GeologyRocks

I'm jealous!

John, if I wasn't all the way on the other side of the puddle from you guys, I would be all over this!

I have lots of extra gold pans, classifiers, 3 sluices, a recirculating high banker, blue bowl, desert fox, and five gold metal detectors. Strong back and weak mind included. The only thing I'm missing is a dredge and I'm working on that too.

If you could make it out to Colorado, I'll not only share my equipment, but I'll guarentee that you bring home some gold.

Make sure that the area you have selected is historically known for having gold and that it's ok to prospect there. Here in the US, you need to make sure the area is open to prospecting, and it's not already under claim. If you hear shootin', RUN!

I bet y'all have a great time! I want to see lots of pictures!

Going prospecting with a bunch of geologists? Man that sounds like so much fun!!! Don't forget a snuffer bottle, you might need it!

Depending on the state of play I'm up for it but you know that already John.

I feel that Colarado is just a little far for a weekend, but I'll bear it in mind.

Actually quite close to where we are going I am told there is a stream with gold in it on an old ladys property - she comes out with a shot gun if she knows you are there!  Hang on. This is England - not the wild west!  Still I don't think I'll chance it.

Gus, if you can make it - even for a short time - you would be more than welcome.

.John

“Civilisation exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.” -  Will Durant

LOL I wouldn't risk it either! Granny might be a good shot!

I'm probably preaching to the choir, but here are some tips that might help with your panning success.

1. Adaquate classification and aeration are the keys to successful gold panning.

Fine gold is plentiful, but difficult to recover. Classifying your material will greatly increase your chances of capturing that fine gold. Gold will drop to the bottom of the pan much easier when all the particles are the same size. Unless your expecting to find nuggets, I would recommend classifying the material to about 12 mesh to remove the rocks and larger waste material.

Adaquate aeration will also help get the gold to the bottom of the pan. Gold can't drop to the bottom unless the material is loose. Keep shaking that pan to stratify the material and help the gold to drop as you are washing away the waste material. If there is a lot of black sand, try removing it with a magnet (a rare earth magnet in a plastic bag works good). Don't throw away your black sand! There might be gold in it! Some guys I know (including me) will thermal shock their black sands to release fine gold that may still be attached to it. There won't be much, but every little bit helps.

This youtube video is the best one that I've seen on how to pan for gold : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrhsjVH_LO8&NR=1

I suggest a plastic gold pan with traps built in. Metal gold pans without traps don't catch gold as easily.

2. A sluice is like a team of gold panners. Panning is fun and important for sampling, but if you really want to find more gold, a sluice is the way to go. You can process much more material with a sluice than you can by panning alone and it won't make your arm feel like it's about to fall off. Panning gets tireing fast. You can run a 5 gallon bucket of material through a sluice in a short amount of time. It might take you all day to pan that much. If you are planning to only pan for gold, I suggest that you pan down to a half cup of concentrates and then dump the cons in a bucket to go through later. By all means, check for color in each pan, but I wouldn't waste my time trying to do a cleanup after each pan. Save it for going through in front of the telly.

3. Sample, sample, sample and don't set up a sluice until you find some color! Search downstream of large boulders. Search the inside of river bends. Get down to bedrock or the top of a caliche layer if you can. Clean out any crevasses you find! If you see any bowls or depressions that are formed in rock that is packed with gravels, clean them out! There is probably good gold in there. Google "bedrock boil holes". Check the roots of fallen trees! Stream side moss is good at catching fine flood gold that has been recently moved around. Pull up some moss and break up the root mass in your pan.

4. I shouldn't have to remind geologists that rivers meander over time. If you can find an ancient river channel, you might be in some virgin gold country that no one has worked before! Pockets of green vegetation in arid areas might be a clue to ancient riverbed or bedrock close to the surface.

5. Gold can and will float! During the cleanup phase, use a little jet dry or dish soap. Just a drop to break up the surface tension. When gold gets dry (even for a second), it can easily be lifted by the water tension and float out of your pan. I'm always sinking little islands of floating gold with my finger.

I know I'm forgetting some things... I hope that I didn't bore you and that some of these tips help you bring home some yellow metal!

Good luck and stay safe everyone!

Katie and I can't make that weekend as we're at a wedding

I'm very sorry to say that I won't be there either as still trying to sort job and moving house and wedding out.  Bit of a nightmare.  Hope you have a great time, though, and stumble across the next gold rush

How do people feel about setting up another geology meeting for the spring perhaps?  Might be warmer then too.