LETTER: Mine the frozen streams

To the editor:

In gold country, one should recognize that all streams are nature’s version of a sluice. The gold rich ore is fed naturally down the streams and the heavy gold is deposited in low spots or where the stream velocity slows down on bends and elsewhere. Man is there just to do the clean-up work of processing the concentrate.

Up until this concept it has largely been impractical or impossible to mine down to bedrock because of the serious water problems. It is generally considered impractical or impossible to divert a stream elsewhere allowing the mining the gold rich ore in the stream bed.

But when a stream freezes solid there is no water, just ice. Although other problems come with the extreme cold, with the right equipment the ice can be removed exposing gold-rich ore. This ore is frozen solid but it still can be mined with a variety of equipment from jackhammers, excavators or even explosives. The gold in the ore can be concentrated with concentrating equipment that uses no water.

The real question is how far down is the bedrock that stops and concentrates the gold? Many streams are silted in so the bedrock could be very deep but other streams have exposed bedrock with pockets of gold-rich deposits of ore, which would be ideal candidates to mine first.

As far as equipment needed for this operation, the prospector’s opinion is probably better than this writer’s, so it is not discussed here.

In summer, it would be wise to analyze a few candidate streams possible build a crude road to the stream for the most promising one. By doing the legal work in the summer it will avoid possible problems as everything should be ready when it freezes.

Such a concept raises several questions. Will the authorities allow a gold mining claim to several miles or so of a stream bed? What about the fish and wildlife people? Will they allow their streams to be dug up? Although ANWR was opened for oil exploration, what about gold mining?

It could be that wil this concept and with the onset of below-freezing temperatures, it will mark the end of the mining season for one group of miners and the beginning of the season for another group. For some, they could mine gold almost all year round.

— Joseph Coomer

Oak Harbor, Wash.