What Apps do you use?

[Rocksy34]

Hey all. I'm curious. What Apps do you use while hunting for gold?

 

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[kcm]

Apps? You mean like for trying to find gold?

I see you've made some other posts. I'm originally from east Texas; grew up just north of Houston. To the best of my knowledge, have never stepped foot in gold-bearing country before. That said, Texas does have gold. I'm sure austin will chime in later to help you out. He's more up on where to go in Texas than I am. In all honesty, you'd have FAR better chances finding gold in east Texas if using a metal detector and looking for gold jewelry. Where there IS gold, there's not much of it!

As for the apps, I'm assuming you speak of tools you use for helping to find out the best spot to go to. Best advice you will ever hear is to look at where gold has already been found before. There are mountains of documentation; much of it via the BLM or USFS. However, there's also tons of private info on where gold strikes have been made.

Are you looking into this as a hobby or to make money?

 

[arizau]

This is not an app but it is the best compilation of resources available with a focus on most aspects of gold (history, deposits, maps, claim information/location and on and on and on).....Welcome to Land Matters

 

[Rocksy34]

Apps? You mean like for trying to find gold?

I see you've made some other posts. I'm originally from east Texas; grew up just north of Houston. To the best of my knowledge, have never stepped foot in gold-bearing country before. That said, Texas does have gold. I'm sure austin will chime in later to help you out. He's more up on where to go in Texas than I am. In all honesty, you'd have FAR better chances finding gold in east Texas if using a metal detector and looking for gold jewelry. Where there IS gold, there's not much of it!

As for the apps, I'm assuming you speak of tools you use for helping to find out the best spot to go to. Best advice you will ever hear is to look at where gold has already been found before. There are mountains of documentation; much of it via the BLM or USFS. However, there's also tons of private info on where gold strikes have been made.

Are you looking into this as a hobby or to make money?

I'm looking into it as a hobby, but a little money on the side is always beneficial to expanding that hobby. I'm just starting out (with a pan and a rock hammer) and would like to get a metal detector at some point.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Apps? for gold prospecting? There are none, and none are needed. You take a pan and a shovel to a river, preferably in a place where gold have been found in the past. Dig and pan, dig and pan. If you think the spot is good, dig and sluice, dig and sluice.

Just a warning, if you are in one of the major gold spots, you better learn to check for existing claims (and typically 90%+ will be claimed). PRospecting on anothers claim is mineral theft and punishable by law.

 

[Rocksy34]

Apps? for gold prospecting? There are none, and none are needed. You take a pan and a shovel to a river, preferably in a place where gold have been found in the past. Dig and pan, dig and pan. If you think the spot is good, dig and sluice, dig and sluice.

Just a warning, if you are in one of the major gold spots, you better learn to check for existing claims (and typically 90%+ will be claimed). PRospecting on anothers claim is mineral theft and punishable by law.

Thanks Jason! Further Question: how does one check for existing claims?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Thanks Jason! Further Question: how does one check for existing claims?

There are multiple methods, but this site listing earlier is one of the best.

This is not an app but it is the best compilation of resources available with a focus on most aspects of gold (history, deposits, maps, claim information/location and on and on and on).....Welcome to Land Matters

 

[Rocksy34]

Awesome.

 

[Hamfist]

There's an app called Digger's Map that I find useful for getting a quick idea of where gold has been found. It's the best mobile app I've come across, short of mapping apps. Sites like My Land Matters and The Diggings can provide far more detailed information but Diggers Map is easy and gets you pointed in the right direction.

 

[KevinInColorado]

There's an app called Digger's Map that I find useful for getting a quick idea of where gold has been found. It's the best mobile app I've come across, short of mapping apps. Sites like My Land Matters and The Diggings can provide far more detailed information but Diggers Map is easy and gets you pointed in the right direction.

Yes, yes, this is my favorite too. The app is free but you'll pay a few bucks for the gold data. It simply puts all the USGS data on an easy to use map. The data isn't exclusive to this app but I love it because it's SO easy to use to get a quick view of an area.

One caution, some of the USGS location data is wrong by up to a half mile or so. Use this as more of a guide than a bible. That said, most of the mine locations are right on!

 

[johnedoe]

I like "Where to find Gold"
Pretty good free ap ...

 

[Clay Diggins]

Yes, yes, this is my favorite too. The app is free but you'll pay a few bucks for the gold data. It simply puts all the USGS data on an easy to use map. The data isn't exclusive to this app but I love it because it's SO easy to use to get a quick view of an area.

One caution, some of the USGS location data is wrong by up to a half mile or so. Use this as more of a guide than a bible. That said, most of the mine locations are right on!

The "USGS location data" (MRDS) is about 30% accurate overall, better with some mines and worse with others. Typically when we are mapping any given area we check all the mine locations shown for the area. If we permit a tolerance of 1/4 mile for "good" locations we have to throw out 70% of the entries as either duplicates or so inaccurate as to be unusable. What the database is actually really good for is to see overall trends to past hardrock mining activity.

Here's a link to a map showing the gold trend in central California. Although the map clearly indicates where mining activity has occurred zooming in and picking a mine to visit will only result in coming within 1/4 mile of your goal less than 1/3 of the time. That can be very frustrating and ruin a nice day of exploration.

Much as we do on our contract maps, more research is needed before attempting to locate any of these mines on the ground. Reading the MRDS reports and looking up the references is a good start. Before you do that though it's a good idea to check the Land Status for the area you are interested in. Many of these mine properties were patented and are now private property.

This type of research, where you start with some general but inaccurate data and research the area to verify the accuracy, is probably the best way to get acquainted with an area. Finding out which sources provide the most reliable information helps prevent wild goose chases. I think more new prospectors are discouraged by incorrect location information than any other factor.

I revisited your Finding Gold in Colorado website yesterday Kevin and the information you provide there is superb. You've done most of the work to get your fellow prospectors finding gold and you share that information. Well Done! Kudos to you. I hope your hard work encourages others to share.

Heavy Pans

 

[KevinInColorado]

Barry, well said on how to use a quickie tool like Diggers Map...I totally agree of course. Also, thanks for the kudo on my website, coming from a pro like you the compliment means A LOT!