The hydraulic press., 1860-01-14
THE FORMATION OF GOLD.

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that gold occurs in solution, as a terchlorde,
in certain earths and rocks and by coming
in contact with chemical agents, such as ron
pyrites, or sulphuret of iron, is precipiiated
in crystals, in which form he has often seen
it. Without saying whether it primarily
occurs as a metal or not, he thus accounts
for the solution. The decomposition of py-
rites produces sulphurc acid, which, in the
presence of the never wanting chloride of
sodium (nothing more than common salt,
reader), and higher oxide of manganese,
may liberate small quantities of chlorine,
the most powerful gold solvent known. The
solution thus formed, passing down the
veins, comes in contact with reducing agents,
and the metal is again precipitated, fire.
quently in crystals or crystalline forms, and
often upon gold already present. 1t is
thought certain that such changes are con-
stantly going on and in this way the stores
of the precious metal may be ever increas
ing. The same writer says that some spec
linens of auriferous albite Ga white felspathic
mineral and one of the constituents of some
kinds of granite from Calaveras county,
there is crystal of pyrites small crystals of
gold are attached to it; demonstrating that
the sulphate precipitated the gold previous
to its own reduction into pyrtes. From
this and similar facts he concludes, that gold
is carried into the veins from adjoining
rocks, and that the opinion which considers
veins the source of the gold of alluvial and
diluvial deposits and of the soil, is errone-
Gus.
This theory seems to US very plausible
The remarkarkable association of gold and
iron sulphurets in the quartz veins of this
State, as we'll as in the newly discovered
silver veins of Western Utah, and the exis-
tence of these same sulphurets in solution
or crystals through much of our auriferous
gravel beds, would suffice to suggest the
idea Of cause and effect and lead to such
theory in explanation as that presented above.
Indeed, a similar theory has been more than
once timdly advanced by Calfornians, and
the unscicntific miner has often noticed phe-
nomena which led him to adopt the crude
notion that gold increases, or grows" The
hypothesis that the gold of the alluvial and
dluvial deposits was distributed through
them from decomposed vein-rocks, has al
ways seemed to us insufficient to account for
the immense amount of that metal which is
found scattered throughout the entire noun
without the least apparent connection with
external causes. Generally the gold found
in quartz exists either in the form of fine
threads, in particles so minute as to be in
visible, or in combination with sulphurets
whereas the diIuvial deposits reveal the
metal in spangles or scales Of such size that
to believe they all proceeded from veins we
must adopt the rather violent theory that
gold occurred in the largest quantities and
masses at the tops of veins, which were long
since worn away.
But we had no intention of discussing a
question which has long employed the ablest
scientific minds without their being able to
arrive at a definite conclusion. 1t is prob
able some of the intelligent quartz miners
of Nevada county could present facts calcu-
lated to throw some light on the subject,
and to correct or substantiate the views
above expressed.