Periodic Table ...a Refresher ...What Prospectors Look For....
Click to enlarge. The discussion is
below.
| Copper |  |
Ground state electron configuration: [Ar].3d10.4s1 | Shell structure: 2.8.18.1 | Period 4 Group 11 |
| Silver |  |
Ground state electron configuration: [Kr].4d10.5s1 | Shell structure: 2.8.18.18.1 | Period 5 Group 11
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| Gold |  |
Ground state electron configuration: [Xe].4f14.5d10.6s1 | Shell structure: 2.8.18.32.18.1 | Period 6 Group 11 |
The Bradshaw Mountains produced 150,000 troy ounces of gold, was called The Silver Range and, just on the other side of the "hill", Jerome is called the "Billion dollar Copper Camp". Amazing mineral wealth within just a few miles of each other. Coincidence? No!
I've added a periodic table after some questions were raised by one of the members of a recent tour. The YELLOW outline around associated transition metals called Group 11 is the one to watch: Copper (Cu), Silver (Ag) and Gold (Au). We talked about a "rich soup of water soluble minerals"..called hydrates and magma plutons. Copper hydrates give turquoise, azurite, chyrsacolla and malachite, the color is blue. When prospectors found copper, they were "sure" silver and gold would be found near by. If they found turquoise, copper would be close by. Sometimes, if you're really lucky, it might even be profitable. Ah, chemistry. It's a wonderful thing to know. Check out www.webelements.com for in-depth information. Oh, the parts per billion chart below indicates the following: 60-70,000 ppb for copper, less for silver and 3.1 ppb for gold. Also see the diagram of copper porphyry and remember our geology discussion ... heavy "stuff" sinks to the bottom.. light "stuff floats on top. It's that "bucket of sand" in action on a grand scale.
Click to enlarge abundance chart.
 Map of Arizona
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 Map of the reservations and Four Corners
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