Small Scale Gold Bearing Mountains

The types of mountains that are more likely to have gold in them are the very old mountains or the new mountains. Mountains that are in between these two do not seem to produce very much. Within the United States this would mean that the mountains in the Tertiary or Quaternary age are good options to go after. In the case of a geologist this definitely means something, however it is not easy for an everyday prospector to tell a Tertiary by just looking at a hole in the ground. Some of the best places to find placers are on the eastern and southern slopes of the Ortiz Mountains; the gold comes about in both creek and mesa gravels. The best gravels can be found on the eastern slope of the mountains in the surrounding area of Dolores and Cunningham Gulch. In these places the gold is in mesa gravels that are the higher part of an old debris fan shaped at the orifice of Cunningham Gulch. Considerable quantities of gold have also been obtained from creek gravels in Dolores Gulch and Arroyo Viejo. If you have the right type of mountain range, the formation of a particular mountain is what is most important. In the case of younger mountains, they are more prone to earthquakes and earthquakes cause them to have faults which are the observable confirmation of an earthquake.