This WoGe was posted on 21 August 2013 and found by Ole Tjugen on 26 August 2013 (116 hrs 59 min).
Bonanza Creek in
Yukon Territory is located near the city of Dawson and is the heart of the
Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike Gold Rush took place between 1896 and 1899 and
brought an estimated 100.000 prospectors to this remote area with a harsh
winter climate.
Gold was first
discovered on Rabbit Creek (now called Bonanza Creek) on 16 August 1896 and the
word got out that gold was present along the creek in large quantities. When
this news reached the cities of Seattle and San Fransisco, many started their
journey to the gold fields to get their share of the wealth. In praxis, most
prospectors that made it to the area only got their share of the long winter.
Geologically, the
region was permeated with veins of gold, forced to the surface by volcanic
action and then worn away by the action of rivers and streams, leaving nuggets
and gold dust. Some ores lay along the creek beds in lines of loose soil
deposits, typically 15 feet (4.6 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m) beneath the
surface. Others, formed by even older streams, lay along the hilltops; these
deposits were called "bench gold". Finding the gold was
challenging. Initially, miners had assumed that all the gold would be along the
existing creeks, and it was not until late in 1897 that the hilltops began to
be mined. Gold was also unevenly distributed in the areas where it was found,
which made prediction of good mining sites even more uncertain. The only way to
be certain that gold was present was to conduct exploratory digging. This is
one of the methods of a broader mining method called Placer Mining.
Placer mining is the
mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit (also called
open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling
equipment.
Placer mining is
frequently used for precious metal deposits (particularly gold) and gemstones,
both of which are often found in alluvial deposits—deposits of sand and gravel
in modern or ancient stream beds, or occasionally glacial deposits. The metal
or gemstones, having been moved by stream flow from an original source such as
a vein, is typically only a minuscule portion of the total deposit. Since gems
and heavy metals like gold are considerably more dense than sand, they tend to
accumulate at the base of placer deposits.
More than a century
after the discovery of gold in Yukon, placer mining is still an important
sector in the Yukon economy. Placer operations occur across the territory,
however, the majority are located in the historic Klondike Goldfields. The YGS
Placer Geologist visits placer operations and monitors their progress by
collecting information for various reports and the placer database. The placer
geologist also undertakes collaborative research with university and industry
partners in areas related to placer mining.
