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When panning for gold in Georgia you should know that in the eastern States, limited amounts of gold have been washed from some streams draining the eastern slope of the southern Appalachian region in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Many saprolite (disintegrated somewhat decomposed rock that lies in its original place) deposits in this general region also have been mined by placer methods. Besides panning for gold in Georgia there have also been small quantities of gold that have been mined by placer methods in some New England States. Additional placer deposits may be discovered in the East, but prospecting will require substantial expenditures of time and money. The deposits probably will be low grade, difficult to recognize, and costly to explore and sample. Moreover, most of the land in the East is privately owned, and prospecting can be done only with the prior permission and agreement of the landowner. However did you know there is still a lot of gold to be found today? It's estimated that only 5 to 10 percent of the world's gold supply has been discovered. That means there is still 95 to 90 percent of gold just waiting to be found and with the right tools and equipment you can find that gold. When panning for gold in Georgia an effective panning technique will come with practice. In the mean time here are a few simple steps to get you started. Fill your pan till about half way with a mixture of dirt and gravel from the placer of your choice into your pan. Remove the large twigs and sticks. Now let the river fill your pan with water. Pull the pan near the surface of the water and Shake it back and forth, tapping it against the heel of your other hand. Tilt the edge furthest from you, which is normally the edge with the ridges towards the river bottom slightly. Now pull the pan towards you and a little upwards to the surface of the water. Some of the gravel should have slipped over the far edge. Repeat this a few more times, dipping the edge of the pan at a greater angle each time. Work it down to the smallest amount of debris in your pan, a flake or two maybe visible at this point. When you have almost no gravel, only black sand and gold, you can whirl it gently. The gold is much heavier than the sand and will stay in the center while the sand moves to the outside; this allows you to pick out the gold with tweezers. Have fun panning for gold in Georgia. |
