When identifying likely spots for gold, how big is the scale of things?

[OwenT]

So when you're on a body of water looking for gold, you check inside bends and slow-moving spots and all the rest but on what scale are we talking, or is it every scale? For example, your average creek is running down the valley and there's a big bend, like gradual enough to not notice really while you're walking along, and the bar formed by it is like a hundred or more feet long, I'm thinking of this as a "macro feature". But then say on that large bend, which is more just the average course of the water, there's some small twists and bars maybe 5-30 feet long and there's some small boulders, and maybe a 1 or 2ft waterfall ("micro features"). Do you read the creek on a micro or macro scale, both together, or both independently?

 

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[goldenmojo]

Small creeks have different hydraulics than larger rivers due to steepness, amount of water, geology and size of gold. Experience will be your best teacher over time. I look where others do not look and that seem to work for me besides the standard version of spots. Good luck.

 

[huntsman53]

While there are a lot more experienced and knowledgeable Gold Prospectors/Miners on here that can offer a wealth of answers and help with your questions, I will say to look at everything! Look not only at the creeks, streams and/or rivers and how they flow but the surrounding terrain as well and especially so when in Gold Lode deposit country. You must read the creek, stream or river as to the best location where Gold will pull to and settle such as inside bends but also the flow and course of the water before and after the inside bends. Look for constrictions (i.e. boulders, natural dams, lesser widths, etc.) for anything that can and does channel (funnel) the flow and the flow beyond these. Look for evidence of high water areas where Gold may have ended up during floods, rock and dirt slides that may have brought eroded out Gold into the creeks, streams and/or rivers as well as caused placer Gold to stop and drop. Of course, look for any and all sand/dirt/rock bars where Gold may have settled as well as the flow of the water into and out of these locations. There is so much more to look for but I will leave it to others to add to and expound upon.


Frank

 

[fowledup]

Start big and narrow it down. Big as in where was the river say 50,000 yrs ago in relationship to where it is now. For example; was the slight bend in the river your standing in today an off shoot or cut off slough for a larger oxbow. Those oxbow bends maybe where the gold is instead of the small bend were the water flows now. Look for a line running the same direction as the river of big material like big boulders and such, thats the kind of energy needed to move gold and typically the "line" you'll find it along. Sampling and finding a paystreak is no different same process start big and narrow it down, works for any size and scale. I always tell people gold is lazy it will sit down the first chance it gets. So look for areas where there is no force to move it.

 

[goldog]

Material is pulled by gravity during high water events. Not pushed by water. Heavies (gold) will take the shortest route. Boulders are a good indicator as they do the same.

Years ago I read about a "rope line". Imagine when the river is at flood stage. A rope pulled along the lowest points during a major flood when the large boulders are moving will give you an idea where to start sampling. Of course many other factors rearrange things over time.

 

[KevinInColorado]

To answer your question directly: both the macro and micro features matter. The giant bar on a long gentle inside bend probably will have gold. The micro features within the giant bar may be hot spots.

 

[Hoser John]

There is no better truism than "Gold is where you find it". Landslides, dams, tree falls, road building(the worst),floods, prior workings moved creeks and rivers from their beds and especially droughts, ALL blow the logic of where gold is right out the window. Water power moves all, it's called scour when any of the above happens the area gets scoured down to bedrock and moves all, including gold. There are many rules of thumb but after many years you just have a 6th sense of where to look by the forests appearance, the highbars condition and the best BOOKS. Educate and prosper as history gives you a huge assist as to who, what and where to start your search-John

 

[bobw53]

Start big and narrow it down. Big as in where was the river say 50,000 yrs ago in relationship to where it is now.

First I'm a desert dweller, so the biggest stream I usually see is heading for the urinal.... You need to think bigger than that... 50k years ago is a drop in the
bucket... By my house, those mountains are 12-15 million years old... Where I've been digging, there were 2 events, one approx 70 million years ago, and
another 30 million... What has happened since then Where were the streams? Where are the veins? How have they moved, what's covered them up,
or uncovered them? What has eroded the gold/veins and where has it gone? Downhill today may have been uphill 10 million years ago.. Has this area always
been a desert? or was it rainforest a million years ago, was it under an ocean, lake or sea?

I would consider using a camera 10,000 miles above the earths surface to be the "macro" side... Though it is amazing how close in they can get... I've been chasing
veins using google earth lately.. Old geological reports with hand drawn maps can get you close, but then google earth... You can trace them (at least in my area) by
the discoloration and outcroppings.. And you can really tell that it is a vein when there are shafts sunk into it every couple thousand feet.

I guess you can get as large as you want, go back as far as you want... Will it help you find gold on the inside of a bend in a stream, maybe, but probably not... Will it
help you figure out where that gold is coming from, and where it might have been deposited 10 million years ago? yeah... Will satellite images and geological reports help
you find something that they didn't even know to look for, or have the technology to look for back in the 1800's?

Looking at it from a large scale, for me at least, has made it a lot more fun... Discovering a new place to dig(I'm talking about a small area), or a new type of rock to smash while sitting in my living room is
almost as exciting as actually seeing the shiny stuff in my pan.

 

[goldenIrishman]

See all of the above^^^ and add some direct observation of the area in question during high water periods. Look for areas of low pressure where the water slows down and will allow the gold to fall out of the flow. Nothing will beat "Boots on the ground" and "Eyes on the prize" to show you the best spots.

 

[yodi]

every piece of water is different even crk that are the same size now may have been very different 10,000 or 1,000,000 years ago try the likely spots first but don't stop looking for new and better places

 

[Hoser John]

Desert has flash floods, wind and rain erosion that concentrates also. Out at Rye Patch back in the late 70s-early 80s you would find gold on little pillars of sand as that ungodly wind out there scoured all else away. There are many righteous maps on desert mineral production. Which one you in, state, county wise-John

 

[OwenT]

That's really interesting but makes total sense about the pillars. I live in Grant County WA, definitely desert but no gold. The gold near me is in Kittitas and Chelan Counties.