Simple prospecting the Eu way

[Eu_citzen]

This is a simple way I prospect on where to set up sluice and similar.

What you need:
Pan
Classifying screen
shovel (and/or) hand dredge

How to do it:

Begin by looking at the river, note approximately where the high water line is.
(how high the water is/could be when the spring flood is)

From the high water line Begin panning yourself towards the middle of the river from that point. (or the probable point)
The middle usually hosts little gold as the "high pressure" area is there. (meaning the water moves the fastest there)
But in between the high pressure area and the high water line lies the most travelled path of gold.

Look for increase in black sand amount and/or other heavy minerals.
I repeat:
Look and note the amount of black sand and/or other heavy minerals, look for a increase. (very important!!)

At one certain place the amounts of black sand often dramatically reduce in amount per pan.
Often close to this area it is likely to find a "pay streak" or in other words the most travelled path of gold.
Of course keep an eye in the pa if you start finding gold and look where that is the most, take another sample just up stream to confirm this is the place your looking for.

It is often so that the "pay streak" starts where the black sand line is at it's highest
(meaning the most black sand/ pan) or where the amount of black sand drops.

When this position has been confirmed to hold gold (which it according to my experience mostly does) mark it and work it with a sluice or what ever.

This is how I have found my best paying spots, hope this helps some one.
I have even found good spots this way in worked out areas. (according to others)

The principal behind this is in my next post.

 

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[Eu_citzen]

The river not only sorts material density wise down wards (aka gold as far down as possible) but also across the river, meaning the lightest stuff will often be close to the shore. (land)

Try it yourself, if there is sand close to the shore (at least for me) there isn't much black sand in it as black sand has higher density then normal sand. Black sand is the found closer to the middle of the river then the "normal" shore sand.

Gold has higher density then black sand so it is about where it (black sand amount) drops, closer to the middle of the river.

Depending on the high pressure area in the river it often forms "layers" of river material across also.
First you often have sand, then bigger particles, then black sand, and lastly gold. (that is if there are no other heavier metals present)

I hope I made this understandable and interesting.

 

[boogeyman]

Nice post!!

Works well in the desert here!