Gold Location

[Millz90]

Hey guys. Wanted to get your opinion on this creek I have been look my around in.

It seems that everywhere I look there is gold, not a lot by any means but 5 or so very small flakes in a full 14" test pan. The creek is about 10' wide so it's really small and not deep at all. Bedrock exposed in a lot of places.


The problem/question I have is, it seems that if I pan the top foot I find gold but if I pan down deeper I don't get anything? Has anyone ever experienced this? Does that mean that the gold is freshly peaches down the creek?

Should I keep going up the creek or down creek?

Just wondering what your thoughts were on this.

 

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[Hunt4gold]

How much to sample and what to record. Small streams can be tricky - I would start with sampling inside bends, especially if there are nice gravels and cobbles on it. Start near or on the bank of the inside bend, dig and sample down a few feet to see if you hit bedrock or false bed, such as a clay bed. Then move a couple of feet out towards midstream and sample again - repeat to mid stream. If you are spending the day sampling upstream, then print out a Google Earth image of the area you think you will walk and make notes on it -- mark the bends you sample - the gold in each sample --- which can be as simply as making Xs on the bend, one for each sample, and then circle the best sample. You may also want to make notes if you see any alluvial deposits on banks, etc. One thing to keep in mind- we have sampled stretches of creeks that are straight and the stream bed only showing sands and small gravels. Digging down discovered larger gravels and cobbles and then a false bed of clay. Found gold in cobbles down to clay... So sample a lot!
Best of luck.

 

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[Millz90]

How much to sample and what to record. Small streams can be tricky - I would start with sampling inside bends, especially if there are nice gravels and cobbles on it. Start near or on the bank of the inside bend, dig and sample down a few feet to see if you hit bedrock or false bed, such as a clay bed. Then move a couple of feet out towards midstream and sample again - repeat to mid stream. If you are spending the day sampling upstream, then print out a Google Earth image of the area you think you will walk and make notes on it -- mark the bends you sample - the gold in each sample --- which can be as simply as making Xs on the bend, one for each sample, and then circle the best sample. You may also want to make notes if you see any alluvial deposits on banks, etc. One thing to keep in mind- we have sampled stretches of creeks that are straight and the stream bed only showing sands and small gravels. Digging down discovered larger gravels and cobbles and then a false bed of clay. Found gold in cobbles down to clay... So sample a lot!
Best of luck.

So your saying you did find gold in the straight part of the little creek? there is a place in the creek that has almost a S shape without the top and bottom of the S......right AFTER that is where there is a big gravel build up and where I have found the best gold.

 

[Hunt4gold]

Millz,
Not sure what you mean by and S shape without the top and bottom - sorry. Can you illustrate and post graphic?
Gold on straight part of creek --- Yes, I believe the reason that the gold was along this relatively straight section of the creek was its proximity to where the gold is washing out of the creek bank deposits upstream of this stretch. As I mentioned before, on these small creeks, the gold (except flood gold size) does not seem to transport very far from where it is sourcing. So the gold is being trapped within the gravel to large cobbles (up to 1' size rock) sitting above a clay layer in the stream bed.

 

[Frank D.]

What state are you in? The reason I ask, is because if your in a state like me (Pennsylvania) that is only known for fine glacial gold, then you may want to pay more attention to any areas where the stream bank is exposed. I am in a spot with gold just like you are describing, and the source is coming from the glacial material that the current flow of the creek cuts right through. It's only about a 60 foot long area, and the gold is very small, and spread out through the material, so the best places I have found, are right where the material erodes, and falls during high water from rain, and snow melt. Go to my page, and look through my prospecting pics to see what I am talking about if you would like. Good luck to you

 

[arizau]

"Not sure what you mean by and S shape without the top and bottom"....I think what he describes is an "ess" curve (right then left or vice versa in a short stretch) like you see on highway curve warning signs.

 

[Millz90]

"Not sure what you mean by and S shape without the top and bottom"....I think what he describes is an "ess" curve (right then left or vice versa in a short stretch) like you see on highway curve warning signs.

Correct, if your following the flow of the river its straight then takes a 90 degree turn left goes about 20 yards and take a 90 degree turn to the right then straightens out again.

Sorry for the bad description...lol

I figured that would be a good place to look.

 

[goldenmojo]

You can look for pinch points if there are any. This is a place where the width of the canyon is reduced and then opens back to a wider width. if this pinching coincides with a flattening of the elevation of the stream as it leaves the pinch point there might be droppage of gold at that place.

 

[Goldwasher]

sounds like it is coming from the hillside.

Flood gold will deposit differently depending on what the underlying material is doing during the flood.

If you are finding it on top and not all the way down. and can't find an obvious layer change especially if the top layer has more organics and soil.

I would not label it flood gold. Even if it is below high water line.

 

[Kenmitch]

Correct, if your following the flow of the river its straight then takes a 90 degree turn left goes about 20 yards and take a 90 degree turn to the right then straightens out again.

Sorry for the bad description...lol

I figured that would be a good place to look.

At the initial point of the turn what's the terrain like? Any way at high flow it could muscle it's way straight through the curve?

 

[Millz90]

sounds like it is coming from the hillside.

Flood gold will deposit differently depending on what the underlying material is doing during the flood.

If you are finding it on top and not all the way down. and can't find an obvious layer change especially if the top layer has more organics and soil.

I would not label it flood gold. Even if it is below high water line.

Well I do hit like a clay layer about 2.5' down where it's like grayish blue mud and rocks.

I actually went out today and tested pretty far down the creek and it seems the gold is better down river where I have been testing.

Today I dredged a 2' hole on the inside bend of the 90 degree "S" curve but haven't panned the concentrated yet. As I stated above I did hit a layer of bluish grayish clay and rocks.

And you are correct the top layer is the normal rock and dirt.

 

[Millz90]

At the beginning of the turn, it is basically flat and bedrock. No build up on so you might be right. Maybe t is going through the first 90 and depositing on the second 90.

 

[Millz90]

Ok so here are my findings from yesterday out at the creek.



The red circle had a few flakes but nothing at all really.
The orange circles had a little bit.
The green circle has the best gold in it.

So I would assume the majority of it is coming from the orange area? or the red area?

 

[Kenmitch]

Using the image above its not really like what you described.

Flow is left to right in image? If so green is where the gold should be I'd imagine.

 

[Millz90]

Yeah google maps doesn't show the river as dramatic as it really is.

Yes flow is left to right


Where the second yellow circle is and it goes left is a 90 degree. The start of the green is a 90 to the rifht

 

[Hunt4gold]

Millz, How much distance is there between your circles? 10'? 100'? Would help to get an idea of scale. If you can, go upstream to your yellow and red dot areas (and between depending on scale/distance) and look at and test the material above water on banks. The gold is sourcing from somewhere upstream, so it would help yo to know where the source formation is exposed in the creek. Look for changes in the bank material - cobbles, courser grain sands and gravels sitting on bedrock -- Let us know what you find.