quartz crystals

I have found a rather strange looking rock outcrop that raises out of a valley floor that has two stream running on either side of it.  The outcrop [according to tapo map] raises 1300 feet stright up, is smooth black stone, with vains of white to yellow running uo it at 45 degree angles approx 200 feet up the face.  Also, one of the streams is loaded with quartz [?] crystals that are large enough to see and pick up by hand.  Anybody got any ideas of what I am looking at, if anything?  By the way, this is in Panama, two days into the mountains.

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You have to be somewhat careful who you talk to down here...so...no - I have not asked many questions.
I will try to post some pictures today.....

'Z'

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Here are some photos, although not very good.

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*sigh*   took an hour to re-size and figure out how to up load the photos.  At any rate, in addition to the crystals that are all over the place, there is a lot of small dark green pebbles an the bank of the stream.  I panned only one location and was loaded with crystal and black sand [actually removed it with a magnet].  Swept the area with my minelab and didn't get any hits.  I also found a number of porous white stones with crystals in them with small dark grains that I saw with my mag glass.  It seems that everything I looked at had crystals in it.  Next week I plan to go back and go up stream, taking samples as I go and hopefully get to the base of the out crop.  By the way, if you can enlarge the photo of the cliff you will see the 45 degree veins and the light colored material in them..also you can also pockets of it in the face.  
SOooooo..what am I looking at here...seems a little weird.

'Z'

Posted on: December 27, 2010, 09:22:25 PM

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To some extent I have spoken to a number of people in that area, most are extremely poor ranch hands and my questions tend to get lost in translation, as my Spanish is not very good.  They are great people and help as best they can.  What I can tell you about the area is that it is on the eastern side of the largest volcone in Panama [actually about 10 miles to the east].  It's just that this looks like it was pushed up out of the ground...nothing like any thing I've seen down here.  I mean when you see a rock out crop you say "yep - nice cliff" but this is different.  It's more like "What the hell".

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Metamorphic strata with thermal intrusions would be my guess. It is very hard to identify without know the geologic history of that exact area. But what you are asking is not, "What is it?" the question you want is, "Can I find GOLD here?!". The geology seems correct for having occurences of gold, but just because it is right doesn't mean it is there. I would some sampling, and to sample properly, you need to be on the bedrock... not just dirt, but the dirt resting on bedrock. Gold is very good at working its way down... especially when water helps.

Cheers

Sean

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