The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-03-17
Something About Gold.

GOLD is found Sparlngly In many hard
rocks, such as granite, mica-slate, chloritc-
slate, and clay slate, and sometimes even
in limestone and other similar rocks 1t
occurs far more abundantly in quartz, pure
unmixed flint, or slick. In igneOus or
mctamOrphic rocks, the quartz usually oc-
ours in veins. or in large, irregular
punches or Jumps, with veins diverging
from them. These veins are most com
monty only few feet wide, and for the
most part traverse the rocks in vertical
or highly inclined position. Sometimes,
however, veins or irregular masses occur
many yards across in every direction :;
and sometimes, but very rarely, quartz is
fOund in such abundance as to make what
even might be called hills of itself The
gold is disseminated in this quartz, some
times in such exceedingly minute particles
as to be invisible, not only to the naked
eye, but even to the eye aided by power
ful lens. Most commonly, the goldis seen
as little yellow specks, flakes, or grains
scattered through the quartz. When the
quartz has crystalline structure, which
1T often has, little nests of gold, like
wise crystalline, may be seen embed
ded between the interlacing crys-
tails of the quartz. Where the in
terstlces in the quartz are large, these
are sometimes entirely filled up with gold !;
but not untrequently irregular holes and
crevlces seem to have been formed in the
quartz by decomposition or rottenness,
which have sometimes been subsequently,
filed with gold In these cases, the gold
assumes irregular forms, such as melted
lead will when poured into water-forms
which have given people the idea OF the
gold having been deposited in state of
fusion, q notion in all probability utterly
unfounded. How the gold got i'm the
quartz, is point at present so uncertain,
that no man of science would take upon
himself the responsibility of answering
the question. The size Of the irregular
Jumps thus entangled in the quartz varies
greatly, the largest hitherto known single
lump in the world being an Australian
one of 2. 1876 ounces weight 1t is, how
ever, usually found i'm small flakes, grains,
anddentrific strings, weighing only few
grains.
Whenever the moving waters of the
sea, by which drift-materials were formed
and deposited, attacked rock containing
gold. 1t would of course break off Jumps
of 1t, just as of any other rock, and equal
ly wash, roll, and knock 1t about and
thus break it into smaller fragments round
1t into pebbles, and grind it into sand In
this way, much of the gold would be
Knocked out of the rock, and much water
worn gold accumulated, or water worn
fragments of gold and quartz together.
From this point of time, however, there
is a remarkable difference observable in
the action of the water on the gold, and
on the rock which contains no gold All
kinds OF rock, or earth, or stone. at all
events all the common kinds, are pretty
nearly of the same specific gravity-that
is to say, OF the same weight, bulk for
bulk. Chalk, clay, limestone, compact
sandstone, granite, MARBLE basalt. have
all specific gravities varying from to q
that is, they are twice or thrice the
weight of their bulk of water.
Pure gold has specific gravity of 10, or
is nineteen times as heavy as its bulk OF
water; and the most impure ore of gold
that occurs in nature has at least specific
gravity of 12 to Is. Gold is about six or
seven times as heavy as quartz, or any
other stone it is likely to be associated
with. The consequence Of this is, that
moylng water has at least seven times less
power over it-less power to move it
along, either suspended in the water or
rolling along its bed When the drift,
'hcroiofe, was formed, vast quantities OF
stone might be moved to great distances,
while the gold was left behind, not far
from its native site. All the large Jumps
OF gold will certainly be but little re-
moved, as also all the large Jumps OF
quartz, heavily freighted with gold
TRAINS OF gold and small Jumps may be
carried further, while scale gold and fine
dust, especially if flat and thin, may be
carried To very considerable distances
Norgaa's British 7Fade Journal.