper pieces, some so damn larger you have to have a shovel and plan on digging at least 2-3 foot for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldies1955 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Got to agree with Rob as a copper nugget sounds a lot more harsh than gold or lead. The copper nugs I've found are usually black to dark brown like the middle of your specie.You would be surprised how cool it looks if you give it a soak in muriatic acid.Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortuga Posted October 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hey Tortuga, Copper nuggets really scream on metal detectors. Looks like a copper nugget/specimen, but there is always a chance it could have a dabble of gold also. I have found specimens, similar in look, that have small veins along with copper staining. It's common to find copper, silver and gold nuggets all in one location, such as a wash. I will have to show you some day a spot out there that you can dig huge copper pieces, some so damn larger you have to have a shovel and plan on digging at least 2-3 foot for them. Yeah I remember you mentioning the "green blobs". I'd love to take a crack at that area with the GPZ. Digging any kind of natural metal out of the ground is interesting to me.My little piece might have a little gold mixed in it. In the third picture you can see where the quartz is turning a little yellow.You copper and galena nugget pictures on your website are really cool too. Would like to dig some alluvial copper nuggets one of these days.Got to agree with Rob as a copper nugget sounds a lot more harsh than gold or lead. The copper nugs I've found are usually black to dark brown like the middle of your specie.You would be surprised how cool it looks if you give it a soak in muriatic acid.TomI didn't think about that, you could be right. Under the loupe tho, the black area has some silver edges where it's been polished a little. It's not magnetic either like some silvery black magnetite rocks I have. Maybe silver?Maybe I will dip it in some acid to see what it turns into. We'll see.Thanks for your responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder dash Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 The red looks like cuprite. Highly cunductive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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