prospecting2

What other mineral can stir the imagination and get the adrenaline flowing
through our bodies, just the mention of GOLD seems to do this. It is one of
the most sought after of minerals, it is heavier and more malleable then other minerals, and mica, chalcopyrite, and pyrite are sometimes mistaken for gold. GOLD brings images of riches to our minds because it is scattered over most of the world. You would think that because of this it would be easy to find, it is not, and it is even harder to gather into large quantities. Even with this if you travel to one of the areas that has gold you will find gold in its natural state and have a lot of fun finding it. But remember this, it is not always easy finding it in large quantities and it will take a little work to get it. The days of finding large nuggets just laying on the surface are gone, but it still happens on occasion.

The equipment needed to go gold hunting is wide and varied, from simple and cheap to complex and expensive. The simplest and the most important method is the gold pan. This piece of equipment and its use is the most important. No matter how complicated a system you set up the gold pan will always be needed. For this reason you need to practice with the gold pan till you feel confident in its use before heading to the gold fields. Most stores that sell the gold pans also sell sample bags that are a mixture of dirt, gravel and gold, get these and practice extracting the gold. Another method is using plain old buck-shot. I personally like the sample bags because it starts getting you used to what gold looks like in its natural state. But no matter which way you do it, practice a little before going out hunting for gold.

Here is a list of things that you can have. What you use is your choice, but where you go will also dictate what you can use.

Gold Pan
Sluice
Rocker Box
Dredge (from a backpack 2 incher to 5 incher)
High Banker
Dry Washer (hand crank, electric, or gas driven)
Wet Washer (for desert use using a pump and sluice, usually home built)
Vac Pac
Spiral Wheels
Metal Detectors
Hammers (from a simple pick hammer to sledge hammers)
Pry Bars (from a small 6 inch all the way to 6 footers)
Shovels
Screens (various sizes)
Syphon bottles
Tweezers
Gloves
Dust masks (Usually for use with a dry washer)
Knee pads (May sound funny but those knees get sore after a while)

This list is simple but I will add to it as time goes on.

Photos from http://www.dnai.com/~wfw/

BOOKS on GOLD

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