Unlock the secrets of gold prospecting in just 45 seconds! 💰 In this YouTube Short, we dive into the crucial concepts of strike and dip in geology—essential knowledge for any aspiring gold hunter. Learn how to predict where gold deposits form by understanding the geometry of faults and rock layers. Watch as we illustrate the difference between steep and shallow dips, and discover how gold settles in low-pressure traps. Next time you spot a dipping vein, remember these tips—gold may just be waiting for you!
Strike vs Dip – Where Gold Drops Out in a Vein System
In the world of structural gold prospecting, two words matter more than any others: strike and dip.
These geologic terms aren’t just for textbooks—they determine how gold moves underground, where fluids pool, and exactly where you should dig. Understanding strike vs dip geometry gives you the power to turn fault lines into target zones.
In Module 2 of Strike Zones and Fault-Controlled Gold 101, we break down this crucial geometry and show how gold uses dip planes and strike lines as directional controls.
⸻
What Is Strike and Dip?
• Strike is the direction a rock layer or fault runs across the surface—think compass bearing.
• Dip is the angle it plunges underground—measured in degrees from horizontal.
Together, they define the orientation of the structure. But in gold prospecting, the magic is in the dip.
⸻
Why Dip Zones Catch Gold
When gold-bearing fluids move through rock:
• They follow open fractures
• They react chemically with the host rock
• And most importantly—they slow down and drop gold when pressure or flow changes
That flow change often happens:
• At the base of dipping structures
• Where dip angle shifts (e.g., from 30° to 60°)
• Or where dips hit a different rock type—like clay, schist, or carbonate
This is why steeply dipping faults often have gold veins at the base, especially where they intersect strike-slip jogs or bedding planes.
⸻
Strike Zones = Guides, Dip Zones = Traps
Strike zones tell you the direction to follow. Dip zones tell you where to stop and test.
For example:
• A quartz vein running N–S with a 45° dip to the west might pool gold where the dip hits softer shale or intersects a shallow fault splay.
• Fluids flow down-dip and often drop gold at depth-related traps—especially if the host rock changes.
If you only follow the surface strike, you might miss the hidden dip zones underground.
⸻
Real-World Examples
• In Nevada’s Carlin Trend, many ore bodies sit in the dip plane below the fault, not in the strike trace on surface.
• In Arizona’s Basin and Range terrain, steeply dipping listric faults often trap placer and lode gold at their curvature base.
• In metamorphic zones, gold veins frequently follow foliation dips—not the strike.
If you find oxidized rock or clay at the bottom edge of a vein, you’re likely standing at a pressure drop trap.
⸻
How to Use Dip Data in the Field
• Carry a compass clinometer or Brunton to measure dip angles
• Look for dipping contact zones at the base of altered ridges
• Use AI Gold Maps to trace surface strike + geologic structure overlays
Most importantly, understand how fluid pathways bend and pool where the dip steepens, flattens, or encounters a barrier.
⸻
Connect This to Your AI Gold Map
With the Deep Dig AI Gold Map:
• Overlay fault lines with slope shading
• Spot zones where strike lines meet contour benches—this often marks where dips flatten
• Look for oxidized anomalies or clay zones at the base of known veins—especially where they plunge out of view
These aren’t just dips—they’re depth markers for buried gold.
⸻
🧭 Download your Deep Dig AI Gold Map free at:
👉
💬 Comment “Now I’m a Gold Prospector Too!” if you’ve ever tracked gold down-dip to the pay zone
🔔 Subscribe for Module 3: Fault Intersections and Ore Shoots
Don’t forget to like and share this video if you found it helpful!
#GoldProspecting #Geology #StrikeVsDip #GoldMining #Shorts #aigoldmap
Музыка
Фильмы
ТВ Шоу
Категории видео
