Using a standard sluice box is a great way to find gold. They are simple, lightweight, and can be used in most creeks and rivers to separate fine gold from sand and gravel. Most commercially-made sluice boxes are very good at catching and holding gold, but a few extra precautions can help you get more […]
Panning/Sluicing
The easiest way to find gold is to use simple prospecting equipment like gold pans and sluice boxes. These are time tested methods to find placer gold.
Heavy Snow and Rain Help Gold Prospectors
California and much of the western United States has been experiencing a drought for many years now. The last few winters in particular have been especially dry in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where some areas that generally get many feet of snow each winter have gotten literally none. This not only creates challenges for the […]
8 Different Ways to Mine for Gold
There are many different types of prospecting equipment that you can use to find gold. Choosing the best one will vary depending on the type of location that you are prospecting, the amount of material that you need to process, and your budget. Each of these prospecting tools can be the right choice depending on […]
Classify your Gravels to Retain More Fine Gold
Nearly all professional gold placer mining operations classify their gravel to maximize the amount of gold that they recover. Doing this step prior to running material through a sluice box allows for maximum retention of gold, especially the finer gold dust. Classifying gravel is the process of separating the aggregate material into consistent sizes by […]
Digging for Gold in Ancient Tertiary Rivers
Some of the highest concentrations of gold are found in ancient Tertiary gravel deposits. These are locations where a river once flowed millions of years ago, but is now located far from the existing river. The process of erosion essentially leaves the old river channel “high and dry,” stranding the gold far away from the […]
The Ultimate Gold Panning Guide – How-To, Tips & Tricks
Gold panning is a really fun hobby that is enjoyed by people all around the world. And it isn’t just hobbyists that use a gold pan to search for gold. Even experienced miners with a lifetime of experience with placer mining use them to quickly sample new areas and seek out concentrations of placer gold […]
Step-by-Step Gold Panning Guide
UPDATE: We recently added a new article that goes into much greater detail about gold panning. Read it here: Finally! The Ultimate Gold Panning Guide! You can find basic information about gold panning all over the web. Here’s the simple truth; it isn’t rocket science. The basics of panning for gold are quite simple, and […]