Finding Gold in Culverts

[rich99ard]

Anyone with experience with this? Especially removing gold from a culvert that has a creek flowing through?

While hiking in the mountains in Montana, my son and I came across a culvert (approx 2' in diameter), under a road which has a creek flowing through it. It is downstream from a very old, small gold mine. The entire region has a history of gold.

My initial thoughts were to use a chimney sweep to stir up material caught in the ridges inside the culvert and catch gold out the downstream end.

anyone have experience/advice with finding gold in culverts like this?

 

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[Jimmydolittle]

This was posted on here a while back, try a search.

 

[bobw53]

There are vids on youtube, mostly desert stuff, but most of the rules should still apply.

I wouldn't "stir it up" and try to catch it on the other side, unless there is a butt load of water flow it won't make it to the other end. The riffles in the
pipe are basically a sluice box... The other thing to look at, right before the pipe.



And my favorite.

 

[mytimetoshine]

Just clean out the first couple riffles and pan it out

 

[KevinInColorado]

Also don't be surprised if you get almost nothing. Many culverts are specially designed to be "self cleaning", they purge out the material in the riffles with each big storm. Still, it's definitely worth checking. I've have good experience just downstream of culverts where the fast moving water in the culvert slows down and drops its gold.

 

[rodoconnor]

Often there is a pinch point in front of the culvert as well , creating a drop zone.

 

[Jimmydolittle]

Looks like Mr. Tim is no longer a member here. He had posted pictures of him dredging out some large sewers.

 

[huntsman53]

I was going to suggest a hand dredge to suction out the riffles, however, one might need more suction power to ensure that not much material is lost downstream. No matter what kind of suction dredge you use, I would advise to set up a sluice box at the exit (downstream) end of the culvert to catch anything disturbed that gets away from the suction dredge. You will likely have to build an intake for the sluice that is as wide as the culvert which tapers down to enter the sluice. I would start at the upstream end of the culvert and work downstream. This ensures that anything disturbed and which gets away from the suction dredge, will end up in one of the riffles further downstream in the culvert and/or get captured by the sluice.


Frank

 

[Oregon Viking]

A quote from the book, Gold panner's guide to the Oregon coast. "A large culvert was removed from the Cape Ferrelo area, just north of Brookings, by a road crew which was cleaned up and produced over 1/2 OZ of fine gold" Having grown up here...I will be inquiring as to which creek!