Help? Please?

[rabid_ferret420]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering if anyone has any luck on gold prospecting in northwestern PA? If so what is the key? I have plenty of high banked areas around some creeks. You can also tell it was where the creek changed course because I dug only three to four inches down last year and hit old creek bed and rock. Now does that mean because of lack of soil on top of the rocks there isn't any gold? I assume it would be a good spot because the high bank is 8 feet above this old creek bed? I know there are many variables in gold prospecting and that's what makes me so interested in it. I also live right on the beginning part of the allegany river which is known to be glacier formed according to us geology maps. And is it any coincidence the river starts a few miles away in a town called gold? I know there is gold here. The question is what's the best way to find it? In the high banks of the smaller creeks in the hills? Or try to find it in the river? Now mind you the allegany is compacted stones that's very hard to dig in. Also being in the backwoods of north western PA where most towns are less than 1000 in population, it is very hard to find historic info. I would just like some thoughts from more experienced prospectors to get myself in the right direction. Thanks for reading. Happy hunting. Sincerely, A disabled veteran with too many hobbies

 

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[omnicron]

In a river or creek, buy a dredge and dredge it up. Short of digging the banks or stream bed that will be the easiest way.

 

[rabid_ferret420]

Thanks

 

[Lanny in AB]

Welcome to the forum and many thanks for your service.

I'm sure someone will be able to give your more specific information on your area sooner or later. If it's glacial gold it's going to be fine gold, but it's still a lot of fun learning how to pan it and capture it.

Read up on basic prospecting skills. Read everything you can. Watch Youtube videos on panning and prospecting and then get out there and test, test, test to see where the gold is. Moreover, if you're lucky enough, see if there's a local prospecting club or chapter that you can join.

All the best,

Lanny

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html

 

[rabid_ferret420]

Thanks for the response. I have read quite a bit up on prospecting. I started a little too late last year (newly found hobby) so I only had about a week to find a spot. After only classifying, washing, and panning two pans of dirt I had about 20 pieces of flour gold and I only dug six inches into the creek bed with a whole no bigger than half of a 5 gal bucket. I know this is an older part of the creek with plenty of high bank erosion so I assume if I'm finding flour on top, once I get deeper there should be something larger. Only problem is the long winter. I need it to be spring so I can explore more. But I'm always up for new info. Happy hunting all!

 

[Lanny in AB]

What's the gold history of recovery for your area? Is there flake gold or coarse gold, or is it all flour or micron gold? If it's only fine gold digging deeper will often only put you through the pay layer.

I'm with you on wishing that it was warmer so it was possible to get out and pan. The only way I'd be able to dig in the dirt right now would be with a drill and explosives.

All the best,

Lanny

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html

 

[rabid_ferret420]

As far as I know, no one has really looked for gold. This area is known for oil. Bradford is only a couple miles away and is known to have the highest grade oil in the world. I don't know if there is any relation to gold and oil. Once the oil dried up, so did all the people. Also the only thing the allegany was used for was floating logs. It's amazing you can find all this info on lost civil war gold bars, an old silver vein in a cave, black beards treasure, and a bunch of lost treasures but when it comes to actual gold prospecting, the info/history just isn't there. The only thing I have heard about prospecting around this area is about a man who takes used carpets and lays them in the creeks and every two weeks goes and cleans them out and finds gold. I can't confirm it but that's all I've heard. That being said, with such little historic information on prospecting, could this area missed the gold fever through the years? Could it all be virgin to prospecting? I doubt it but I can't wait to find out.

 

[rabid_ferret420]

Oh and I forgot to mention two counties to the east I did see a video on YouTube of some guy panning and he was getting nice size flakes in a creek similar in geology to mine.

 

[Gold Rover]

I'm new to prospecting, so I figure I'm allowed to I pan material from places where it might not make sense to an expert. So I sample,sample, sample.....

Poke around it all.

 

[B H Prospector]

Welcome to the net rabid and gold and thank you for your service rabid. Sounds like you have already found a spot. 20 pieces out of roughly 2 1/2 gallons of material is great even if it is flour gold. Some don't get that much out of 20 full buckets. PA isn't known for large gold but it is always possible. Like Lanny said chances are the gold won't get larger as you go deeper, however you could hit another paystreak deeper down. Keep testing and sampling. Get a small light weight sluice like the EZ Sluice to carry with you so when you find some decent color you can spend a little time investigating it more. If it is then worth it bring in bigger equipment.

Good Luck!

BH Prospector

 

[Frank D.]

Hey Rabid Ferret 420. Too bad I'm on the other side of the state (southeast PA) because it would be cool to have someone else to do some prospecting with. I'm new at this too, also know what you mean about very limited information about gold in our state. From what I read, when the state capital building burned down in the early 1900's, most info. was destroyed by the fire, and what wasn't destroyed by fire was ordered to be permanantly disposed of. Why?, I have no idea, but that is what I read. I'm sure you already know about the areas that were glaciated in PA. You are right in one of them. I also managed to find a blog about panning in PA right here on treasurenet from a guy who seems to know what he is doing. I'll copy and paste it below, since I saved it to my files. Good luck man, Jay

most streams have a trace of glacial gold,that far south even, but it will be flour gold and it will be SPOTTY,and what i mean by that is ,the gold that is there is a (set) amount ,no source to replenish it,so it will collect in certian spots ,but will not be despursed through out the creek gravels,so a stream in a glacial drianage area will appear to be barren,when in fact it is not,the same rules apply to glacial areas with regards to gold deposition , only you will not have a (trail) to follow,as in out west or in the south,where you can test an find follow the gold to good areas, the gold will only be in good areas, large cobble/boulders, in pa i have chased many streams here for glacial gold and this is what i have come to understand, i've tested streams, and nothing not even trace amounts that you can see,but being persistent, telling myself (i know its here),eventualy i did find it, it only moves in extreme water events, but will collect in the same areas as out west, watch for large well rounded rocks,but seemingly piled up like a dozer pushed them,and ones with a mixture of colors to the rocks,this will be glacial till,and when exploring those boulders ,watch for strat color changes , you will see then where the recent stuff has deposited on top of the old glacial stuff, also when these streams were carrying glacial run off,they were much bigger, so with that in mind look to the benches,the current stream may seem barren ,but where it was 12000 yrs ago it may not have been..

 

[rabid_ferret420]

That's some really helpful info. Thanks a lot. I will keep everyone updated.....as soon as the ground thaws haha

 

[Frank D.]

Good luck man!

 

[loco oro]

welcome to tnet rferret, i am located in south central pa, and i have poked around many many of pa's streams, and the chance of larger gold is there, but very unlikely , but in your area there is a fair amount of flour gold , if you are getting it ,your are likely in a decent spot that was impacted from a flood event, you mention only 6 inches or so down you are hitting gravels,and the bench is approx 8 ft above the current streambed, this would suggest to me that bench you are on was created during a significant flood event,and the stream cut down rather quickly, again this suggests a flood event, i dont think that the event would be related to glacial out wash, but the gold would be glacial , if you continue down ,take note to the color of the soils you encounter, this tells you the timeline of deposition, if you encounter soils that stay the same color for more than a few inches ,this would mean that the event was a sustianed one, and the glacial meltdown layers are usualy quite thick, and will contain gold,if you find that your layer is shallow but still contians gold then dont exspect to find gold below it, this would mean that it was a short but violent flood. i can go on and on ,if you ever have question man hit me back, always willing to help, i know how frustrating it can be,and i am not that far away.

 

[rabid_ferret420]

Funny you mention flooding. The town I live in flooded twice. Used to be called the thirty year curse haha. But most of the flooding was due to the allegany river before they installed the dike system. The creek I was investigating actually runs into the river coming off the hills. But I can see how the flood could have formed the high banks especially when there are two different height variations in it. Have you had any luck in the springs running off the tops of the mountains in the middle of nowhere? I know someone told me there at couple of springs around here no bigger than 1-2 feet across and less than a foot deep that we're loaded with quartz. If I heard right, quartz and gold can be quite close to each other even though, as with everything with gold, nothing is guaranteed.

 

[loco oro]

any source of quartz is worth exploring,but most often glacial gold will be in the lowlands ,simply because of nature it was introduced to the region,the glaciers brought it with them,so when they began to melt the till they pushed and the material that was locked up in them ,washed out and down, and the outer layers of the mountians themselves sluffed off and down. but there are basins high up that would have captured some of the runoff, but it is likely to be so deep in those basins that it is not really feasible even with equipment to mine.but there is a chance ,as nothing is absolute. the alligheny does contian gold ,i have some of it,but it was hard fought to get, i believe sweeden valley east of you is a very interesting place, and there are reports of gems in what is called thunder run, and there is obscure stories of two brothers that had a gold mine some where between coudersport and sweeden valley , and there was recently good amounts of gold found in bradford co., i have wanted to get up there and check out thunder run, very small creek, but several differnt sources mention it .there are reports of a diamond like gems found in it, and thats exactly how they describe it,diamond like, but two sources are a centry apart, and individauls unknown to each other. i do have a friend who does gas leasing up that way and rents a apartment that doubles as a office for him away from home that i could crash at, so i just might be up there sometime in the near future.

 

[rabid_ferret420]

Wow. I've never heard about gems around here. I thought that was more of a Kentucky/virginia thing. I guess I'll have to keep a lookout. On the Bradford county thing, I have seen one video of a guy panning a creek there with pretty good flakes in his pan. Only bad thing about this area is the ground stays frozen for quite a bit. I can't wait for spring. If I can find time that is!!! Keep the info coming!!!