treasure-adventures

2009-01-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

$ Tips For Beginning Gold Panners
By Marlene Affeld

Panning for gold is a fun and potentially profitable activity and not that difficult a skill to master. Have patience, gold panning is like any learned skill, one gets better with practice.

Read the creek or stream bed and find a likely spot. One of the best places is behind boulders were eddies have formed. Fill your gold pan with gravel and/or sand. Pour water into your gold pan or dip it in the creek to fill.

Gently move your pan in a back and forth in a sideways motion. Gold is one of the heaviest elements and it will start to migrate to the bottom of your pan. After a few minutes of gentle motion, the materials in your pan with begin to stratify. The larger pebbles and rocks will be on the surface and the heavier materials, including any gold and black sand (magnetite), will move to the bottom of the pan.

Carefully look over the surface material in your pan and remove the larger rocks. You do not want to throw away any nuggets, so do this by looking at the material and removing the unwanted rocks by hand. Continue to gently agitate the material in your pan. If there are any clumps of clay, break them up, as clay can trap gold and carry it out of your pan.

In calm waters of the creek, slightly tilt your pan away from you and slowly allow the muddy water and any debris to slosh out of the pan. Continue to repeat this step by adding more water to the pan and keeping the materials in your pan stirred up until the water in the pan is fairly clear. Remember to always keep the bottom of the pan lower than the side that you are tilting so that the gold will remain in the bottom of the pan. An occasional sharp tap on the side of the pan will help the gold to work to the bottom.

When you have worked the materials down so that all that remains in your pan is fine sand, add a little water and gently swirl the materials with the pan slightly tilted. The gold will then be gathered along the edge of the bottom of your pan.

At this point if you can see any visible gold you are definitely in the right spot. You will have black sand in your pan. This remaining black sand is referred to as concentrates. Using tweezers, remove any flakes or tiny nuggets and deposit in a plastic vial. It is best not to use glass sample bottles when on the creek. If you happen to drop your container and it shatters, you have lost your gold.

The remainder of the material should be put in an unbreakable plastic container. Carefully rinse your gold pan out into your concentrate container. Once the materials have settled, you can pour off any excess water. Because the time we have to actually spend testing is always limited, most savvy prospectors take their concentrates home and pan them out later.

If you are testing multiple areas it is helpful to put the concentrates from each test in a separate container. Sealable heavy duty plastic freezer bags work well for this purpose. Make a sketch of the area or mark on a map the location of each test and mark your samples accordingly. This procedure will help you isolate the best area to work if you wish to set up a sluice box or high banker and run a lot of material.

Always remember to fill in your test holes. Before you leave the area make sure it is clean. Wishing you a great trip and may the bottom of your pan be golden.

Nandu Green is a lifestyle portal, offering high-quality, unique, intriguing and innovative merchandise from around the globe.

Marlene Affeld's passion for the environment and all things natural inspire her to write informative and insightful articles to assist others in living a Green Lifestyle. For more Green Living info visit Nandu Green at http://nandugreen.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marlene_Affeld
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-For-Beginning-Gold-Panners&id=1853379
*************************************

2009-01-28T20:18:00.001-08:00

$TREASURE STORE

. Ancient Deposits Modern Wealth course

. Find Gold Close To Home

. Manifest wealth

.Rock & Gem 1-year subscription

. Stan Grist' Adventure System

. Secret Diamond Sites Of Venezuela report

*************************************

2009-01-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

$The Gold Secrets Of Ecuador Revealed Report
*************************************

2009-01-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

$ The Lost Cities of Ceylon is another free read to feed your sense of adventure.

The book is a pdf. If you don't have a PDF reader, click here , it's free.
*************************************

2009-01-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

$A Lady’s Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852-53 (audio)

. Chapter - An Adventure.

If you would like to download and listen to the whole audio book click here.
*************************************

2009-01-15T23:49:00.001-08:00

$
---<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>---
Stan Grist's Resources For

Gold Prospectors, Metal Detectorists, Treasure Hunters
and Explorers

http://www.stangrist.com
---<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>---
Source for Success.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALLUVIAL GOLD PROSPECTING COURSE - PART 7 of 7

Contents: Hints and Tips for Prospectors -a collection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, this completes my Alluvial Gold Propspecting Course. I hope that the information in this course will be instrumental in helping you to become a successful gold prospector and find some big nuggest of your own. At the very least it will provide you with opportunities to enjoy our wilderness and escape the day to day stress of living.

Below you will find many useful tips from other gold propsectors that you can use yourself. For more detailed information about where to prospect, I have created The Ancient Deposits Modern Wealth E-book Package. This special package includes information and maps you won't find anywhere else and reveals all of my "ancient river" research, experience, discoveries and secrets.
Please visit:
http://www.stangrist.com/AncientChannels.htm

Hints and Tips for Prospectors

Panning Tub
by Tom Villone, Arizona

I've found that a mortar tray from Home Depot serves many duties. It is a fairly heavy black plastic tub, approximately 24"x18"x6"deep. They have one even larger if needed. The small one described is only $5.99, so I always carry a couple with me.

Cool Tool
by Bill Westcott, California

This tool came with a Vac-Pac I bought several years ago. It is great for scraping out crevices and cleaning bedrock. I used to live in fear of losing it until I found out what it is and where to get them. It's a hoof cleaning tool for horses. I found them at PetSmart but you can probably find them anywhere horse supplies are sold. The ones I found at PetSmart have brightly colored handles so they are harder to lose but the pick part is made of softer metal so they bend more easily.

Dredging with Levels
by Jim Witt, California

I found that judging the right angle of drop on my 2" dredge sluice box was to cumbersome and I was often wrong. I often times work alone and could not take the time to watch the pitch carefully so I attached two levels on the dredge that would visually show me when the dredge was level side-to-side, and when it had the correct drop (2" for 3 foot). I established the correct drop for the sluice box and then mounted the level so that the bubble was centered. This way I also could tell when the rate of drop was wrong. This method worked great!
Ed. Note: This idea could also be used on highbankers, drywashers or any other equipment that require leveling.

Classifying
by Roy L. Calvert,Jr., Indiana

For a terrific classifier when a lot of fine gold is present, and overlooked nuggets aren't a big problem. Most retail stores carry sifters and colanders. I found one with a handle that comes in two sizes, one fits perfectly in the solid, outside portion of the standard galvanized minnow bucket, the larger one will work in a plastic 5-gallon bucket.

I saw Jake Hartwick, at one of the GPAA Gold Prospector shows, using the standard classifier made from a pan, classifying into a plastic bucket. The only thing Jake overlooked was one of the first lessons taught by the GPAA & LDMA, the hydraulic force of water. Jake was classifying dry into his 5 gal. bucket!

If you keep your minnow, or 5 gal. bucket filled to the top, your material will wash through much faster and leave the larger rocks, etc. in your classifier, cleaned of any heavies that may have been clinging to them. You can classifying much more material and faster, but don't forget to check your screen before tossing that material back, you may be pitching back the largest nugget you never found!

Tracking gold
by Mark Naylor, California

I have found that by placing a piece of conveyor belt as your top mat on your dredge you will increase your fine gold recovery. You can find different kinds of conveyor belts at industrial supply stores. You will note the fine intricate grooves and holes in the rubber that will trap almost all your fine gold. It also makes it readily visible which allows you to track were the gold is coming from.

Underwater Viewer
by Roy Madewell, California

I use what I call a "periscope" to look under the water and check out the cracks and crevices. I made mine from a foot long piece of 3" ABS and siliconed a piece of plexiglass between the pipe and a union and cut almost all of the other half of the union off. I left about 3/8" of an inch on the union to protect the plexi from getting scratched whenever I set it down and used a round file to make several channels around this rim.

These channels allow any air to escape from under the rim when you set it in the water and offer a clear view of the bottom and keep air from building up when looking in the white water around rocks. I'm going to make another one of these using 1 1/2" or 2" PVC pipe for use in real shallow cracks since I ALWAYS seem to find a crevice that is too small or shallow to use the larger one.

I think that keeping the length down to 12" for the larger pipe is probably wise since the deeper you plunge it into the water the more your fighting it from trying to float away. Also if you keep the length down on the larger pipe you can use both eyes when looking into it and have much greater depth perception. I'll probably keep the smaller version down to around 18" long to prevent the feeling of looking down a garden hose and make it fit with my pry bars in the upper compartment of my pack.

Expanded Metal
by Chuck Alldrin, California

Home Base has what is called diamond lathe used for plasterwork. It is very light weight and works great to recover fine gold. I use it under the riffles and over the carpet. You can get a sheet approx. 2'x 8' for $2.98. This is plenty to do several projects and give the extra away.

Digging Trowel
by Chuck Alldrin, California

I bent the "heck" out of several cheap trowels and finally found a good CHEAP tool. Wal-Mart has a Corona # CT 3020 Red padded handle trowel for $ 4.97. It is made in the USA and has a LIFETIME warranty. It looks like it might be forged. It is tough and if it bends or breaks it will be replaced "free".

Panning Tubs
by Rich Downing, California

I use the blue food grade barrels (plastic) approx. 55 gal. I cut these with a skill saw about 8 to 10 inches tall. You get two out of a barrel if you find them with the caps in place. I use them for panning out the cleaning's from my sluice at my camp site or at home. I generally pay five dollars per barrel.

Jack Hipp, Oregon

I also use the blue 55 gal. Food-grade plastic barrels, but instead I cut them lengthwise and have 2 very good panning troughs for several to use at once, or use one for the discharge of my "pooptube" classifier and the other for a source of clean water for the operation. Supported on 2 2x4's they are also very easy to clean out and can be drained with the 2 caps.

Sluice Cleanup
by Rich Downing, California

I have found that the produce drawers from old refrigerators work well for getting everything out of the sluice on my dredge. Just find one that is slightly wider than the end of your sluice.

Riffle Material
by Spyder, Oregon

In the sewing/crafts department of the local Walmart or similar department stores you can find a material I believe is called crochet canvas or something to that effect. Essentially, it is a 12 inch square piece of Plastic screen which fits nicely between the carpet and riffles of a sluice box. It greatly increases the recovery of fine gold.

Flood Gold
by Dennis Krupnak, California

After a heavy rain, test pan the side streams that form off the main stream channel. Many are just small diversions that flow back into the main stream. They are often good sites for fine flood gold, which will be close to the surface. The best concentrations are usually at the point where the branch first leaves the main stream, but be sure to test farther down also.

Bedrock
by Dave Peck, Nevada

I have been gold dredging the past several years, and have found myself in public areas that have been dredged many times before. I had spoken to an older couple that had been doing this for quite sometime, and they told me something interesting. They explained to me that in the late summer in the drier season, the bedrock dries and shrinks, creating pockets, cracks, and crevices. In the wetter season, the rush of water moving material down stream fills these areas, and as the bedrock absorbs the water, it swells, thus closing the cracks and pockets.

This last summer, I was in a area that had a lot of bedrock that had been cleaned very well by others. I thought I'd give it a try, so I took a crowbar and screwdriver and pried the bedrock apart (it came apart in sheets), and there between the bedrock sheets was gold, sometimes one to two feet below the surface of the bedrock. I hadn't thought of it before I was told, so just thought I'd let others know.

Classifier
by Brian Benn, California

Another idea for a classifying screen was given to me by a guy named Henry. He is a great prospector. He goes to Alaska with the GPAA and used to pal around with the Buzzard.

Anyway, all you do is get a 4-inch long piece of plastic pipe (PVC) or a section of a plastic bucket. Cut some hardware cloth of whatever mesh you want to the same diameter as your plastic pipe. Heat the bottom end of the pipe on an old hot plate or wood stove. When the plastic starts to melt, take it off and set it on the wire cloth. The plastic will solidify and "weld" the screen to the bottom of the pipe.

Large diameter PVC (8 to 12 inch) works good. The thicker the pipe wall, the better. Scrap pipe can be found at construction sites and scrap bins around industrial sites.

Highbanker
by Brian Benn, California

Henry also has a unique highbanker design in that it has no riffles, just carpet. It's like a beach box. The larger rocks that make it through the grizzly clear off the sluice really fast so he can feed it faster. He might lose some gold but I think he figures that if he loses 10% but feeds 25% more material he'll come out ahead. It seems to work too.

Cement Mixer
by Loren Baldwin, Arizona

Here in Arizona, we have a lot of gold bearing clay & caliche that I separate using a small cement mixer, a couple of small barrels, some PVC (to connect the barrels) and a small bilge pump (500 gph). Basically all that I do is put a few shovelfulls of dirt in the mixer, fill it with water, start the mixer, and recirculate the water. All (or most) of the light material runs out of the mixer into the first barrel, the water transfers into the second barrel, and is recirculated with the pump. This method should work for moss also.

Classifier
by Ron Watson, Washington

The simplest and cheapest classifier I've found is to take a plastic bucket and drill holes in it, the size is personal preference. You should pick a bucket that fits freely into your other buckets to make it easier to twist back and forth during the classification process.

Clean Up Tub
by Joanne, Greg and Azu Dueck, Canada

I have found the black Rubbermaid agricultural tubs to be excellent for cleaning out a large sluice or dredge and working concentrates. I found mine at a Co-Op store but the building supply stores probably have them too. They are strong enough to drag around over uneven ground when full of material and water.

They are fairly pricey but have a number of great features:
· Heavy construction with cross braces underneath
· Heavy, large, curl over rim for a full grip all the way around. Strong enough to drill and put rope handles/attachments on.
· For large dredges, they will hold all the cons and still float to the shore (carefully) once you empty some of the water out. Dredgers can use rope attachments to hold the unit in place while doing a clean up so that it won't sink and frees up another set of hands.
· Large enough to properly shake out those 'golden' mats.
· Range of sizes from (30 and 50 gallon seem to be a good medium size)
· For cleaning cons it is large enough for two people to pan into and keep the overpan material in one spot. Also, large enough to comfortably screen your material.
· Large and sturdy enough to set up you clean-up concentrator inside with overflow buckets etc.

I'm sure there are other brands and varieties out there, look around and pick one for your needs. These larger tubs are great for the larger operations or working the cons at home but are definitely not for everyone even though the weight really isn't bad for the size and uses.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions and Comments from Prospectors who purchased the Ancient Deposits Modern Wealth Package:

Hey Stan, I've got a few questions regarding your Ancient Deposits, Modern Wealth package and your Ecuador Gold Report. Thanks, Dave

1.What is the single most important factor that separates you and other full time successful prospectors from the very unsuccessful full-time guys I've known? You know the type--they're the only gold prospectors that a newbie's family knows of--the guys that have spent their life searching for the Mother Lode--and wind up broke, with an ex-wife, and two steps away from a padded room and straightjacket.

Hi Dave: I actually have come very close to that category myself. I have gone through some pretty difficult times over the years as a result of pursuing the unconventional path that I chose. My biggest gold project took 16 years to develop before it started paying. That is one of my best reasons for developing reports and courses to help other people leap-frog to success and avoid many of the pitfalls that delayed my success.

There are a couple of important points. First, and most important, is research! A successful prospector must understand the geology and history of the area being investigated. This is not simply reading one book. It is an in-depth combination of reading, education, research, interviews, maps, emails to experts, etc. Next is commitment and persistence. This normally results from prospecting being one's passion. In other words, prospecting is something you are probably going to do as a hobby for the rest of your life anyway. So you might as well constantly be improving your knowledge and skills to help save time and find more gold in the long run. You need a systematic approach with a prioritized checklist of activities and objectives.

2. I have a hard time believing that luck is the only thing that separates success and failure, but education doesn't always seem to make a big difference - several of the losers I've known seemed to be very knowledgeable about geology and prospecting techniques.

Stan's answer: Luck comes much more easily to those that prepare themselves properly, use a systematic approach and work hard to achieve their goals. Knowledge alone, is not enough. The successful prospector must deal with reality on a daily basis. I have known too many knowledgeable prospectors who lived with their head in the clouds and just didn't seem to grasp the reality of achieving success.

3. So what is the most important thing I can do to stay out of that category of prospectors?

Stan's answer: Get very specific. Choose a highly-likely geographical area to investigate where gold is known to have been found and commercially produced. This indicates geologically favorable conditions. As an old-timer once taught me... go walk where the elephants walked. Gain an in-depth understanding of both the history and geology of the area. Get detailed topographical maps that you can use to identify specific target areas according to your research. Know how to prospect for gold. Take a class, join an organization, read books, practice, etc. Equip yourself with the right prospecting tools and know how to use them. Prepare to invest in production equipment once you discover the gold for which you searched. A suction dredge is a great way to start a small, commercial production. There are tons of gold out there all over the place, waiting to be discovered. Most people don't realize just how much there really is.

4. The other questions relate to Ecuador. The only specific numbers I saw in the report were of men who were producing 1/3 oz/man/day, and 5g/man/day --which doesn't seem to be all that rich. I suppose that it's pretty good for the guy who hired 30 panners, but not so promising for the one-man show.

Stan's answer: This isn't bad for a guy with a shovel and sluice box. Now put a dredge or backhoe into that same spot and watch the ounces flow daily. I know of small 3-man operations all over Ecuador and South America that produce 5-10 ounces per day and more with an excavator and large sluice box. I also recently saw over a dozen similar operations near Dawson City, Yukon.

5. Am I being unreasonable in thinking that if the fields are so rich, that one man ought to be able to produce more than that?

Stan's answer: No, you are correct. One man using his brains, experience and hard work can build production to whatever degree he wants almost anywhere in the world.

6. After I get a bit of experience closer to home (Arizona), I'd like to plan a trip to Ecuador - but I want to have reasonable expectations. My wife is ready to move to Ecuador next week so we can prospect and find lost cities, but I want to make sure that we don't fulfill our families' predictions that we'll end up in that class of gold hunters in my first question!

Stan's answer: First of all, you sound wise to me. Take things systematically with a plan...one step at a time. You live in one of the greatest places in the world for finding and producing gold. Arizona is tops in my book. Ten lifetimes would not be enough to properly explore your state. Next, you should come to Ecuador or South America as a vacation. Try to spend as much time as you can so that you can get a feel for the place. It is not for everyone. There are good points and bad. Be sure to learn the language before you come as it will give you an entirely different experience as opposed to not being able to speak with locals. I can't stress how important this is. In Arizona you have lots of opportunities to practice your Spanish.

To Stan and the staff at Adventures Into the Unknown,

I can't believe that I found gold so close to my home in San Luis
Obispo! Using the book in your gold package, I went gold prospecting on the east side of the La Panza mountain range. I spent the entire day checking out the creeks that run in to the San Juan River. Every single creek had gold!!! I also spoke with some people about the Lost Padre mine. I'm thinking of doing some research and looking for it. I am really hooked by the gold bug now. Thank you, Ken Ryder

Stan,
I live in Las Vegas and recently took a prospecting trip to Randsburg,
California. What an amazing place this is. The information in your
Ancient Deposits report is right on! My friends and I panned out 2 ounces of gold in one weekend! We are thinking of buying some claims just outside of town now. Randsburg is such a beautiful little town. I highly recommend it for a great vacation. Many Thanks, Robert Lamb

Dear Stan,

I found gold in every pan just south of Idaho Springs in Colorado! I've been gold panning as a hobby for 20 years. In one day I found more gold than I have in all of the 20 years combined. I never knew this could be so easy! Sincere thanks, Les Davenport

With the price of gold bouncing between $500 to $700 an
ounce wouldn't you love to find some with your metal
detector right now?

"Stan, Just wanted you to know about some success I had
recently. I live near San Diego. Last week I tried your
trick for finding jewelry at the beach. I found 5 gold
rings in one pocket in shallow water! This added up to
more than 1 ounce of pure gold. Thanks for that method,
it is brilliant. Sincerely, Jim Trottier, San Diego CA"

FIND GOLD CLOSE TO HOME

Did you know that gold is everywhere and that you don't
have to travel far away to find it? It can be found in many
different forms such as gold rings, gold coins, gold nuggets
and flakes, complex ores, circuit boards, old jewelry and
gold bars, to name a few.

Many people have written to me asking how they can find
gold close to their own home. I am very pleased to
announce my new report "Find Gold Close To Your Home."
This report is unlike anything you have ever heard of or
seen before. My new report teaches you how to even find
lost or hidden gold right at home, no matter where you live
in the world. You can find gold close to your home, around
your neighborhood, your city, or outside city limits using
the information and tips detailed in my new report.

Much of this information gathered from over 35 years of my own
and others' personal experience is now being revealed for
the first time. It is designed to maximize your chances of
success in finding gold. To get all the details or to order
'Find Gold Close To Your Home" please visit:
http://www.stangrist.com/FindGold.htm

ANCIENT DEPOSITS MODERN WEALTH

If you want to find alluvial gold in large quantities,
you have to find the ancient tertiary river channels.
They exist throughout all of the western Americas, from
Alaska to Chile. The vast majority of these deposits are
still virgin and unexplored. For more detailed and
extensive information about the ancient alluvial river
deposits and where to find them, please have a look at
my Ancient Deposits Modern Wealth Package. This special
package includes information and maps you won't find
anywhere else and reveals all of my "ancient river"
research, experience, discoveries and secrets.

Please visit:
http://www.stangrist.com/AncientChannels.htm
for more information about the package.

How to make a living doing something you love...

If you didn't have to go to work everyday and could afford to travel anywhere in the world to discover gold, ancient treasure or a lost city, where would you want to go and what would you hunt for?

You can leave the rat race behind, live a life of adventure and freedom plus earn a great living at the same time - I did and I will show you how to do it step by step with my new 2006 epackage "Creating Wealth Through Adventure with the Stan Grist System"
Find out more about my new system:

http://www.stangrist.com/CreatingWealthSystem.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright ©, 2002. http://www.stangrist.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Published by Stan Grist and Susan Millar
(c) copyright 2002, Stan Grist, All Rights Reserved
*************************************

2009-01-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

$A Lady’s Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852-53 (audio)

. Chapter - The Diggings.

If you would like to download and listen to the whole audio book click here.
*************************************

2009-01-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

2009-01-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

$ SECRET DIAMOND SITES OF VENEZUELA
*************************************

2009-01-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

---<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>---
Stan Grist's Resources For

Gold Prospectors, Metal Detectorists, Treasure Hunters
and Explorers

http://www.stangrist.com
---<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>-----<<>>---

Source for Success.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALLUVIAL GOLD PROSPECTING COURSE - PART 5 of 7

Contents: Introduction to Prospecting - Part D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The screw drivers, shovel, spoons and brushes etc. are tools that help clean out the crevasses to get out all of the material contained within. Remember, the gold is very dense so it will settle to the bottom of the space. This is why it is necessary to have these tools.

The bucket is handy for carrying and organizing your collection of tools. It also can be used to transport the materials to be panned. Five-gallon buckets are very inexpensive or even free.

Sniffer bottles (also called snuffer bottles or sucker bottles) are very handy for removing the gold from your pan. They may usually be purchased wherever gold pans are sold.

The small bottle is for storing the located gold. Almost any small bottle will do so long as it can close tightly and is water tight. A good example of this is a baby food container however, be careful not to drop it! 35 mm film containers work well and don't break.

Glass gold vials are available at prospecting stores and come in a variety of sizes from 2 DWT (pennyweight) to several ounces. They work well for estimating how much gold you have accumulated and for showing off your gold.

Lets review so far:

You have: your tools, time to prospect, you are traveling along a stream which looks unregulated, curves and has what appears to be a good amount of elevation drop, there appears to be a good selection of mineral diversity in the surrounding rocks and you are ready to find gold!

Find a spot in the waterway earlier discussed and imagine how the area looked in the spring flood. Go to an area above the mid-summer waterline and estimate the height of the winter flood level above present water level. Look for rock formations (bedrock) with various sized crevasses or large obstacles that created eddies where the heavy materials fell out of the turbulence of the spring flood.

NOTE: Keep track of the general height above present water level where you are looking. The heavy material may be concentrated at a particular level or a different one. By doing this, the prospector will begin to develop a "feel" for the future location of gold in that area. Now comes the fun, the panning commences!

Remove all material from the spot you have chosen and sweep it clean. This includes the live organic material on top (grass, weeds, moss etc.), the material in the area all the way to the bottom. The material on the bedrock and in the cracks is most likely to contain gold. Be very careful to save the dirt attached to the moss and roots. Remember, gold has a much higher density than the normal river material and will seek the lowest level of the area in which you are looking.

Load this material into your pan. Fill it to about 2/3 capacity, or to a physically comfortable level. The next step is to perform the panning. This can be better described as separating the materials into layers based on their densities, removing the less dense materials at the top and then extracting the gold.

Locate an area in the water where it will be comfortable to do the panning. The water should be flowing but not at the full force of the waterway. A flat rock in slow moving water about a foot deep is ideal. Sitting on the rock is much easier on the knees and back. Summer temperatures may offer a wading technique that will be both easy to perform and refreshing. Fill the remaining space in the pan with water and locate the rim about the level of the water.

Remember, what you are about to perform is a separation of material based on the different material densities, then the removal of the common materials (less dense, on the top) leaving the most dense on the bottom.

Hold the pan level and agitate it sufficiently to create a homogeneous mixture where all the material seems to be suspended. The key here is all the material must be moving. I stick my finger in the mix as I agitate it to feel if everything is suspended. Almost immediately the organic material will rise to the top surface.

As this is being performed, slow or stop the agitation and in a level position, gently lower the entire pan into the water, 1 or 2 inches below the surface. A gentle circular motion will cause the least dense materials to be carried away by the water.

Continue the agitating procedure until all the muddy silt and organic materials are removed. It also is a good idea to sift the entire pan with your fingers to remove large stones and other non-gold items. Be sure to break up and dissolve all clay lumps if any. Not only can they hold gold, they may be sticky and pick up some free gold in your pan.

Also, break up any moss clumps and thoroughly clean any grass roots as they sometimes hold a surprising amount of gold. It is easy to know when the low-density organic material and silts have been removed. The water is no longer muddy while you are agitating the pan.

Continue to perform this technique for a period of time stopping to sift through the mixture and removing the largest stones. As the panning proceeds, the size of the removed stones will become smaller and smaller.

How long should this part of the panning last? This is a very difficult question to answer, as there are many variables to take into account. If the prospector remembers that the function of the agitation is to separate the materials into their respective densities, the heaviest on the bottom and so on, the time needed to do this will be easier to estimate.

A good rule to first start out is to agitate no longer than one minute. Now comes the time to start removing the less dense materials and hopefully, the gold. Lift the pan out of the water just about one to two inches in a level fashion. Start agitating the pan as before and tip the pan to an angle that will allow the most dense materials to collect in the lowest corner of the pan.

When you are satisfied that the most dense material is collected there, it is time to remove all the rest of the less dense materials. While the pan is still tipped on the angle, dip it into the water and lift slowly upward. This action will create a small wave. If done correctly, the wave will take with it an amount of the undesired, low-density materials on the top. The key here is only the top layer of material is moving.

Repeat the wave, taking away the low density material several times. Alternate between the horizontal agitating motion and the tip and wave removal process until roughly 2-5 tablespoons of material remains. Since small gold particles can float on the surface tension if exposed to air for any length of time, it is important to keep the material submerged as much as possible. If you see any black sand or gold during the tip and wave removal process, it is definitely time to go back to the horizontal agitating motion. The black sand or gold will appear along the line between the bottom of the pan and the material.

Do not hesitate to continue to remove the stones which are now large pebbles (at this point, I have always referred to the pebbles as boulders). The process is now almost complete! There should be a small amount of fine material resting in the lower corner of the pan. This material is called concentrates because you have concentrated all the material in your pan down to this small amount.

You may notice the presence of a high concentration of black sand. This is probably magnetite, which is a form of iron and other heavy material. The presence of this indicates that you have performed the technique properly as iron is 3 times as dense as the common sand and rocks that make up the majority of the river bed material.

Some other things you may notice are old fishhooks, lead sinkers and perhaps mercury. These are all indications that your search is being performed properly. You have successfully separated a small amount of highly dense materials from the stream. It is obvious at this point the importance in the size of the pan. The large pans will allow a significant amount of total material to be panned and the effort may cause your arms to want to fall off. The smaller pans are easier to use but yield a smaller amount of dense materials.

Lets review the panning procedure up to now:

1. Fill pan about 2/3 full with all debris from a small area from the streamside. In the case of cracks or under large items, remember - dense materials filter out first (deepest).

2. Fill the remainder of the pan with water and agitate the mixture to separate the mixture into the materials' respective densities. Any motion will work as long as the mixture of the material and water is homogeneous (moving). Remember to include weeds and grass in the initial material to be panned, the roots commonly pull up material from the very bottom of the crack.

3. Tip the pan to remove the least dense materials and small stones. The most dense materials will collect in the lowest corner of the pan.

4. Locate and remove the gold. This is explained in part E

A Comment from a prospector who purchased the Ancient Deposits Modern Wealth Package

Stan,

I recently decided to try my luck with my gold pan near the border of
Wyoming and Montana. Your report said that the ancient Old Mammoth
River passed through this way a few million years ago. I was able to locate obviously round river gravels along the east side of the Wind River Range. I filled a bucket with some of this gravel and drove to the nearest river.

I was finding some nice fine gold in each pan until I got to the bottom of the bucket. In my last pan I came up with a small little nugget the size of a BB. I wonder how much gold must be laying there on the mountainside. Unfortunately this is part of a National Park and I'll have to work it periodically one bucket at a time.

Thanks for the tip! Anonymous

ANCIENT DEPOSITS MODERN WEALTH

If you want to find alluvial gold in large quantities,
you have to find the ancient tertiary river channels.
They exist throughout all of the western Americas, from
Alaska to Chile. The vast majority of these deposits are
still virgin and unexplored. For more detailed and
extensive information about the ancient alluvial river
deposits and where to find them, please have a look at
my Ancient Deposits Modern Wealth Package. This special
package includes information and maps you won't find
anywhere else and reveals all of my "ancient river"
research, experience, discoveries and secrets.

Please visit:
http://www.stangrist.com/AncientChannels.htm
for more information about the package.

With the price of gold bouncing between $500 to $700 an
ounce wouldn't you love to find some with your metal
detector right now?

"Stan, Just wanted you to know about some success I had
recently. I live near San Diego. Last week I tried your
trick for finding jewelry at the beach. I found 5 gold
rings in one pocket in shallow water! This added up to
more than 1 ounce of pure gold. Thanks for that method,
it is brilliant. Sincerely, Jim Trottier, San Diego CA"

FIND GOLD CLOSE TO YOUR HOME

Did you know that gold is everywhere and that you don't
have to travel far away to find it? It can be found in many
different forms such as gold rings, gold coins, gold nuggets
and flakes, complex ores, circuit boards, old jewelry and
gold bars, to name a few.

Many people have written to me asking how they can find
gold close to their own home. I am very pleased to
announce my new report "Find Gold Close To Your Home."
This report is unlike anything you have ever heard of or
seen before. My new report teaches you how to even find
lost or hidden gold right at home, no matter where you live
in the world. You can find gold close to your home, around
your neighborhood, your city, or outside city limits using
the information and tips detailed in my new report.

Much of this information gathered from over 35 years of my own
and others' personal experience is now being revealed for
the first time. It is designed to maximize your chances of
success in finding gold. To get all the details or to order
'Find Gold Close To Your Home" please visit:
http://www.stangrist.com/FindGold.htm

Making Money Through Adventure?

If you didn't have to go to work everyday and could afford to travel anywhere in the world to discover gold, ancient treasure or a lost city, where would you want to go and what would you hunt for?

You can leave the rat race behind, live a life of adventure and freedom plus earn a great living at the same time - I did and I will show you how to do it step by step with my new 2006 epackage "Creating Wealth Through Adventure with the Stan Grist System"

Find out more about my new system:
http://www.stangrist.com/CreatingWealthSystem.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright ©, 2002. http://www.stangrist.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Published by Stan Grist and Susan Millar
(c) copyright 2002, Stan Grist, All Rights Reserved
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2009-01-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

$ Click here for a site with more gold panning tips.
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2009-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

2009-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

$ Click here you can read a free chapter from The Jungle Is A Woman.
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2009-01-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

2009-01-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

2009-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

2009-01-04T23:56:00.000-08:00

$ A great site with alot of free resources on creating wealth, fun and abundance in your life, is http://float-connection.blogspot.com/ .
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2009-01-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

$ Here you can read a free chapter from The Treasure Hunter . A fun read for the explorer and treasure hunter in you.
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2009-01-04T23:28:00.000-08:00

$ A very interesting site I have seen is www.stangrist.com, Adventures Into The Unknown! Stan has an extensive web site about his own personal adventures and explorations: discovering lost civilizations, gold prospecting, diamonds, metal detecting, treasure hunting, and much more. He also has a library about explorers and fascinating subjects like subterranean tunnel systems, and cryptozoology.

Treasure hunters, Explorers and Prospectors will find his site a gold mine of information and his Training Course is top notch and great reading. Check it out for yourself by clicking here .

Have fun!
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