Rocks that contain gold are a common finding in many areas. They can be found in igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks, and sedimentary rocks.
Quartz is the most common mineral in which gold is found. You can spot it by looking for veins of quartz in cliffs and rock faces or weathered chunks of quartz on the ground.
Schist
Schist is a metamorphic rock that started out as mud before being transformed by heat and pressure. It’s one of the most common types of metamorphic rocks on Earth and can be found in a wide variety of settings. The ideal place to look for schist is in mountainous regions where metamorphic rock has been exposed on the surface of the Earth.
Schist begins with a clay-rich protolith that has the necessary chemistry to be transformed by heat and pressure into platy minerals like mica and chlorite. These minerals are the key to determining the texture of a schist.
The next step in creating schist is compression. When huge masses of rock are compressed together, they create enormous amounts of stress and heat. This allows the original minerals of the protolith to gradually transform into more stable and resistant to higher pressures. These minerals can become elongated and oriented in the direction of maximum stress (known as preferential orientation) which gives the rock its unique schistose texture.
There are a lot of different minerals that can form during a schist’s metamorphism process, but the most common ones include muscovite, biotite, and chlorite. In addition, quartz and feldspar can also be present in a schist depending on the chemical composition of the metamorphic rock.
During the metamorphic process, these minerals are often able to get stuck in the matrix of the rock. This is called porphyroblast formation and it can make the rock very interesting to look at. It can also help you understand the rock’s metamorphic path.
Another highlight of schist is the large gemstone minerals that often get incorporated into the rock. These large crystals often disrupt the schistose texture and give it a very different look from other schists.
These gem minerals can be very colorful and they often come in a variety of sizes. For example, garnet can be very small or incredibly large.
In some places, schist has the ability to contain gold within its structure. This is particularly true in the Otago Schist belt in New Zealand, where a number of different deposits have been produced and some still are.
Slate
Slate is a type of metamorphic rock that has a dull luster. It is usually gray, but can be brown, green, red, or purple. It is composed of mainly quartz and muscovite or illite, and it often contains other minerals such as biotite, chlorite, hematite, pyrite, apatite, and graphite.
Slates are formed when shale-type sedimentary rocks undergo low-grade regional metamorphism in the Earth’s crust. The original clay minerals in the shale change to micas with increasing pressure and temperature during metamorphism. This foliated, fine-grained rock can be split into thin slabs that are widely used for roofing purposes.
The slate cleavage that gives slate its strength and durability occurs as the result of intense geological forces associated with mountain-building movements. The cleavage does not correspond to the bedding planes of the original sedimentary rock, but it may cross them at high angles to form horizontal slabs that can be easily split into thinner slabs.
Unlike phyllite, which is metamorphosed by only slightly higher temperatures and pressures than the original sedimentary rock, slates are progressively metamorphosed by more intense heat and pressure during their development. This process produces a sequence of foliated metamorphic rock types that can include phyllite, schist, and gneiss.
In a previous article, we introduced the term “metamorphism” and discussed how it can affect a rock’s physical and chemical properties. Today, we are going to learn more about the rock that demonstrates this phenomenon most dramatically: slate!
Like most metamorphic rocks, slates are primarily composed of silicates. These are compounds made of silicon and oxygen, and they mainly contain the minerals quartz and muscovite (mica), as well as illite (clay).
Minerals found in slate can include biotite, chlorite, iron oxide, hematite, pyrite, and apatite. These minerals are accompanied by mineral spots, which are usually spherical or ovoid and can appear when the rock is exposed to stress.
Slate is a common type of metamorphic rock that is popular for many different uses, including chalkboards and roofing tiles. It is also a very expensive material to produce and install, so it’s important that students understand how to use it properly and responsibly.
Quartz
Quartz is a mineral that can be found in a variety of colors. Some of the most common include clear, colorless quartz, which is commonly known as rock crystal or clear quartz; milky white quartz, which is sometimes called calcite; pink quartz, or rose quartz; yellow quartz, or citrine; green quartz, or praseolite; and brown quartz, or jasper.
Quartz can be found as nodules, concretionary masses, or layered deposits. It occurs in various mineral forms, such as flint and chert, which were used by early people as tools for thousands of years. It also can be found in geodes, where it is often used to line the inner lining of the formation.
Aside from its use as a stone, quartz is often mined for gold. Gold-bearing quartz is typically found in hard rock mines, such as those that produce gold nuggets, throughout the world. Some of the most common gold-bearing quartz veins are found in Alaska, Canada, California, the Western United States, and Australia.
When prospecting for gold in a quartz vein, look at the natural cracks and lines of the rock. It is very common for gold to occur along these cracks and lines, especially when the quartz vein is running along a linear structure.
It is also a good idea to check for signs of water flow, as this can be a big indicator of gold in quartz. For example, if you are in an area of the country where streams run, look for any quartz stones on or near the banks of the stream. If they are not eroded by the water, then it is likely that gold was deposited in this area.
In addition to gold, quartz can contain other minerals as well. These can include copper, titanium, iron, manganese, and other metals.
Some of these minerals can alter the way the quartz is formed. This can result in a variety of colored quartz including amethyst, citrine, opal, rose, smoky quartz, and other gemstones.
Many of the most beautiful gemstones have been created from quartz, such as the lothair crystal and the carved glass vases used by the Fatimid Empire in Egypt. In addition to jewelry, quartz has been used for hardstone carving, including engraved gems and cameo gems.
Pyrite
Pyrite is a mineral that contains iron sulfide, and it is a popular gold ore. This sulfide can also contain other minerals such as copper, nickel and cobalt.
When pyrite crystallizes in sedimentary rocks, it is formed from a combination of pore water with a high concentration of sulfate and a local anerobic (reducing) chemical environment. The reducing chemical environment is created by organic decay, which consumes oxygen and releases sulfur in the pore water.
In the sedimentary environment, pyrite can form under conditions that include the presence of an abundant supply of iron and an absence of oxygen. Normally, pyrite forms in dark-colored organic-rich sediments such as coal and black shale, which are common in sedimentary rock formations.
However, pyrite can also be found in fresh-water sedimentary environments. It is formed in the diagenetic process, when sediments are transformed into rock. During this process, pyrite is formed by an authigenic process, which occurs in early diagenetic deposits.
As a result of this process, pyrite is commonly found in sedimentary rocks where it is often associated with fossils and other organic material. This is because pyrite can replace organic materials in the sediments to create interesting and unique fossils that look like plant remains.
Some pyrite deposits are rich in gold, as it often co-forms with pyrite in similar sedimentary rock types, under the same reducing conditions. When these gold-bearing pyrite and gold deposits are mined together, they often produce a large amount of sulfide and carbonate.
This sulfide and carbonate can also be mixed with other minerals such as calcite or marcasite to produce a new polymorph of pyrite, called marcasite. The resulting marcasite mineral has a different crystal structure and is a bit more rare than the pyrite mineral.
One of the most important sulfides in the world, pyrite is mined around the globe for its metallic luster and gold-like coloration. It is widely used in glass and solar cell technology.
Pyrite is considered a strong protective stone that shields people from negative energy and environmental pollutants. It also helps improve physical well-being by enhancing the second and third chakras.