GOLD in Brigus EarthCache
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This very large quartz deposit has been explored for gold.
There are GOLD deposits in them there hills.
In an area about 0.5km southwest of Brigus, Newfoundland several large deposits of quartz have been found. One such deposit is the largest I have ever seen. It is so large that it can easily be confused for snow and ice in the winter, or during the summer it looks like thousands of gallons of white paint spilled down over the hillside.
Historically, this area has been surveyed for gold. In 1880 Alexander Murray visited the area and took samples for assay. The results concluded the presence of gold but not of sufficient quantity to be economically viable.
Standing at the published coordinates you can easily view this very large quartz vein that runs for about 0.1km up and over the side of the hill where it disappears beneath a layer of low trees and shrubs. It is easily 5 to 6 metres in width and almost 0.3 metre in thickness. On closer examination of the quartz you will see its milky white colour which almost looks translucent in places. Scattered throughout the quartz are deposits of chlorite that give a grey appearance, filling cracks in the quartz. The gold found by Murray in 1880 was found in or near these patches of chlorite. Other minerals have been found in the quartz veins, including pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, chlorite and epidote. The pinkish colour seen in the quartz is due to deposits of barite.
It is possible to get close to explore the quartz vein, but you will have to be very careful of your footing as there are many loose rocks. A sample of the quartz has been placed at the published coordinates. It is at the base of the small tree growing out of the crevice in the rock. Please return it to the same location after you have examined it.
To claim this EarthCache, please email me the answers to the following questions:
1. In what direction of the compass does the quartz vein align?
2. Describe the large pile of rocks below the visible end of the quartz vein?
3. What is the approximate length of quartz sample hidden in the crevice at the published coordinates?
4. The pinkish color in the quartz represents what mineral?
Reference material.
Geological Survey of Newfoundland, Alexander Murray, James P. Howley, 1881.
Geology of Gold Deposits of Newfoundland by A. K. Snelgrove, St. John’s 1935.
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