A young rockhound show his friend a ledge featuring outcroppings of iron-stained quartz veins bearing low grade silver. These veins were not considered economic to mine and left in place.
High grade or visible silver in quartz is rare. Sampling and assaying is usually necessary to reveal whether silver is present. Jim Butler used two assayers and multiple samples to confirm his world class silver and gold strike.
Park personnel and a geology professional recently discovered a rock on park grounds containing dozens of ounces of silver. Despite that thrilling find, it would take much, much more, a mountain more, to profitably reopen the old workings.
