The current trend in mineral exploration is to search for covered deposits. In the Great Basin, this
translates into searching for ore bodies buried by alluvial cover. The exploration techniques used range from
random drilling to the use of new and exciting geochemical sampling media and analytical methods. But
we have a problem. Many of our geochemical techniques lack a conceptual basis (We tried it and it
worked) or the original conceptual basis is now suspect (The method also works when it shouldn't). What
we need is a basic understanding of what is going on in the alluvium -- the third dimension.
The discovery and development of the alluvium-covered, disseminated gold deposits at Rabbit
Creek, Chimney Creek, and Pinson provides us with an opportunity to gain some knowledge of the
dispersion of elements in the third dimension.
The work presented here is one part of a larger multi-disciplinary study of the Kelly Creek Valley by
the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with FirstMiss Gold, Inc., Gold Fields Mining Corporation, Pinson
Mining Company, and Santa Fe Pacific Mining, Inc.
