Vein Qartz in Gold Mine (North Carolina)
The Site is located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina at an elevation of approximately 575 feet above mean sea level.
There are approximately 30 mines within a radius of approximately 8 miles. Most of these are producing gold. The gold mines closest to the Site are the Morrison Mine 1.5 miles to the southwest; the Roger Mine 1.6 miles to the southwest; and the Pioneer Mills shafts about 2 miles to the southwest of the Site.
These studies began with soil sampling and progressed to geologic mapping of saprolites and occasional fresh outcrops, geophysical studies, and eventually core drilling.
The Gold Belt in California is a region that spans over 400 miles (644 km) from the Sierra Nevada foothills in the north to the Mojave Desert in the south. It is one of the most famous gold-producing areas in the world and played a significant role in the California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s.
The Mother Lode, which is part of the Gold Belt, is a 120-mile-long (193 km) strip of gold-bearing quartz veins that runs through the Sierra Nevada foothills. It was discovered in 1848 by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, which sparked the Gold Rush.
The Gold Belt includes numerous other gold-bearing areas, including the Northern Mines, the Western Mines, and the Southern Mines. The region was home to many boom towns and mining camps during the Gold Rush era, and today, there are still active gold mines in the area.
The California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa, California, is dedicated to the history of the Gold Rush and the geology of the Gold Belt. The museum contains a large collection of minerals and mining artifacts, including a 13.8-pound (6.3 kg) crystalline gold specimen known as the Fricot Nugget.