You are hereLocating Gold in Alluvial or Placer Forms
Locating Gold in Alluvial or Placer Forms
Looking for gold in placer or alluvial form can be done in several different ways. One of the most convenient ways is by testing an area with a gold pan that is designed for dry panning. You should then save the concentrates you have recovered so that you can inspect it later on and separate it by wet panning it.
If you find an overburden, try digging underneath it whenever you can, especially in areas where there are ancient riverbeds. And try to get locate and get to the bedrock. If you find bedrock pry the surface loose if you can and use a little ice pick or screwdriver to get the gold from the small cracks. There are special whisk brooms available that are also convenient because they allow you to sweep the fine dust into your pan. You will then be able to take the dry material to water so you can separate it, or after having practiced, you can dry pan down until you get to the heavier concentrates. Make sure to check for any type of desert stream bed or lower area where there might be gold stored.
If you have found an area where larger nuggets are known to be found, it will prove to be very helpful to use a metal detector, as this will considerably improve your chances of finding them. There are new metal detectors that are microprocessor controlled circuitry and that have the ability of picking up even small gold nuggets. Remember that when using a metal detector the trick to one is to use the right kind and the nuggets need to be present in certain depths that are not too deep in order for the metal detector to respond to the electronic detection. Dryer areas have the most practical set up for usage of metal detectors and there are a lot of mineral zones that have gold in them and that are not difficult to get to.
One thing we need to be precise about is the size of gold nuggets. When we say large or big gold nuggets, this categorizes under any nugget that is larger than a pinhead. And when we say the ground should not be too deep, we mean that it can be several inches deep, however the depth etc, all depends on the type of metal detector that is being used.
If you have an understanding of gravity and its forces you will be able to follow a lot of different types of placer gold back upstream of an hill to its actual source. Gold generally breaks loose from its rock formation and unless it is trapped somewhere along the way by a natural or man made barrier, it will continue to travel downwards and will eventually end up in the ocean. As this starts to happen, the gold nuggets or gold ore that had broken loose from the rock formation might become worn down because of the constant battering and in many cases they will become grounded down to a fine dust.
It is not very common for people to find fine gold dust just scattered around in an area and recovering it is not very profitable for any one. If the conditions allow it though, find gold may be followed to its entry point on the top. If you are looking for gold pockets, prepare yourself for a good amount of hard work and a lot of panning in order to locate them. If you are intending on tracing a glacial deposit from a place where fine gold is being washed, it will prove to not be very practical. You can however, trace gold from a vein especially if you are using a metal detector.
