Gold prospecting involves searching for two basic gold types - placer gold and hard rock gold.
Hard rock gold is gold that remains in the original solid rock where it was formed. The state of Nevada, and northern Nevada in particular, is extremely rich in hard rock gold deposits. The hard-rock, open-pit mines of Nevada have produced nearly 100 million ounces of gold since their discovery in 1960. Although a few small operations still exist, hard rock mining is usually done on a large scale. The main problem for individuals interested in hard rock gold deposits is the high capital investment for heavy equipment to crush and process hard rock ore in order to extract the gold from from it. Because of this, many prospectors who look for hard rock gold do so with the intention of selling their finds to large companies that have the heavy mining equipment and resources to develop them.
Any gold that has weathered out of its original rock matrix, be it a quartz vein or another source, is called placer gold. Once it has become free from the vein, any accumulation of that gold is called a placer deposit. There are several different kinds of placer gold and placer gold deposits, depending on the gold's origin, how far it's traveled from its origin, etc.
The four most common types of placer deposits are:
1. Residual
These are placer deposits where the original vein has weathered, but the placer gold remains more or less "in place" and still within a few feet of the original source;
2. Eluvial
Eluvial placer deposits are where the gold has traveled a short distance down from the original source, but has not made it into streams and other drainages - these are often called hillside placers;
3. Alluvial
Alluvial placer is where the gold has made it into area streams and rivers. These placers are sorted by running water and usually the gold lies mostly on or near the bedrock;
4. Beach
Beach placers occur where small gold particles make it all the way down-river to the ocean. Wave action can concentrate the heavier fraction of the sand which produces black sand layers containing fine gold.
Because of the comparative ease of recovering gold from placer deposits, most individual prospectors start out seeking placer gold nuggets and flakes. Some may then move up to an interest in hard rock deposits, but most still start out looking for flakes and nuggets of free placer gold. Once you find your first gold nugget or placer gold deposit, you won't have much trouble understanding what kept the old pioneer prospectors going under such rugged conditions.
It's always great when you come up with your own gold, and the excitement is real. There is no doubt in my mind that gold fever is a condition that actually exists. In my experience, staring too closely at gold nuggets or thinking too much about the quest to find them often causes it. Luckily, it's an enjoyable condition with few, if any, harmful side effects.
Prospecting for gold is a hobby that's easy to get hooked on.
It doesn't necessarily cost much to get into prospecting - especially compared to many other outdoor hobbies. It can be as simple as purchasing a gold pan for $10 and grabbing a bucket and the garden spade from the garage. On the other hand, there are many high-tech, powerful and time-saving gold finding products available to the modern prospector. Gold prospecting tools and equipment of today allow the modern prospector to accomplish things no old timer could have EVER dreamed of. Prospecting equipment today allows the recreational gold prospector to produce ten times the gold as the old time gold prospectors could ever produce - And the extremely high-tech detectors available today can really pinpoint the best locations for gold, so your best efforts are actually spent recovering it.
From metal detectors designed specifically for finding gold, to portable suction dredges, to dry placer machines and high bankers, even hand tools - Huge and significant improvements have been made in gold prospecting equipment for the small-scale prospector. You will have no problem finding and spending as much money as you want on good gold prospecting tools and equipment - there's lots of great stuff available. Most people start off small and purchase more advanced equipment as they get more involved in the hobby and as they uncover more productive gold prospecting locations and recover more gold.
Whether you're looking for the next million-ounce gold mining location, or on a quest to find a gold nugget you can call your own, rest assured finding the gold is still very much possible, and in fact highly likely.
For those who enjoy hunting, hiking, fishing, off road exploring, camping, and RVing... prospecting for gold is an easy fit and great compliment to your outdoor activities. It's also an activity the entire family can participate in and enjoy - not to mention that the gold you recover can literally pay for your family's vacation, and possibly more.
It's worthwhile for any outdoor enthusiast to know a little about gold deposits, because the next big gold find could be yours!
Tags: flakes of gold, gold kit, gold territory
Filed under Gold News by 
Gold Detectors
The most important aspect of choosing a metal detector for gold prospecting is knowing what detectors are proven to find gold - whether gold nuggets or flake.
Most metal detectors are produced for multi-use purposes and many of them will not be a good choice for use in highly mineralized gold prospecting locations.
Don't buy any older technology detectors like BFO and TR detectors. These are considered relics thanks to the major technological advances achieved over the last few years - technology that's standard in most all metal detectors on the market today.
A VLF or a PI metal detector is what you want in order to get the best results finding gold. There are a number of very good VLF and PI gold detectors available on the market - at least a dozen or more. Prices vary and you'll be able to find a very good gold detector that fits your budget.
In highly mineralized areas like typical gold prospecting locations, I suggest you strongly consider the pulse induction PI detectors.
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 Whites Surf Pi Dual Field Beach Metal Detector  US $985.38
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 PI Penetrator 5500 Metal Detector US $3,800.00
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 CScope 4Pi Metal Detector cscope NEW CS4Pi US $455.76
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| Finding Gold and Treasure |
As far as gold detector accessories, there are many on the market that can be a big help. If you pick the right accessories, they can greatly increase your gold detector's overall performance.
One 'must have' accessory is a good set of high impedance headphones. If at all possible you want to try and match the impedance of the headphones to your actual gold detector. You will find that some work great with some detectors, while the results with other headphones will not be so good.
Another worthwhile accessory is an audio booster, or signal enhancer, which helps to increase faint target signals. Be aware that audio boosters can increase the background noise. So it's advised not only match up the audio signal enhancer with your detector and headset as best as possible, but also get a quality audio booster designed to hone in on the gold and filter OUT extraneous noise.
Nearly all detector manufacturers produce a variety of search coils. The 'search coil' is the actual round-shaped foot of the detector - the device that you move just above the surface of the ground as you're scanning the terrain. Search coils can vary in size and also in configuration (Mono and Salt, DD, DD pro) . As a general rule, the smaller circumference loops work best for tighter areas and smaller gold which is close to the surface. Larger coils have the advantage of allowing you to cover more ground, although they have less sensitivity to smaller pieces of gold, the advantage with these though is the much deeper depth to which they can detect gold nuggets. However, it all depends on the size of the gold 'target' and the coil size.
Recent improvements in metal detector coil technology has resulted in some rather advanced gold detectors coming onto the market now. For instance, the MineLab 4500 is quite an advanced piece of electronic prospecting equipment.
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| Finding Gold and Treasure |
Then there's a Prospecting pick, also called a 'digger' - You'll also need one of these. The less weight you have to carry, the more ground you can cover at your gold prospecting location, So choose a prospecting pick that isn't too heavy. Whether a metal or wooden handle, it doesn't make much difference. Just be certain that if you choose a wooden handled digger, the handle is durable and won't be prone to break. Because sure as shootin', if it's going to break it will break right when you need it most.
An extremely powerful magnet is also a very handy item to have when prospecting in terrain that has a lot of iron trash. A good, large magnet will save you a LOT of time when digging in an area like this, helping you sort the 'trash' metal from the gold.
Article by: GoldSchGold.com
Tags: claim, gold ore, gold mine
Filed under Gold News, Gold Prospecting Tools by
