Concentrations of Gold in Streams

Gold will pile up at the front of end of a bar, as well as on the bends that have slow currents, and at the bottom of rapids where the stream gradient is not as strong. Pockets that are behind big rocks or other interferences, even the ones such as sections that are covered with moss, can be the ideal areas to look for deposits. Some of the most successful results have come about from materials that were taken right on top of the bedrock. If you see black sand accumulations, it is a good indicator of gold and these are the areas you will want to search. A certain amount of gold is washed down and then deposits itself during the spring runoffs every year; therefore it might be a good idea to work on some of the deposits every so often again. This can be done for the most part on the close to the surface deposits like the ones left on the stream bars and in the big depressions in the channels. The upstream ends of the bars are the best places to look in as they are the most productive in most cases. In places where the high water has washed across the surface, along the inside of a bend, gold often times accumulates. These places often have surfaces that are riffled and this obviously helps in the concentration of gold. In areas that are known of and where mining has been done before, you should go after the areas where mechanized mining was no longer able to be done because they were not able to follow the unpredictable parts of rich streaks without becoming diluted from other material. On the other hand, this is also a good area for small scale prospecting if it is looked through efficiently and thoroughly.