State in the Alabama has produced a large amount of gold, after the discovery of gold in Georgia, the prospectors began to develop a search in the area of Alabama, and at the end of the 1830s Gold In Alabama was first discovered in the region Chilton County. The first mining occurred at Blue and Chestnut Creeks.
From 1830 until about 1990 Alabama has produced almost 80,000 ounces of gold, And gold in Alabama has been found throughout Talladega, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Coosa, Clay, Chilton, Elmore, Cleburne, and Randolph Counties.
The most important gold deposits in alabama found at the area of Cleburne, Tallapoosa, Clay dan Randolph Counties. Only Cleburne and Tallapoosa Counties produced more than 20,000 ounces of gold. And gold has been found in both lode and placer deposits, with the majority coming from area in the east central part of the state up next to the Georgia border. In Talladega County, the Riddle and Story Mines both produced lode gold, with placers found in Talladega Creek
In Talladega County, the Riddle Mine and the Woodward Tract in the southeastern part of the county, and the Story Mine south of the county on the eastern flank of the Talladega Creek. The Talladega National Forest contained several creeks, where placer gold also occurs. Talladega richest mining areas are mostly located on private land, but the National Forest lands do provide opportunities for the public. In Talladega County all produced from lode gold in quartz veins from decomposed rocks and slates, with placer gold found in area branches and benches along the Talladega Creek.
Tallapoosa County contains a lot of gold, one of which is located in the district Hog Mountain, which is one of the largest gold producers in the Alabama. The largest ore body varies from 8 to 12 feet in width and can be traced for over 100 feet. No primary minerals are present, but the ore is similar to the oxidation product of manganese garnet in Calaveras County. The metachert (quartzite) is very pure with few limonite and sericite particles. Rocks on this part of Hog Mountain are quartz schist, quartz-mica schist, and quartzite of the Calaveras Formation. Much of the gold here was recovered through the Cyanide Leaching Process, but creeks nearby produce placer gold. The Talladega National Forest has many creeks that contain placer gold as well.
Coosa County constitute plenty of good areas to placer mine with a significant history of mining in the early gold rush days. The Gold Ridge Mine produced gold as a byproduct of copper mining, and placer workings occurred along Hatchett Creek, Weogufka Creek, and the Rockford placers.
In Clay County, placer gold occurred at the Wesobulga Creek, Crooked Creek, Tallapoosa River, and many other streams throughout the county
Along the far west side of Randolph County and the far east side of Clay County lies the Cragford district. Several mines operating here produced free-milling gold from veins in quartz. Properties situated along the tributaries of Crooked Creek have both placer and lode gold deposits.
Chilton county sourced its gold from several streams and tributaries that flowed towards Coosa River in Clanton City and the small town of Verbena. Mulberry Creek and its tributaries, and Rocky Creek. And numerous unnamed drainages will also produce placer gold for a hard working prospector.
Some of the most valuable placers in Alabama are found in Cleburne County. Waters in the Chulafinnee Mining District will all produce gold. Lode Mines are scattered throughout the county, with both copper and gold being the predominant metals. Rich gravels can be found throughout these areas.
In Cleburne County, the Anna Howe Mines are thought to have produced the first gold-bearing quartz in Alabama. It made the county one of the most prolific producers of gold in the state. Other gold bearing streams can be found around Arbacoochee and Chulafinnee. Parts of Hillabee Creek will also produce gold within Cleburne County.
Alabama has produced fine gold as well as sizable gold nuggets. Gold is also found in ore, although often it is low grade and must be extracted by cyanide leaching. Gold In Alabama can also be found in the igneous and metamorphic rocks of Alabama's Piedmont physiographic section. The Wedowee Schist, a metamorphic rock found in northeastern Alabama that formed at the same time as the Appalachian Mountains, is known to contain gold. Recorded gold-mining districts in the state tend to follow a general southwest-northeast trend roughly lining up with the Appalachian Mountain range.
Most of the gold in Alabama occurs as small grains that are difficult to extract directly from the rock. Miners typically used a process called amalgamation, in which liquid mercury was poured into the substrate, causing the gold particles to dissolve and join with the mercury to form amalgam. Miners also used cyanide to dissolve gold out of source rocks by placing the gold-bearing ore into large vats and pouring cyanide through a chemical process.
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