My confusion

[KiddoTheMiner]

Note this is just a conversation starter

But I've been seeing many people in the southeast
Claim that all the gold is out west

And at the same time I've seen people from colorado, California, and Idaho
Say the southeast is where it is

So what im trying to say is, what?

If you live in the midwest yes i understand you saying
The gold is elsewhere but if your state is historically known
To have decent deposits there is no excuse to say you need
A plane ticket to find gold
But then again i am new, and i can understand it being cool to mine somewhere new

 

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[goldenmojo]

No confusion here. I live near the California Motherlode. No need to go anywhere else.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

No confusion here. I live near the California Motherlode. No need to go anywhere else.

You may have it but plenty of people claim their area is bad and they need to go elsewhere

 

[gold tramp]

No confusion here. I live near the California Motherlode. No need to go anywhere else.

Southern Cali desert for me, no need to leave here..........

 

[Aufisher]

Golden State Mother Lode

 

[Duckwalk]

I'm in GA and until a few days ago, I was quite displeased with the recovery on such a historic gold state such as GA. It's all about reading the lay of the river or creek and hitting the right spots.

 

[DDancer]

Gold is where you find it. nuff said

 

[goldhog]

The best gold I've seen is in Africa.
$100 - $175 per yard in some areas.
Long drive.


First thing you need to understand is that you are talking about PLACER gold.
Placer gold is MADE... by mother nature.

Recipe for placer gold.

Find Lode deposits in the ground.
Add a destroying force (Water and Rocks) for crushing.

Crush and crush for 1000's and 1000's and 1000's of years.

Gold will be released as the veins / deposits are crushed and worn.

So.... find an area with lots of deposits.
Find the area with BIG powerful waterways running through them. (Not now so much but over 1000's of years)
and you shall find your placer gold.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Kiddo, I think a big part of it is the desire to explore and be adventurous. Part of it is also the same thing that keeps many of us continuing to prospect instead of hunkering down and mining a spot we already know...the dream that the next spot will be even better/richer! That said, my favorite spots are within a few miles of my house here in Denver!

 

[goldhog]

Kiddo, I think a big part of it is the desire to explore and be adventurous. Part of it is also the same thing that keeps many of us continuing to prospect instead of hunkering down and mining a spot we already know...the dream that the next spot will be even better/richer! That said, my favorite spots are within a few miles of my house here in Denver!

Dead on...........

 

[Goldwasher]

Geology is geology....gold is where you find it but, you won't find it where you can't find it.....the southeast is most not your most likely place to do well....too many access issues coupled with lesser deposits....the west is special situation. A geologically perfect situation do to hydrothermal activity....large rich placer deposits....and rich hi grade free milling gold veins....tertiary and inter-volcanic deposits.....the large gold we find in our placer deposits is rarely "local" it is washed from tertiary channels. There are spots...like on our claim where the gold is from local veins and coming from the float material as it breaks down and you can do some text book prospecting like following color to its source....but, then the amount of labor vs. the return can be discouraging unless you hit some good pockets. Very similar to Georgia, The Carolinas....Dakotas ...Rockies. The placer deposits were cleaned out pretty well and the replacement is slow. In our area the ancient channel influence is key as well as the tailings from the operations. They lost more from single operations than ever existed in whole districts back east. Alaska has huge deposits that have never even been worked as well as the Yukon....I love the Motherlode as there are numerous under worked areas that are very rich....and the leftovers from the old timers can make for great days.....I hate the term "gold is where you find it" it implies luck and superstition.....and discredits knowledge and experience...

 

[goldog]

How about "the grass is always greener..." I find it good to define the goals realistically for yourself. I've done the math and even here in SoCal a grain a day without much cost is my personal goal. I could spend more to get more. East fork is $15 in gas and 3 hrs round trip. I could camp up north for a week. I could buy more equipment... on and on. I choose to go often for a few bucks worth rather than go broke chasing more.

BTW Kiddo, How much gold have you found near Forsyth county, GA ?

 

[dave wiseman]

Where it is I ain't and where it ain't I is....obviously it helps immensely to know the areas where gold was found before.Get out and do the field work in those areas if you have access and bust your ass.Sooner or later you'll find something worthwhile.One never stops learning this stuff.Keep plugging along,work read and never quit.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

How about "the grass is always greener..." I find it good to define the goals realistically for yourself. I've done the math and even here in SoCal a grain a day without much cost is my personal goal. I could spend more to get more. East fork is $15 in gas and 3 hrs round trip. I could camp up north for a week. I could buy more equipment... on and on. I choose to go often for a few bucks worth rather than go broke chasing more.

BTW Kiddo, How much gold have you found near Forsyth county, GA ?

im new so not much, i have a spot with 1-2 flakes a pan but i can only pan it because of bad waterflow

but many people find lots
doc did 3 grams in an hour with a 5 in dredge in one of his videos

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Geology is geology....gold is where you find it but, you won't find it where you can't find it.....the southeast is most not your most likely place to do well....too many access issues coupled with lesser deposits....the west is special situation. A geologically perfect situation do to hydrothermal activity....large rich placer deposits....and rich hi grade free milling gold veins....tertiary and inter-volcanic deposits.....the large gold we find in our placer deposits is rarely "local" it is washed from tertiary channels. There are spots...like on our claim where the gold is from local veins and coming from the float material as it breaks down and you can do some text book prospecting like following color to its source....but, then the amount of labor vs. the return can be discouraging unless you hit some good pockets. Very similar to Georgia, The Carolinas....Dakotas ...Rockies. The placer deposits were cleaned out pretty well and the replacement is slow. In our area the ancient channel influence is key as well as the tailings from the operations. They lost more from single operations than ever existed in whole districts back east. Alaska has huge deposits
that have never even been worked as well as the Yukon....I love the Motherlode as there are numerous under worked areas that are very rich....and the leftovers from the old timers can make for great days.....I hate the term "gold is where you find it" it implies luck and superstition.....and discredits knowledge and experience...

i take gold is where you find it as you never know
ive found creeks with perfect bedrock for eddys and not a flake yet in other spots where i would least expect it gold

 

[Goldwasher]

get the you never know out of the picture.....apply some knowledge and research and you will do better.... perfect bedrock means nothing if there is no gold in the area to be caught in it.....there is a reason you found those flakes you should focus on why they are there, and not believe it was happenstance that allowed you to recover it....like I said science has way more to do with it than chance....the gold is an inanimate object....it is in no way playing cat and mouse with you.

 

[Goldwasher]

im new so not much, i have a spot with 1-2 flakes a pan but i can only pan it because of bad waterflow

but many people find lots
doc did 3 grams in an hour with a 5 in dredge in one of his videos

To be expected in Georgia( not knocking Doc at all)......let me run a 5 inch in California for an hour again and I will make many Georgians cry............

 

[dave wiseman]

i take gold is where you find it as you never know
ive found creeks with perfect bedrock for eddys and not a flake yet in other spots where i would least expect it gold

Even in the best gold areas you may find very little or nothing as there are zones of mineralization.Just because there are quartz veins in gold country,dosen't
mean they are all gold bearing.Some veins are rich,some carry only spotty very fine gold...most are barren.Same for creeks.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

To be expected in Georgia( not knocking Doc at all)......let me run a 5 inch in California for an hour again and I will make many Georgians cry............

are you telling me in California 3 grams is bad? 3 grams a day is GOOD even with a 2 inch

 

[Goldwasher]

are you telling me in California 3 grams is bad? 3 grams a day is GOOD even with a 2 inch

No, I'm saying with a 5 inch and one hour I will show you 9 grams