Searching in 12' Deep Creek

[High Etiquette 009]

My dad and I went out prospecting early this morning. We had this spot in mind and this time, brought a larger full size shovel with us. Our goal was to come up with a nugget by digging as deep as we could on the banks. I had just learned about ground balancing the AT Pinpointer too, and so I thought we would have better luck locating the targets in the creek. We didn't find any nuggets today.

It was a fun journey though and gave me some more ambition to continue hunting in the same area. Our approach today was to try and get as deep as possible and reach the bedrock. I do not believe we did hit bedrock because sediment just continued to seep into the hole we were digging. The deepest that the hole got was about 2 feet.

I have a few photos here I'd like to share... Any tips or comments for prospecting this spot would be much appreciated.

 

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[High Etiquette 009]

Here's a shot of the main hole we were working in

 

[russau]

How about using a post hole digger to get deeper to get a sample BEFORE you dig that hole. then if / when you do find a few specks THEN dig your hole! Did I say that I HATE shovels! And I cant find any young guys to dig for me!

 

[deserdog]

Is the area known for nuggets? Or just fine gold?

 

[High Etiquette 009]

I thought of actually bringing a post hole digger but then realized those are pretty big.

I'm not sure if the area has nuggets

 

[Golden_Crab]

Find a creek with mostly rocks in it first, then worry about bedrock. Gold in sample pans may save some digging.

 

[Hoser John]

Manual diggers work, you don't need that engine run unit. I've sold, over the years ,many of both but prefer manual in the days I did hand ops. Lots of luck as look for the bedrock and them tree roots to get the gold. tons a au 2 u 2-John

 

[brianc053]

In your first picture there seems to be a black band about halfway up that eroded bank - do you see it? (DO NOT dig into the bank - that's a big no-no. Let mother nature do the eroding; we prospectors don't want to be blamed/accused of that).

My question to the group is: are those black bands "black sand" and an interesting indicator? I don't see round river rock mixed into that eroded bank, so my guess is the black band might be decomposed vegetation and NOT black sand, but since High Etiquette is trying to learn I thought I'd hijack the thread and also try to learn something.

High Etiquette, if you don't know if the area is known for nuggets then it sounds like you need to do some research on the area before expending too much effort digging. That's something I learned here on treasurenet - research is super important. That doesn't mean that you can't find a nugget where one hasn't been found before, but if you go in blind then don't be disappointed when you strike out.

And, as a few people suggested, sample pan as you go along. Maybe dig a few test holes and sample from each. More specks in a sample would tell me I have a better shot at more gold (and possibly a picker/nugget) in that hole.

And back to that black band of dirt in the eroded bank: if that were black sand, and had round river rock mixed in, then I'd try to find the dirt that fell down from that layer into the creek as the erosion was happening, and I'd try sampling that (again, I can't dig into the bank, so I have to find what mother nature already dug out for me).
Here's a picture of a spot where I was dredging back in November; see how there are those layers in the dirt? And see that black layer? I was trying to dredge into and around that - without eroding or undercutting the bank further. My theory was that if black sand ended up there, gold might/should also. (any thoughts on that theory from the broader audience? Hoser John? You've always got great advice...). I got decent gold (and other heavies) out of that hole, though no pickers.


Again sorry for the hijack, but I think it's consistent with the original theme.
- Brian

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hi there,

Do you know for sure where the bedrock is, as in what depth it's at? (Is it down at 12 feet?). I don't know anything about your topography, but the easiest way to sample bedrock is if there's an in-stream outcrop somewhere. How big are the cobbles in your stream? That will determine if a post-hole auger will work or not. If you have to go 12 feet at the shallowest spot, it will be a terrific challenge. if your stream is only a slow meandering affair, you might be out of luck.
If there's a drop or two in the stream of any significance, that may help you read the underlying depth to bedrock better as when the stream drops in a step-like pattern, it's telling you there's something underneath.

As others have asked, is the area known for nuggets? That's critical as well.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[High Etiquette 009]

I'm sure that this area has fine flour gold in the vicinity but did not sample any from this specific area. As for nuggets, there is a great amount of info from the state website that I'm going to call up, print out and go over. My initial thought is that I am ahead of the game due to being in such a deep creek. The stuff we were digging was 95% small sediment. Thanks for the info everyone who contributes