Recovering Gold from a creek

[fountainofyouth]

How do I pan for gold in a creek which is full of black sand.
Is it proper to scoop for sand further down at a greater depth or just
take the sand at the top level where the black sands streaking accross
the creek can be easily seen? As fas as I know since Gold is heavy it
will sink in water therefore should it not be better to take sand from
a deeper depth for panning?
I have a Grizzly Gold Pan and a mini sluice and I tried some sand
from top layer for panning but results were negative. That is where
someone told me to take sand from a greater depth for panning.
Another point is when we take the sand from a certain depth the top
sand caves in and covers the spot as the whole process is in the water.
Anyone out there can give me a few pointers on how I should do this
right using my Grizzly Gold pan and mini sluice.
I am new to this hobby and some good pointers will be great.

 

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[Astrobouncer]

My signature isn't entirely true, always. Gold is where you find it, and it doesn't always sink down right away. Especially flood gold. But usually gold will work its way down because of how heavy it is until it is stopped by something solid, such as bedrock or false bedrock. The heavier it is, the faster it will sink. False bedrock can be clay, a rock or boulder, some type of hardpack, something solid in the creek, or really anything that acts like bedrock in that it stops the gold for going further down.

Usually you don't really know how good the gold is an area until you sample the stuff that's on bedrock (or false bedrock). For false bedrock, sometimes I just dig down past the gravel and overburden until I hit a clay that stops my shovel. Then I will take just the top couple inches off the clay and pan that.

A rule of thumb I like to use is to test how solid the material I am shoveling. If the shovel sinks in easily, then chances are good the gold will sink down easily and not be caught on the top. This does not always apply though as sometimes I find the odd nice sized piece right on top of something soft, but it is rare.

Another important thing to look for is heavies in your pan. If you are panning out material and only getting very small pieces of black sand and no chunks of lead, monzonite, galena, ilmenite, casserite, etc, then you are not in the heavies where the gold would settle out. I can always tell if I am digging in a good spot by how many heavies are in the pan before I even swirl it back to reveal gold.

Here's an example pic of digging in a spot where the heavies have settled out. Even though you can see some gold peeking out, I knew this was going to be a good pan before I did it based on how many other little chunky heavies are in the pan:





Heres one more example of heavies in the pan with the gold. Mostly magnetite, hematite and ilmenite but also some lead shot and other misc heavy stuff.



As to where to dig, well keep sampling until you hit a spot with heavies and then focus on that spot. I usually walk along the creek, sampling every place where bigger rocks have settled out, panning around them and looking for bedrock and false bedrocks that will catch the gold. Also I sample gravel bars, as sometimes bedrock or false bedrock is quite shallow under them and if rocks are settling there then gold might be also.

Here's a spot I found with good gold. It doesn't look like much, but there's a false bedrock of clay about a foot down that trapped all that gold and heavies in the above pics. Also, I believe that tree acted as a natural riffle before it rotted away and doubly concentrated gold there.



Black sand alone is not a good indicator only, as I know of two spots that have so much black sand you could open a mine for it, but neither one has good gold.

 

[FiresEye]

That's an awesome looking spot Astrbouncer! I have sort of a problem, I've found some spots like that neat main roads and sort of out of site. I'm sure I could go panning there without a problem, I just don't want to be on someone else land or someone elses claim. And these places there are no signs, no fences, just hundreds of miles of wild lands in a good part of the gold belt... sooo I think I will just take a hike in, and pan, and be resourceful by picking up trash, not being stupid, and keeping my wits about me. That way, if anyone DID approach me, I would be able to find out what was going on( not likely people would come to this place, as it's way out of the way and in lots of woods. ) It's not in a park or national forest either, which is a bonus.

 

[fountainofyouth]

The creek where I am panning does not have much of bedrock as I can submerge
myself in the sand all the way down to show you how soft it is. Apart from the banks
and smaller stones it does not have bedrock as I just cannot touch the solid base
underneath. The creek is made from a spot where water oozes out from the
ground thus forming a long winding creek which stretches for a few kilometres.
The sand is very heavily mineralised as I see red garnets, serpentine, quartz type
of tiny crystals alongwith heavy concentration of black sand. By the way this creek
is in Chota Lahore near Swabi city which is located in the province of Pukhtoonkhwa
Pakistan. I will be posting an image of this creek and its mineralised sand soon.
Plus there are no hills and mountains nearby for a long distance as this creek is on
a flat land.
By the way I took a sample of the filtered black sand and with the help of a goldsmith
friend he put it to the fire and towards the end there was a sparkling fire that
produced a small flare which I dont know what it meant. Although there was no gold.
By the way the black sand was filtered from top portion of sand in the creek and not
from a greater depth.
I dont know but there is something strange about this place and my inner hunch is
telling me I am just not doing it right.
I was drawn to this place as there is an ancient record of this place being an active gold
mining area and there was a sandy road where its sands shone like gold which had
a high content of gold. I scouted the area and I found that this creek identified with
the scenario.
Anyway thnks for the advise and photos.

 

[Doug Watson]

If your in mostly sand the gold has probably already dropped out. See if you can find a spot with some larger rocks and you might do better. If on a gravel bar move to the head of the bar and try there. Good luck and don't give up. Doug.

 

[FiresEye]

Yeah keep at it, sounds like you're onto something.

THe gold in the road could be massive pyrite deposits( fools gold) which often carries tiny bits of free gold along with it.
You need ato find a place to sluice and run a good bit of that sandy material through to see if there's any fine gold in it.
Also, there IS bedrock, it's just way deeper than you thought, so this could pose a problem.

Good luck and we'd like to see some pictures!

 

[stefen]

Why not try to dig a hole and profile a pan full every 6 inches or so...this will give you an idea of what is settling out

 

[riverrunner814]

I am stating a few things here to help new prospectors. I live in Colorado where there is a lot of prospecting going on. As for being new to the hobbie etc. just want to let you know some rules. There are many of claims out there and you don't want the mess of claim jumping or trespass on private property, beleive me its a bad thing to do. Also in goverment lands there can be problems. One site you can look at is the geocommunicator it will show you claims that are in your area with GPS coords. Or look for commercial panning spots we have them here a fee for panning for the day. Also look for public open prospecting. Just like fairplay CO you go to the town bldg. and get a permit for the season. Another avenue to take if your serious in prospecting join a club like GPAA , or look for a state club. You will get a lot of help, tips on how to prospect. Plus if you are prospecting on state or goverment land there are rules and regs some places you cant even pickup a rock, yes its getting bad. Just figure id post this to let the new to the many people in prospecting.

 

[Gaijun1]

I Have Found Black Sand Around Here
Would a Spiral Wheel Help Any In Sorting it Out ?

 

[TheNewCatfish]

I am also a first time panner and visitor to Arizona. Are there any creeks around Phoenix where people go to do recreational panning ? Got family there and will be headed to Phoenix in a couple of weeks. What about somewhere around the Prescott Natl. Forest ? Read they charge something like $18 dollars a day to pan at Lynx Creek Recreational Area. Wednesdays are FREE though. Still that's rediculous only being able to pan one day a week !

I know i could join a club and pan beside experts, but i can't really afford that. I am however an experienced outdoorsman. I've primitive camped and hiked on the Allegheny Trail and the Appalachian Trail several times, and even tried my hand at panning in Georgia north of Dahlonega once. Anyone have any advise or suggestions for the new guy ?

 

[bellaLips420]

The creek where I pan at, I have only found Garnets, Oh it's a great find, I love it!
But....There is supposed to be gold along with the garnets but I have not found any thus far.
I have found garnets in rocks but mostly from under old rocks in the creek and I've dug down to my elbows.
I have found very small chunks in rock form but also I have found really red shiny gems.other pieces are too small.Some of the smaller pieces show up well in the black sand. But where is the gold I'm apparently missing?

 

[russau]

dig deep for gold.

 

[Melissa21baatz]

How do I pan for gold in a creek which is full of black sand.
Is it proper to scoop for sand further down at a greater depth or just
take the sand at the top level where the black sands streaking accross
the creek can be easily seen? As fas as I know since Gold is heavy it
will sink in water therefore should it not be better to take sand from
a deeper depth for panning?
I have a Grizzly Gold Pan and a mini sluice and I tried some sand
from top layer for panning but results were negative. That is where
someone told me to take sand from a greater depth for panning.
Another point is when we take the sand from a certain depth the top
sand caves in and covers the spot as the whole process is in the water.
Anyone out there can give me a few pointers on how I should do this
right using my Grizzly Gold pan and mini sluice.
I am new to this hobby and some good pointers will be great.

Simply marvellous pics.Loved your panning technique, Keep it up.