Black Sand?

[High Desert Hunter]

I have been finding a good deal of black sand in my pan, I know that this is a good sign, but still no gold, unless it is so small that i can't see it. Still finding a good deal of lead shot, bullets, and lead shavings. Just enough black sand to keep my hopes up.

Dave

 

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[kuger]

Sounds like you are looking where it should be!!

 

[High Desert Hunter]

Thanks, I think when I finish this bucket, I will try a spot further up the canyon.

Dave

 

[Eu_citzen]

If you are finding such heavy metals like lead it seems like an area where the gold should be hiding indeed. You can also try towards the middle of the river, not so much though.

Make a prospecting "hole" (more like a ditch really) toward the middle of the river.

If you keep the samples separate you might be able to find a pay streak.
(I call it gold line as it follows a fairly straight line in the river during looding)

 

[Functional]

I have been finding a good deal of black sand in my pan, I know that this is a good sign, but still no gold, unless it is so small that i can't see it. Still finding a good deal of lead shot, bullets, and lead shavings. Just enough black sand to keep my hopes up.

Dave

I don't mean to rain on anybodies parade, but black sand is only an indicator. You often find black sand containing gold, but never find gold without black sand. Just try digging under the trailing side of a rock, or in any natural riffle, or indentation, in as deep an area of the river as is safe to do so. And if your really determined, find a spot on shore near any exposed bedrock and dig deep.

F.

 

[Eu_citzen]

I have been finding a good deal of black sand in my pan, I know that this is a good sign, but still no gold, unless it is so small that i can't see it. Still finding a good deal of lead shot, bullets, and lead shavings. Just enough black sand to keep my hopes up.

Dave

I don't mean to rain on anybodies parade, but black sand is only an indicator. You often find black sand containing gold, but never find gold without black sand. Just try digging under the trailing side of a rock, or in any natural riffle, or indentation, in as deep an area of the river as is safe to do so. And if your really determined, find a spot on shore near any exposed bedrock and dig deep.

F.

Telling the truth is fine.. Ain't raining my parade!

Correct black sand is just a indicator...

 

[kuger]

I have been finding a good deal of black sand in my pan, I know that this is a good sign, but still no gold, unless it is so small that i can't see it. Still finding a good deal of lead shot, bullets, and lead shavings. Just enough black sand to keep my hopes up.

Dave

I don't mean to rain on anybodies parade, but black sand is only an indicator. You often find black sand containing gold, but never find gold without black sand. Just try digging under the trailing side of a rock, or in any natural riffle, or indentation, in as deep an area of the river as is safe to do so. And if your really determined, find a spot on shore near any exposed bedrock and dig deep.

F.I stated that same point on here and got my head bit off!!!I guess there are areas that there is no black sand!!

 

[High Desert Hunter]

I'll not disagree with that last statement, I have found a lot of black sand, but to date, I have only found 2 small flakes of flour gold, more like micro-gold.

Dave

 

[boogeyman]

Exactly! There are places here where you can haul out 2 or 3 buckets of blacks and 00.0% gold. As stated earlier, try panning out a few samples across, then move further up until you find a little color.

 

[goldmadness14]

Exactly! There are places here where you can haul out 2 or 3 buckets of blacks and 00.0% gold. As stated earlier, try panning out a few samples across, then move further up until you find a little color.

I hear that I got black sand coming out my ears. I dont need black sand I NEED GOLD BABY!

 

[High Desert Hunter]

Madness,
If you have black sand coming out of your ears, you might want to see a Doc. I have been working my up this creek, all the way to a private property line, even broke up some bedrock, nada. I will be heading south sometime in the next month or so, I will bring back some samples from there.

Dave

 

[DanB]

Take the black sand and separate it with a magnet, the stuff that sticks to a magnet is magnetite .....no gold..discard..but the black sand that stays behind save with a sucker bottle. When you have enough hematite "Non-magnetic black sand" place in a rock tumbler with a few ceramic tumbling stones add 1 oz mercury "be careful and follow all handling instructions" and tumble everything for a week. repeat 5-6 times using the same mercury with fresh black sand over a 5-6 week period. when finished tort the mercury, by torting you are able to recycle your mercury over and over.....mercury acts like a magnet towards gold and will pick up the finest of grains/flakes of gold.....You will be truly amazed on the volume of gold you will recover from your black sands.....



good luck and tones of au to you


db

 

[cedarratt]

Your not deep enough. I pulled Two troy ounces of lead shot out of one hole and got only 7 small specks of gold. I suggest taking a paint brush with you and brushing out the bottom of the hole where you found the lead. If it is a crack try the modified spoon and the flattened piece of wire trick to really get down in there. The gold will be at the very very bottom unless you just get luck and find a few pieces in transition to there. If you are finding large a mounts of lead then you are in the right spot just need to get deeper. Good luck keep us posted.

 

[hmmm]

to find black sand in the bedrock, just put a magnet on a string, pass it over the rock, if there is magnetite in the rock. the magnate will swing to the rock.

 

[nuggetshooter323]

Take the black sand and separate it with a magnet, the stuff that sticks to a magnet is magnetite .....no gold..discard..but the black sand that stays behind save with a sucker bottle. When you have enough hematite "Nonmagnetic black sand" place in a rock tumbler with a few ceramic tumbling stones add 1 oz mercury "be careful and follow all handling instructions" and tumble everything for a week. repeat 5-6 times using the same mercury with fresh black sand over a 5-6 week period. when finished tort the mercury, by torting you are able to recycle your mercury over and over.....mercury acts like a magnet towards gold and will pick up the finest of grains/flakes of gold.....You will be truly amazed on the volume of gold you will recover from your black sands.....



good luck and tones of au to you


db

This is a great technique for the nonmagnetic, but since your going to so much trouble for the fine gold, you might as well get the micron sized gold stuck in the magnetic black sand. Reggie Gould has proven that in a magnetic field, gold does stick to black sand. In some of the recent back issues of the "Gold Prospector Magazine", Gould set up an electromagnet under a sluice box and was catching fine gold attaching itself to the black sand, that would have otherwise flowed out of the box. With the magnet in the "off" position, the gold did not visibly attach to the same area as it did with the electromagnet in the "on" position.