Float Prospecting
Before you start to search it is important we first define what the word “float” means because it is a word that applies directly to prospecting. Float is considered any isolated piece of mineral or ore that has broken off of a body or off a vein or outcrop and it has been carried by natural geological means at a distance from its original source. One of the biggest problems or issues in finding the original source of float is that it in some cases can travel at great distances depending on the force of geological agents of nature such as the weather etc.
This has been seen in some of the rich pieces of gold that have been found in the desert of California. In the history of this area, it is known that the native Indians used to pick up rich pieces of gold from outcrops that had been weathered just because these pieces looked pretty and they probably wanted them to be able to make jewelry out of them. Then perhaps when they were traveling for a long distance, they would throw these “rocks” out because they were too heavy to carry along with them. these pieces of float have been discovered by prospectors and have caused prospectors many hours of searching to find the original source when they may have very well been looking in the wrong area.
Another way that float used to get moved from one drainage pattern to another drainage pattern was when it was dropped off in ore wagons when the ore was getting hauled to a mill, this could have also fallen from saddle bags, or perhaps a prospector dropped it or got killed or a number of other things.
A geological agent that is able to carry float many miles as well as across drainage patterns is a glacier. When the settlers first arrived in areas of the Midwest the Indians had decorations and ornaments as well as many tools that were made out of softer metals that were almost pure so these could be worked on by hand. Big searches for these minerals have been made but have not revealed anything. Historians used to believe that the metals had been acquired through trading even though local legends said these had actually been found. There were studies that were made later on and that demonstrated that this area had been the ending of pre historic glaciers and almost all geologists now point the incidence of these pieces of float and artifacts to this source.
If you happen to stubble into or find a piece of rich float it is a good idea to compare its classification with other ores and minerals that have been located in areas nearby. Although finding the same a lot of miles away does not necessarily rule out the incidence in the local drainage pattern, this information can be useful when thinking about leaving a search after a lot of time has been put into a search that has not been fruitful. You will also need to compare the makeup of the float with the local geology. You should however be careful with how you take in this advice. Finding gold in white quartz float in an area where there are some white quartz veins does not mean there will not be a white quartz vein hidden somewhere around the search area.
There is one point that does need to be focused on. Float on its own might not assay high enough and this means that it will not have any commercial value. This however should not rule out a search on its own. Remember that float that is found could lead you to another float that is richer or due to its size and if it is easy to mine, it might be commercially valuable.