What is black sand?

[ryan1715]

Still learning here. What exactly is black sand? Why is it known to hold gold? Where do you find black sand? Etc.. Thank you

 

[Jim in Idaho]

It's mostly hematite and magnetite. It's heavy...similar to iron, so it tends to settle out of the current of streams in roughly the same places as gold. You can have black sand, and no gold, but rarely find gold without finding black sand along with it. In many streams, if you're not finding black sand in your pan, you're probably checking the wrong spots along the stream.
Jim

 

[surfshark]

good answer