Gold prospecting Las Vegas area

[RonnyB]

Hi All,

I'm moving the family to Henderson, NV the end of this month. I intend to find LVGPAA and start getting to know the locals as soon as I'm settled. I'm just wondering what the prospects are like there. LV is a stones throw away from CA and AZ so I imagine I will have 3 states to consider. I'm not asking for anyone's secret spots just a heads up on local places to start doinking around. Also I imagine there are not many streams within easy driving distance so any advice on sniping/concentrating dry stuff to take home and pan out would be welcome as I'm used to sluice boxes, high banking, and dredging. I've got a little "snow on the roof" but am still pretty spry so can carry a reasonable load and drinking water off road for a day hike. Thanks. Ron

 

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[KRIKITTS]

There's a prospecting shop across the freeway from the strip - got a nice bag of paydirt from them when I went... do a startpage search and visit them too when you get there.

 

[bobw53]

I'm sure you've run across this guy, he's in the LV area... And he cracks me up.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ghosttownhunter/videos

I wouldn't know what to do with an actual running body of water..... Desert wise... Dry washers, crack vacs, hauling and recirculating
water.... You will probably have the opportunity to get more into the hard rocks and metal detecting for gold also.

I haven't been at this all that long, but one thing I have noticed... Info on how to get gold in a stream is everywhere... Desert prospecting,
info is harder to come across... In my experience so far, every place is different, some washes/arroyos/gulches seem to behave like a
stream, except dry... Deep is not always better, and what you think would be a good place based on wet water knowledge is not
always the best place...

I think the desert thing is kind of fun.. Gold pops up in the strangest of places... Rocks with gold in them pop up in strange places, and its
not always quartz...

For years, once in a while the better half and I would see someone sweeping up dirt in the road, and she'd say "they must be making cement",
But their whole yard is sand BS... I now know what they were doing... I've found gold in tailings piles from ground squirrels, I've occasionally
just swept up some random loose dirt on a road, and found gold... The pile of dirt from my septic tank install, I've found gold... The big rocks
they dug out for the leach field, I've found gold in some of those too. My old man was wandering around in the road and picked up a crappy tan
rock that he "felt good" about... The tan was a coating of caliche... The inside was smoky and dark yellow quartz, it had a little bit of gold in it...

The desert thing is a bit different I think, I also think its a lot of fun, if you are close to the source and close to actual veins, it gets even more interesting.
In the desert, from my experience so far, the gold doesn't move as far, it doesn't move as fast, and it doesn't always end up at the bottom...

Have fun with it.

 

[IDdesertman]

Gold Prospecting Near Las Vegas, Nevada - Where to Go

 

[RonnyB]

Hi bobw53,

Thank you for the tips. I've been thinking a bit about where gold would settle in the desert and your comment about it not traveling as far as it would in a wet stream makes a whole bunch of sense to me as does the comment that it doesn't always end up at the bottom. Lots to think about I'm sure. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to purchase one of those locator detectors that look kind of like a tazer (Garrett pro point or some such) to explore areas with sloping arroyos and exposed bedrock. Also, yes, I have come across Jeff Williams on youtube (LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO JEFF WILLIAMS DOT COM!!!) lol. He's pretty goofy but I have gleaned some pretty good tips from watching his videos. Would be an awful lot of fun if I got to meet him. Another thing I cam across is that much of the gold in NV is actually electrum which I just learned is an amalgam of gold and silver so it can look funny if you are more used to the gold back east from NC or GA which tends to be pretty pure with just a little copper mixed in. Anyway, looking forward to the adventure and for nature to start revealing her treasures! :-)

 

[KevinInColorado]

FYI electrum is an alloy not an amalgam.

 

[bobw53]

Hi bobw53,

Thank you for the tips.

2 more tips for prospecting in the desert....

Always try to get somebody else to drive... You are going to stare at every little arroyo, every little culvert, every little hill along the highway, and you're going to want to dig in every one of them.

And the other, buy a good belt, that way when you fill you pockets with rocks, your pants don't fall down.

 

[RonnyB]

Kevin Thanks. If alloy is the preferred term I'll use it from now on. I have always treated them was synonyms. Amalgam usually (but not always) refers to an alloy of mercury with another metal. An alloy is just a mixture of metals so is more generic. I get it.

 

[RonnyB]

bobw53, I like the way you think. Very practical! :-)

To everyone: Would it be worthwhile to purchase one of those pin point metal detectors like a Garrett Pro or some such to explore bedrock cracks and the sides of arroyos etc in desert terrain? They claim to be highly sensitive for short distances. Obviously you can cover more ground with a standard detector but for rough areas where you are sniping and there is little dirt to collect/vacuum out etc. will they work for locating hot spots? Finances are going to be limited for a few months until the wife and I get settled in NV so that $100+ purchase needs to be useful and not just a toy. Thoughts?