How to identify raw silver and silver ore_(What silver bearing rock looks like)

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 24. 08. 2019
  • What do natural raw silver and silver minerals look like in rocks? What does silver ore really look like? In this video you will learn about silver bearing rock identification. You will see lots of high grade silver ore, but also some more moderate grades of ore as well. I will show examples of ores that are both easy to see the silver bearing minerals and ones that are more difficult to see.
    The initial prospectors at Virginia City ignored their silver because they didn't recognize it.
    For those who want to learn more about Prospecting and finding gold check out my book, Fists full of Gold. It’s an encyclopedia of everything on the topic of prospecting. It’s available on from High Plains Prospectors. (Affiliate) You can find it at:
    highplainsprospectors.com/pro...
    For even more information on prospecting, minerals, gems and other related information you can also check out my website at:
    nevada-outback-gems.com/prospe...
    Here is a link to my series of videos on successfully detecting gold nuggets with a metal detector.
    • Secrets of Nugget dete...
    Here are a few videos I have done about hard rock gold ores:
    • Identifying gold ores:...
  • Krátké a kreslené filmy

Komentáře • 457

  • @DiamondMinerIvins
    @DiamondMinerIvins Před 4 lety +2

    I learned something today watching this! I’ll be sure and watch more of your videos. You got another subscriber!!!

  • @idontknowmyfirstname69
    @idontknowmyfirstname69 Před 2 lety +1

    Thank you for making this video. Wasn't looking for this but finding it was perfectly timed

  • @michaelrowlandson8488
    @michaelrowlandson8488 Před 3 lety +1

    Chris thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Super appreciated for those of us that learn best by doing!

  • @are8189
    @are8189 Před 4 lety +7

    Thank you Chris, for taking the time to educate us, your passion for the theme is legendary!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @FlashInYourPan
    @FlashInYourPan Před 4 lety +5

    very cool video, Chris. Nice lesson on silver Ores.

  • @BayouCityImage
    @BayouCityImage Před 3 lety +2

    Great video. This shows the complexity and rarity of how silver is mined. So the silver squeeze is on! This shows how rare and valuable silver is and how it is undervalued.

  • @slackwaterplacer
    @slackwaterplacer Před 4 lety +1

    Well done ! I'm excited to view the rest of your videos.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Glad you hear you enjoyed the video. Many more are in the planning stages too.

  • @FunDumb
    @FunDumb Před 4 lety +1

    Very informative, I'm so happy to have found your channel.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Glad it was helpful! - I've got a lot more videos also.

  • @crohkorthreetoes3821
    @crohkorthreetoes3821 Před 4 lety +1

    Very useful information, Thank you. Helps explain some very unimpressive looking ore I collected from a supposedly rich area earlier this summer.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the kind words.

  • @dannywilson6399
    @dannywilson6399 Před 3 lety +3

    Thank you Chris for sharing your knowledge

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @DaleDuffy
    @DaleDuffy Před 4 lety +3

    Very interesting video....thanks again Chris...!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @jamesriggsdds2337
    @jamesriggsdds2337 Před rokem

    Chris, Your book is everything you said it was and then some. Great book!

  • @franciscoosuna259
    @franciscoosuna259 Před 4 lety +1

    Thank you for the video Chris. Decades ago I grew up in southern Arizona. My fathers side arriving in the Tucson area around 1780, and my mothers side in Santa Fe in 1626. My father would tell me about the various mines in the area and I would often go out adventuring. One day I was in my Chevy El Camino with my rifle, and miles from nowhere in the wilderness and I came across a blue-black rock laying on top of the dirt. It was crystaline, each "sand" crystal was about 1/32" on a side. I don't remember if it was cubic or other polygon. It was about the size of my fist and fairly round, very heavy for it's size, and very loosely held together. It held together a little better than a handful of blueblack wet sand formed it into a ball. If I were to strike it against a tree it would break apart into hundreds of pieces.There was a slight sparkle of the crystals in the sunlight, definitely not grey, but a dark blue/black color. When I picked it up it split about in half and I put the larger piece on the vinyl floor of the Camino cab. I basically forgot about for several weeks and motion of the car reduced it almost to a pile of sand. i.e. it made a mess and I tossed it out. Now I was thinking it was Galena, but the reference photo's of Galena had large crystals and a very hard appearance. This stuff would soil your hand as though pick up a piece of charcoal. What are the possible minerals that it could have been? Any guess is better than mine.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Based only on your verbal description there are dozens of possible minerals. It hard to tell minerals from a good photo, pretty much impossible from a verbal description.

  • @FdUpNews
    @FdUpNews Před 4 lety

    Thanks for the great knowledge. Great video!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @area46241
    @area46241 Před 4 lety

    Fantastic video series! Loved it info packed

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Very soon I will be coming out with a similar video on Platinum and platinum ores. Glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @DaleDuffy
    @DaleDuffy Před 4 lety

    Thanks Chris, fantastic video...!

  • @cowboygeologist7772
    @cowboygeologist7772 Před 4 lety +2

    Oh cool, I have that book. Nice exAMPles of silver in the video.

  • @imeldajadulco7579
    @imeldajadulco7579 Před 3 lety +1

    Thank you for being generous in sharing your knowledge to us.The same are very useful on our adventure- prospecting someday.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      Best of luck to you in your future efforts.

    • @luhstephen6782
      @luhstephen6782 Před 3 lety

      Hi chris, can u please help me?

    • @luhstephen6782
      @luhstephen6782 Před 3 lety

      I wish to ask if I can sample some of my silver ores for ur observation and remarks on whether or not it also contains gold.

  • @nhragold1922
    @nhragold1922 Před 4 lety +6

    Great video! Silver is overlooked by 95% of people!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +3

      Very true... Glad you enjoyed the video.

    • @morrisl7
      @morrisl7 Před 4 lety

      cus its worth 95% less

  • @davidwilson3525
    @davidwilson3525 Před 11 měsíci

    Chris Thank you for taking the time to educate the average joe on different minerals and ores and where to find them. I bought a copy of your book and it is very cheap for the amount of information you wrote. After reading I realize how valuable this book is and I would have paid a lot more money because it is worth a lot more than what you ask for it. I dont believe anybody would disagree that your book is way more valuable than what you ask for it. Thanks again for your hard work in publishing this book to educate me. It would be an honor to meet you.
    David Wilson

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 11 měsíci

      Thanks for the kind words. I used to appear at the GPAA gold shows but they did not have any in 2023.

  • @asmaremengistu2449
    @asmaremengistu2449 Před 2 lety +1

    Very interesting lesson. Thank you

  • @glentimmins7560
    @glentimmins7560 Před 4 lety +1

    Awesome cool information on silver! Not much talked about. Thanks!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +2

      Thanks for the kind words. In the coming weeks, I'll add a similar video on Platinum and another on diamonds.

    • @glentimmins7560
      @glentimmins7560 Před 4 lety

      @@ChrisRalph thanks! I'm up in British Columbia and new to gold panning prospecting..ect thanks you give out real information on all your vids..thx

  • @Zandanga
    @Zandanga Před 3 lety

    That "ruby" silver sample was gorgeous looking ... would look great polished up as is ... thanks for your instructional videos.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      You are so welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @NikLyons
    @NikLyons Před 2 lety

    Definitely digging this topic 🪨

  • @DaleDuffy
    @DaleDuffy Před 4 lety +2

    Need to learn more about Silver, being in Arizona, hopefully I can locate some one of these day.....thanks again, Chris...!

  • @709badwolf
    @709badwolf Před 4 lety

    i found that this video contains a lot of great information,,,,
    i’m hoping to put this to good use soon!
    thanks!
    👍

  • @jamalac738
    @jamalac738 Před rokem

    Thanks Chris for sharing all your smarts with us

  • @gonebarefoot69
    @gonebarefoot69 Před 4 lety +4

    Thanks for posting this. Id love to find some Colorado Silver someday. Cheers

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +2

      I'm glad you enjoyed the video. More videos on silver are coming in 2020.

  • @charlesdean1542
    @charlesdean1542 Před 4 lety +3

    Love the video great job and I have to get the book

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +2

      Amazon didn't plan it right, so they are temporarily out of stock. They will have more copies back in stock in just a few days. Glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @capt.bart.roberts4975
    @capt.bart.roberts4975 Před 9 měsíci

    Thanks for your hard won knowledge.

  • @RockingJOffroad
    @RockingJOffroad Před 4 lety +12

    Chris, I live in southern Arizona, which is very rich in silver ores along with lead, gold and copper. I have always ignored the silver and lead ores just because as a sole prospector I feel it isn’t economically extractable, I primarily concentrate on the gold values. The information you provided has been helpful. A lot of the mines around here are abandoned and known as silver or lead mines. I usually examine these looking for possible higher grade gold deposits. Maybe I need to assay some of the silver/ lead ores also.

    • @zachre4310
      @zachre4310 Před rokem

      Can i join you some time im in tucson would love to and 4 eye look then 2

    • @frontlinemedia4270
      @frontlinemedia4270 Před rokem

      What mines do you go to in AZ?

    • @ericclayton6287
      @ericclayton6287 Před rokem +1

      Don’t forget the specimen market.

    • @stumblezgruwell8923
      @stumblezgruwell8923 Před 9 měsíci

      Thanks for the info! I live around a lot of gold and silver mines in kern county, CA and i find a lot of stuff out and about that ive always wondered about. This cleared up some things. How do you get specimens tested and extracted? Because trying to figure it out on my own has proven to be a mission! Lol. What you have said in your video about it, keeps getting past me.

  • @purandharkubanooraya493

    Thank you so much ..to teach how we can look around ..it was truly interesting..

  • @joehanson762
    @joehanson762 Před 3 lety

    Good info, on silvers in different forms.

  • @renewood9317
    @renewood9317 Před 2 lety

    New subscriber. Very helpful! I will be purchasing your book. I do have many questions and will try to organize them first. Rock/silver hunting is my new found hobby! Thank you so much.

  • @hardrockuniversity7283

    As you may know, Eva is much more interested in silver than gold. She enjoyed it very much. Thank you.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před rokem

      Its been one of my more popular videos since it came out a few years ago.

  • @markbunker5934
    @markbunker5934 Před 3 lety +1

    Thank you for the lesson.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @kdjo2074
    @kdjo2074 Před 4 lety

    Very good teacher to a novice....Very interesting....great job.

  • @jduff59
    @jduff59 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for the fascination info. It takes a ton of effort to identify and refine Silver, and it makes me appreciate how easy it is to just buy a Silver bar or coin. I think I'll leave the rest to heartier folks. I spend most of my extra cash on Silver and collect Silver coins, and I think it's important to learn a little about how we get this from the ground. It's not just someone tripping over a 100 kilo lump of silver and yelling "Eureka". But this makes looking at the rocks you find on hikes in a different lens - you might have a piece of Silver ore in your hand!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety +1

      Knowing more about silver is a good thing.

  • @Smithsgold
    @Smithsgold Před 4 lety +1

    Great job on the video !!!!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Glad you hear you enjoyed the video.

  • @bartonthom4166
    @bartonthom4166 Před 2 lety

    Chris I enjoy your videos and learning from you.

  • @trevorwhat
    @trevorwhat Před 4 lety +8

    Superior video, Chris. Big thanks for putting it together.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the kind words.

  • @lelandgregory5897
    @lelandgregory5897 Před rokem

    Great job very good video thank you much !!

  • @rodparker6530
    @rodparker6530 Před rokem

    The frog and birds in the backyard are a nice touch

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před rokem

      I dont live in the heart of the city.....

  • @bobwerner6512
    @bobwerner6512 Před 4 lety +1

    very nice thank you I come from the Selkirk mountains of BC the ores are very interesting

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Yours is a very interesting part of the planet.

  • @metalblack4697
    @metalblack4697 Před 11 měsíci

    👍👍👍 thank you for it!

  • @NoCentsMetalDetecting
    @NoCentsMetalDetecting Před 3 lety

    Thank you for the video your real smart!

  • @DeliciousDeBlair
    @DeliciousDeBlair Před 4 lety +3

    I am a district of the country where silver has been found mingled with lead, zinc and copper, but now I think I might have some stuff that might be silver, only its so tiny I can not see it even with a digital microscope with enough clarity to be sure exactly what it is.

  • @voyagertwoband
    @voyagertwoband Před 3 lety

    Thank you Chris!

  • @debzyj376
    @debzyj376 Před 3 lety

    Enjoyed.... thank you.

  • @randallalan4221
    @randallalan4221 Před 4 lety +2

    Great video Chris and thanks for posting! Once while detecting around an old mining camp in Az. I found a quarter-size raw silver nugget and a button of Ag. The button was found while raking/detecting the bottle dump...miner must have tossed it out accidently with the trash?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Glad you enjoyed the video. Sounds like you made some exciting finds.

  • @eugenepotton9984
    @eugenepotton9984 Před 3 lety

    I really liked the video by the way.

  • @estarszak
    @estarszak Před 4 lety +2

    great video I live and work around Aspen Colorado which is known for Silver. I usually am looking for gold but I love silver too

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +2

      Glad you enjoyed the video.

    • @gabem6362
      @gabem6362 Před 4 lety +2

      South Florida has NO rocks, lol..all coral ..lucky you sir

    • @Argentum4761
      @Argentum4761 Před 3 lety

      I'm In southern Ontario near Toronto, there isnt much here either within an hour and a half radius at least

  • @ralphkinnion7470
    @ralphkinnion7470 Před 4 lety

    Very educational Thanks

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Thank you for the kind words! Glad it was helpful!

  • @katietucker2040
    @katietucker2040 Před 2 lety +1

    Hi Chris! Thank you for such a thorough and informative video. I live in Central NC. I have three creeks that run through my property. I find quartz crystals for days in those creeks. There is one that I can not identify though. It's a milky quartz with orange veining. I've found two nice points and several rocks. My property was part of an old trade path (which you can still see) and I have found so many native artifacts after plowing the garden or round pen. The creeks also have tons of a silver colored fleck (?) in them. I'm thinking this is pyrite. Would you happen to have any ideas about what the orange and white quartz could be? Thanks!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 lety +1

      Very difficult to ID minerals with a few words or even with photos. See my videos on how to ID minerals for yourself.

  • @GoGardenNow
    @GoGardenNow Před 4 lety +1

    I'd like to see a video on silver ore found in the eastern U.S. Thanks for this great video.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      I'll put it on my list but I live in the west and way easier to film here.

  • @zoltanbozzay3797
    @zoltanbozzay3797 Před 4 lety +1

    @chris ralph, professional prospector Thanks another great video. A masterclass

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Thanks for the kind words. In the coming weeks, I'll add a similar video on Platinum and another on diamonds.

  • @user-gs4ol1dd8n
    @user-gs4ol1dd8n Před rokem

    Thank you sir.

  • @henryritchie7060
    @henryritchie7060 Před 2 lety

    Very interesting.

  • @kimslater2910
    @kimslater2910 Před 2 lety

    Great video. Question..can the specimens you showed..or can silver ore sound off a metal detector???

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 lety

      Metallic silver will sound off on a metal detector. Most ores are silver containing minerals which will NOT sound off on a metal detector.

  • @ElectricianTS
    @ElectricianTS Před 4 lety

    Hey! I have 2 questions about silver: #1) Can an AT PRO detector detect the silver ores shown after the 12 minute mark? #2) Was the strandy silver at the beginning of the video found as is, or embedded in a rock and then cleaned out by dissolving the rock?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +2

      Detectors can see metallic silver, many silver ores are not metallic in form and are not seen. The "strandy" silver silver sometimes in open vug space and sometimes surrounded by rock that would be dissolved away - it just depends on the specimen as both are possible.

  • @CoinandRelicOntario
    @CoinandRelicOntario Před 10 měsíci

    Great informative video. Im lucky enough to live 6 hours from the old Cobalt mining area up in Ontario. I've amassed quite the collection of native silver. Most is mixed metal with Cobalt, Nickeline and secondary arsenides. Im sure you have some. 😁

  • @Meowmix4U
    @Meowmix4U Před 2 lety

    Thanks Chris, very interesting. I found a non-ferrous (not magnetic) chunk of something in the Silver City area of Idaho. Heavy for its size but looks rather like rusty iron. I'm hesitant to scrape it or damage it. I've heard you can put silver on an ice cube and it will readily melt into the ice cube. What would that tell me to differentiate from say a melted aluminum beer can? Is there a safe chemical bath i can drop my sample into to clean the surface? Thanks again.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 lety +2

      The ice cube is not a test that can tell you anything useful. If it looks like rusty iron, its probably an iron mineral - not all iron minerals are magnetic.

  • @boydbros.3659
    @boydbros.3659 Před 4 lety +9

    How about a video on X-ray fluorescent (XRF) analyzers?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +4

      I know of them and have operated a few, but at about $35,000 apiece to start, I certainly dont own one. If I did a video on one I'd need to get hold of one. Perhaps one of these days.

  • @tombeilman5579
    @tombeilman5579 Před 4 lety

    Have you tried smelting silver ore and is is a good enough grade to make jewelry with like sterling. I am looking for silver ore around Kingman

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Smelting efforts coming up in the next month or two.

  • @strattuner
    @strattuner Před 4 lety

    CHRIS thanks for uploading the presentation on silver,and looking at your slides of different specimens you have concluded my theory on this metal and what it travels with in the geohydrothermal liquid mixes which it congregates with due entirely on temperature,i've concluded that gold, beings it liquefies at higher temp than silver and platinum it is just a smaller by product of movement in the rivers of superheated water mix that moves the metals and the other sauce,this explains gems and their congregation of other valuable stones all together,due to high temp leaching,thank you very much,you have found my missing link to my theory,i've seen strange samples out of the northern Arizona and southern tip areas around nev,coupled with the weird shaped sample of ribbon gold I found in el cajon area,its making sense now,thanks again

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Silver and gold actually dissolve in the hot sulfur water, just as sugar dissolves in regular water.

    • @strattuner
      @strattuner Před 4 lety +1

      that explains a lot, I never set thru a college course for geology,many books,but talking about this topic is a classroom setting would have been helpful,so it is about the water,i got thinking ,its rained 100000 times in a couple hundred thousand years,magma makes a move and superheats the rain water 100's of feet down and it can't escape fast enough so it superheats and moves all of the metals In suspension and runs it in veins till it cools,pay streak,thanks CHRIS,makes sense

  • @jakeklasen3406
    @jakeklasen3406 Před rokem

    hi chris, i have some interesting objects that i found in lake erie, is there anyway i can get you to look at them? maybe through your website? thanks, great job on your videos!

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před rokem

      Identifying minerals from photos is nearly impossible, so I do not offer a photo ID service.

  • @kenjett2434
    @kenjett2434 Před 4 lety

    As a GPAA club member I have found a number of specimens of silver ore in Glacial Drift. It's somewhat common while doing recreational gold mining if you know what to watch for.

  • @Btn1136
    @Btn1136 Před 2 lety

    Damn I did find silver in my backyard. Thanks from Arizona

  • @equatedpro
    @equatedpro Před 3 lety

    hey chris, can i show you some rocks I have? i feel like i got something important here but cant seem to figure out what... if so where can i send you the pictures? Thanks for the informative video btw...

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      I get so many, many requests for personal help, advice, training, review, mineral ID, etc. - every day - I simply cannot get involved with all the requests. I have plenty of my own projects to work on. Watch my videos on how to identify minerals for yourself. Start with - czcams.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/video.html Best of luck to you.

  • @byronscott4537
    @byronscott4537 Před 2 lety

    Hi Chris ! Thanks for the All the Very Informative Data on Silver & Silver Ore ! Appreciate it and Your Laid Back Style Very Much! I Live in Weiser,Idaho, about 60 Mi. North of Boise, Right on the Snake River ! Parts of this Area have been found to have significant Copper Ore, Would those Areas be a Good place to check for Silver in the Copper Mine Ore Tailings if any ? We also have an Old Mercury Mine in the Hills Behind town ! Thanks again ! Scotty ! ( Byron Scott )

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 lety

      Not all copper ore has much silver. Focus on areas with significant historic silver production.

  • @maranti34b
    @maranti34b Před 4 lety +1

    The Grosh Bros. discovered the Comstock Lode. In a letter home that survived, one of the brothers told his parents back east that they had found several lodes, one of them "a perfect monster of a lode." They knew it to be a great silver lode.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +2

      True, but I dont think they found any of the high grade. It only outcropped at the Ophir.

  • @jacobh707
    @jacobh707 Před 4 lety

    Did you know your audio on your videos is only coming out of the left channel? Meaning only the left speaker/headphone has sound. Try setting your video render settings to Mono Audio that should fix it. Love your videos! Your book Fists full of Gold has sat in my amazon wish list for a couple years. After stumbling across your great videos recently I finally was motivated to purchase it!

  • @stumblezgruwell8923
    @stumblezgruwell8923 Před 9 měsíci

    Thanks for the info! I live around a lot of gold and silver mines in kern county, CA and i find a lot of stuff out and about that ive always wondered about. This cleared up some things. How do you get specimens tested and extracted? Because trying to figure it out on my own has proven to be a mission! Lol. What you have said in your video about it, keeps getting past me.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 9 měsíci

      There are geochemical testing labs also called assay labs that exist and do these tests. You can find some with Google. The testing is not cheap.

  • @billhuman448
    @billhuman448 Před 4 lety

    you do KNOW your Gold/Silver etc Thank you for your advice

  • @fritzschwanserhauser2266
    @fritzschwanserhauser2266 Před 4 lety +1

    I think I’ve seen some of these silver compound minerals up near an old mining town called Winfield, Co.! Perhaps the miners there , lacking a metal detector and geological ID skills, discarded some of these ores in waste piles! Many of the rocks there are superly heavy although I’m not sure they would sound the detector alarm.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Sounds like you need some assays. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @eugenepotton9984
    @eugenepotton9984 Před 3 lety +1

    Hi Chris, say I have land in Montana and was digging for retaining wall fill and hit a a few good size veins. I need help on verifiing the type of silver and gold I found. I did have it essays at ALS in Nevada.
    Were can a person have this stuff processed. And get a good return out of it? I do have some pictures of the ore and I am really curious on the types of minerals I have. How can I send them to You with my questions?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      Good luck to you in your efforts. I get many requests for help every day and simply do not have time. I have my own projects I want to work on. Read and study to learn. There are very few custom ore processors as it is not a very profitable business.

  • @stevesmith8887
    @stevesmith8887 Před 3 lety

    Thank you buddy

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      No problem 👍 Glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @mikeburrill779
    @mikeburrill779 Před rokem

    Great video kinda confusing but I'm less than a novice. Great video 👍👍👍

  • @fredfarkell1
    @fredfarkell1 Před 3 lety

    I thought the 16-1 mine was in cali and a gold mine,are they also in nev mining silver?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety +2

      Two different mines with the same name. One in California, one in Nevada.

  • @tomiswolf
    @tomiswolf Před 2 měsíci

    my left ear loved this video

    • @tomiswolf
      @tomiswolf Před 2 měsíci

      although right feels very lonely

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 měsíci +1

      Its possible your system needs adjusting to hear in both ears. Its not true stereo.

  • @abt2grn
    @abt2grn Před 2 měsíci

    Hey, I am new to identifying different minerals... I seem to find a lot of good material, just not 100% sure what I have. Would you be able to help me figure out what I have, thanks.. love the videos, I've learned a great deal from you.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 měsíci

      - I get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. I do not offer a mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture. Please watch my videos on how to Identify minerals for yourself. Part 1 can be found here: czcams.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/video.html and Part 2 can be found here: czcams.com/video/zOWo49X90gA/video.html and Part 3 can be found here: czcams.com/video/_ab5NngRlVw/video.html - Those videos should answer a lot of your questions.

  • @bob_frazier
    @bob_frazier Před 7 měsíci

    Thanks! Would love to see some of that blue black muck.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 7 měsíci +1

      Think more in terms of very fine black sand rather than a dark colored clay.

    • @bob_frazier
      @bob_frazier Před 7 měsíci

      @@ChrisRalph Thanks! Guess Im not sitting on the next Bonanza then!

  • @kylec4708
    @kylec4708 Před 3 lety

    Most of your examples are from NV and CA,, does the silver and silver ore on the East coast look similar?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      Yes, but there is very little silver ore on the east coast, as it's just not the right geology.

  • @loriwoolford6552
    @loriwoolford6552 Před 2 lety

    Would these speculums Register on your gold/silver detector?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 lety

      These specimens are metal and would register on a metal detector.

  • @chriswertz1438
    @chriswertz1438 Před 2 lety

    Thank you, overwhelming to be sure.

  • @GG-ud1ib
    @GG-ud1ib Před 3 lety

    @Chris Ralph I found a specimen of Ruby Silver on my property and was wondering if there are any steps I could take to keep it from changing colors. I thought if I placed it in and airtight plexiglass case with an oxygen exorber? Do you think that would work? 1 3/4in x 1 1/2in x 1 1/4in is the size of the specimen and I believe there is more I have yet to unearth because of it appears to have broken off of a larger sample.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety +1

      Airtight and in the dark - the light converts a small part of the ruby silver to metallic silver which darkens the specimen.

    • @GG-ud1ib
      @GG-ud1ib Před 3 lety

      @@ChrisRalph would UV protection on the plexiglass work? I would like to display it, it is attractive, otherwise it will go the way of my jewelry... in the safe and never een. Lol. Btw thank you for share your kn9wledge. I watch and review your video's often. Living in Ca, on the county line of Nevada and Yuba. I have a lot of time and 20 acres off mine 35 acres of the folks next door and BLM Land just minutes away.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety +1

      I dont know the wave length that causes the problem - so no idea of UV only would do the trick. Lots of gold gold in both Yuba and Nevada counties.

  • @colemanwalsh7477
    @colemanwalsh7477 Před 4 lety +1

    Who else came here cause they may of found silver ore but is not a professional.. so needed to learn more ways to identify it

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      Get a chemical assay and then you will know for sure.

  • @burningflower2627
    @burningflower2627 Před 3 lety

    Could you please enlighten me about shale colors ranging from white, black, brown. It is within the presence of red clay, quartz, and a yellowing leaching out of the groung around it.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety

      Colors dont really mean much. Lots of minerals come in many colors. Watch my videos on how to identify minerals for yourself. Start with - czcams.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/video.html Best of luck to you.

  • @frankzahn7773
    @frankzahn7773 Před 4 lety +2

    Very nice presentation on silver ore. I tried to refine a small chunk of silver chloride ore with no luck. Maybe it wasn't what they said it was. On another note in the ICMJ magazine you said you would try make a formula to strip gold from gold plated objects. Are you still going to do it?? Thanks for the silver video.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      I did something like that a couple years back. Hydrochloric with copper chloride will dissolve most metals leaving the gold plate behind.

    • @frankzahn7773
      @frankzahn7773 Před 4 lety

      @@ChrisRalph That would work for small pins but not for objects with a lot of base metal. In the Jan. issue of ICMJ, you said you would look into a gold plate solvent using a sodium thiosulfate solution. I've been waiting all to find out if you could do it. No pressure, you where probably to busy or forgot about it. Thanks anyway.

  • @Horns-knowledge
    @Horns-knowledge Před 3 lety

    Thank you
    very useful
    35:08 do you agree that a lot of those nuggets could be found only in rivers !!!!???

  • @vriddle79
    @vriddle79 Před rokem

    While I appreciate your video. I do have one question. Do all of these specimens sound off on a metal detector? I know iron sulfides do not, but now I'm wondering about silver sulfides.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před rokem

      Iron sulfides do not show up on a metal detector because they are not metal. Same thing for galena - it's not lead. Same for other sulfides including silver. There are a few odd exceptions but they are rare.

  • @sherrielder2563
    @sherrielder2563 Před 3 lety

    I have a rock that looks like it has gold and silver chunks peaking through. How can I really determine/?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 3 lety +1

      I get many, many requests from all over the world for mineral ID, help, assistance, training, advice, etc. I have said in a number of videos - pictures are not nearly as helpful for identification as you would think. I did this video to help folks learn to ID minerals for themselves - czcams.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/video.html
      I have many projects, obligations and commitments of my own, so my answer to you will be the same as everyone else - I wish you the best of luck with your own project, but I cannot be of assistance.

  • @DaleDuffy
    @DaleDuffy Před 4 lety

    The picture at 21:19 is what I've seen quite a bit of, but never thought it to have anything to do with Silver. I'll be paying more attention in the future.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Its hard to identify minerals just with photos. Sometimes several minerals will look similar. Glad you enjoyed the video.

  • @DigginIt
    @DigginIt Před 4 lety

    Nice job my Friend, Keep it up!
    Good Luck & Happy Huntin' All! :)
    Lee

  • @franciscoosuna259
    @franciscoosuna259 Před 4 lety +1

    Chris, thank you for your reply to my previous question. Regarding your story on the Comstock Lode. A story from an old timer that had lived in the Southwest as long as my family: Henry Comstock was perturbed at the blue-black sand that was clogging his rocker in search for gold. Henry was tossing the sand to the side of his dig as tailings trash. Until a Mexican miner, that actually had mining experience, walked past his trash heap and exclaimed "Mucho Plata" i.e. "lots of silver". And, that is why Comstock's next mining claim was named "the Mexican."

  • @bobbysweeney5377
    @bobbysweeney5377 Před rokem

    Some of the silver ore looks like itd be easily confused with magnetite. I have some stuff thats super heavy and only minimally magnetic in spots, but i think it might be silver ore. Is there a way to assay at home myself?

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před rokem +1

      A cheap home assay for silver just doesn't exist. Silver ores are not magnetic at all, so if it is even minimally magnetic, its likely not silver. There are hundreds of dark colored minerals, only a small handful of which contain silver, so just that its dark colored is not really an indicator.

    • @bobbysweeney5377
      @bobbysweeney5377 Před rokem

      @@ChrisRalph ah that's unfortunate about the ease of home assaying. It's definitely not the material itself that is magnetic, but something in with it. I don't doubt thst I haven't found a speck of precious metals in my 40 years. Lol
      I do have this piece of quartz I'm looking at now that has these little blackish (tarnished) 1/4" long wires all through it but the metal in the wires that isn't tarnished and oxidized so heavily, almost has a brassy or copper-i sh to a golden color. None of the quarts has green mineralization at all though. Just some orange/red on a side. Like I said, no clue what it is, but it sure is cool

    • @karhukivi
      @karhukivi Před 11 měsíci

      You could try a small amount of the powdered ore in hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid in the USA). If it is a sulphide, there will be a smell of rotten eggs (H2S) but if silver is present, the acid will go cloudy with a whitish colour. That might be silver chloride (AgCl) which is insoluble, and most metal chlorides are soluble. Other minerals might not dissolve in the HCl at all, so not a very good test, just one of several you might do. Another is to use a charcoal block, a blowpipe and a flux to reduce the ore to a metal bead. The colour of the oxide staining around the bead will help distinguish some different likely metals, like lead and copper. Not sure if Chris has blowpipe tests in his book, but there are some books out there which describe in more detail how they are done.

  • @joeychapman5083
    @joeychapman5083 Před 4 lety

    ok so i have a few questions and some pictures of rocks and crystals i would like to see if im right about all that i have

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety +1

      I get so many, many requests from people for rock ID every day, I just cannot do that. This is mainly because it is almost impossible to identify ore reliably from just photos. Watch this video and learn how to identify minerals for yourself: czcams.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/video.html

  • @alexnutu1125
    @alexnutu1125 Před 3 lety

    I found a massive amount of galena attached to quartz in an area I’ve been prospecting, now I’m wondering if there might be silver in it or nearby

  • @ghostjohn2001
    @ghostjohn2001 Před 2 lety +1

    I know of a vein of metal ore which I always suspected was Silver. After watching your video I'm even more sure the vein is a silver sulfide. This vein is at least 20 feet long and one spot is visibly exposed, about the diameter of a soccer ball. This vein is also surrounded by mines dated back to the early 1800's.
    If I send you photos do you think you could give an opinion whether it might be Silver?
    I've known of this vein over 40 years and never shown it to anyone. The vein is in a pretty remote area, the majority of which is in solid bedrock. I found this vein by accident, walking on the bedrock with a metal detector turned on. This is in Arizona.

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 2 lety +1

      I cant tell from pictures, that is why they have chemical assays. Have your rock tested to see.

    • @ghostjohn2001
      @ghostjohn2001 Před 2 lety

      @@ChrisRalph I'm going to cut out a section of the vein and have it tested.

  • @freelancerider100
    @freelancerider100 Před 4 lety

    I have found some really high grade silver ore in the sinks of Nevada! My gold monster detector picked it out... At first look I thought it was a mashed aluminum can-

    • @ChrisRalph
      @ChrisRalph  Před 4 lety

      Some silver ores sound off well on metal detectors. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.