Placer formations in lakes

[UncleMatt]

Hey All, looking for input and opinions on the formation of placer deposits in lakes. When a fast moving mountain creek/stream empties into a high mountain lake, what kind of placer formations are likely to occur in the lake itself. The water would rapidly lose momentum, causing any gold being moved by it to fall quickly out of the flow and settle on the lake bed. I imagine this would cause a fan of deposits around the creek entry point into the lake, and it would subsequently work its way down through the lake sediments until it hits bedrock or a layer of sediment it cannot longer sink through. Has anyone ever had any luck prospecting lakes where streams enter them?

 

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[dave wiseman]

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=placer+gold+formations+in+lakes

 

[UncleMatt]

lol, not looking for google search results. Anyone can do the easy stuff. I was asking about people's personal experiences while prospecting.

 

[Reed Lukens]

It wasn't legal to dredge in lakes so the gold is there but it's burried. I did try at Clementine but the cobbles show all. Maybe with a 10ft clam shell you could get somewhere but getting permission is nil...

 

[UncleMatt]

I can't help but wonder if there isn't a lot of untapped gold sitting under water in various fresh water lakes, especially in the high mountains where there are thousands of small basin lakes all over the place.

What area are you saying it wasn't legal to dredge in lakes Reed? All National Forest land, or what exactly?

 

[Clay Diggins]

There are some instances of placer accumulation around stream entrances to lakes. I've seen a few myself but they are not common. Also I know of several good placer deposits that are covered by man made reservoirs today. Of course those were not formed because of the lake.

Navigable lake beds are the property of the State in the Public Land states. You have no right to prospect or mine lake bed deposits without a lease from the state. Non navigable lake beds are very unlikely to have any placer deposits.

Clever thinking but the state ownership thing pretty much makes the possibilities theoretical only since you can't prospect those lakes.

Heavy Pans

 

[UncleMatt]

Thanks for that post Clay! I always appreciate your input. However, I am considering bodies of water that are very small and have no official names. You can see such tiny lakes, or maybe even call them basin ponds, up in the high country below high peaks. My theory is that perhaps gold eroding out of the steep slopes above them got carried by erosional processes down into these small lakes, and have remained trapped there and undiscovered by anyone due to their remote location and being covered by water.

 

[brogansown]

South eastern Oregon was covered by a 1500 - 2000 foot deep lake called Lake Idaho a few million years ago. The shore line is exposed in a number of places in the gold bearing regions and a fair number of streams flowed directly into this lake back in the ancient past leaving gold nuggets on the sandy shale lake floor. Although pretty much mined out now, modern miners have found these deposits along the sides of the current stream beds (which are 100 feet or more below these deposits) and as expected the gold fans out where the ancient stream entered the lake. It was a moving target as the lake ebbed and finally disappeared. Metal detectorists and panners have found a few nuggets in certain locations.

 

[Clay Diggins]

South eastern Oregon was covered by a 1500 - 2000 foot deep lake called Lake Idaho a few million years ago. The shore line is exposed in a number of places in the gold bearing regions and a fair number of streams flowed directly into this lake back in the ancient past leaving gold nuggets on the sandy shale lake floor. Although pretty much mined out now, modern miners have found these deposits along the sides of the current stream beds (which are 100 feet or more below these deposits) and as expected the gold fans out where the ancient stream entered the lake. It was a moving target as the lake ebbed and finally disappeared. Metal detectorists and panners have found a few nuggets in certain locations.

Good point brogansown!

Ancient lake deposits are also the source of good dry land gold deposits in Rye Patch Nevada, Lake Alvord and Lake Tule in California/Nevada and Gold/Lost Basins in Arizona. None of these areas have significant water flow now. There are quite a few more to investigate for the serious prospector.

The fact is that gold deposition takes place at nearly all points in history. To become a successful prospector you need to learn to look beyond the inside bend or last years flood. Most of the placer gold ever deposited is well above and away from the present lakes, rivers and streams. Look up to find the undiscovered gold. Looking down is what the last few thousand prospectors did. They dug what they found making it easier for you to turn the rocks to find their missed crumbs. If you want more than crumbs you will need to move away from the already heavily worked streams.

Heavy Pans

 

[mike(swWash)]

I'm also wondering if it's legal to work areas around lakes where the water has receded exposing old riverbed channels due to the droughts on the west coast. The mountain lakes and reservoirs that are usually snow fed are dropping fast with mostly dry rivers trickling into them.

 

[UncleMatt]

Some of the basin lakes/ponds I am referring to actually dry up in the last part of the summer if there isn't much rainfall. Or become much smaller in size. Giving an opportunity to maybe do some metal detecting for nugs or some sluicing.

 

[fowledup]

I'm also wondering if it's legal to work areas around lakes where the water has receded exposing old riverbed channels due to the droughts on the west coast. The mountain lakes and reservoirs that are usually snow fed are dropping fast with mostly dry rivers trickling into them.

Not in California. None of the lakes that are under California State Parks management are open for any type of prospecting, detecting, bottle digging or the like. I have written and called everyone I can think of trying to find a way into the reservoirs and so far it's been one complete no go "you will be cited"

 

[UncleMatt]

I appreciate your post fowledup, but I am not talking about man made reservoirs in the flat lands, but about small basin lakes and ponds up high in the mountains directly below steep slopes.