Since ancient times, rivers, streams, waterfalls and beds of dry water streams have attracted gold seekers to their banks. Most prospectors are attracted by the opportunity to get rich quickly, but there are also those who are driven primarily by sporting interests. If a person is wondering how to find gold in a river and where to look for it, he should study the basics of geology, hydrology, collect all possible information about the search location and arm himself with the necessary equipment.

Noble metal carried by water flow is called alluvial metal. Such gold breaks off from the bedrock under the influence of gravitational forces, weathering and chemical action. Placers of precious metal are terraced, bottom and spit.

The first signs of the presence of a deposit are often found along river banks. A water stream with a strong current gradually cuts deeper and deeper into the surface of the earth, forming terraces at the upper level. Large deposits of terraced gold can be found not only near existing rivers, but also in places where streams have long since dried up.

Bottom deposits are formed as a result of the seepage of metal particles through dense layers of rock to the bedrock bed. Experts recommend looking for gold where the bedrock is shallow. On the river bank, mining from placers located on sand or pebble spits can bring success.

The noble metal does not always reach the bedrock. It can become stuck in dense clay if the current is not strong enough to wash it away. Gold is heavier than clay, but it cannot penetrate through several layers of well-compacted material. In this case, the precious metal must be looked for close to the surface of such false bedrock.

Particles of yellow metal move only where the flow speed is high. In mountain streams and rivulets you can try your luck near large boulders, where natural traps form. In these places, the current slows down sharply and the golden sand sinks to the bottom. Such “pockets” most often form in front of and directly behind large boulders. A more attractive trap is the one downstream, where the gold is purer.

The most interesting areas to search are places where the strength of the flow decreases. At bends in the riverbed, gold in rivers moves under the influence of centrifugal forces. On the outside of the stream the flow is faster than on the inside. Accordingly, the sandbars and spits at the beginning of the inside turn are good places to explore.

The flow moves most powerfully during the spring flood. At the same time, the channel expands and changes its boundaries. It is useful to measure its width and calculate the core of the river, taking into account its bends. Metal particles always follow the shortest path. When the river returns to its original state, searches should be conducted along the calculated trajectory.

The speed of the flow slows down sharply at the point where the tributary flows into a lake or other river. Accordingly, the zone of potential gold deposition will be the beginning of the mouth. You can start your search in the area where the river exits the mountains onto the plain. The optimal place is the area where a stormy stream flows into a river.

Of interest to gold miners are waterfalls, under which a whirlpool and a pit form. This is a kind of natural filter for gold sand and nuggets. First of all, you should pay attention to the area where the flow exits the pool. Sometimes gold can be found right where the water falls. It is also recommended to examine the boulders.

Gold is 19 times heavier than water. It does not float, but drags along the bottom of the river. Therefore, it is necessary to look for the noble metal where barriers are erected in the path of the flow. Cracks and caverns, boulders, fallen tree trunks, shallows, spits, ledges and irregularities, holes and whirlpools are the main places for prospectors to explore.

Yellow metal satellites

The list of minerals that coexist with gold is quite long. Silver is most often found together with the noble metal. Other satellites: platinum, quartz, adularia, galena, pyrite, lead. The combination of these elements with gold can be very different.

However, the presence of these minerals does not always indicate the presence of yellow metal. But if a nugget is found, it always contains silver. Its share can range from a few tenths of a percent to significant amounts. The optimal ratio of the two precious metals is found in volcanic rock.

Necessary tool

Prospectors use special equipment to identify gold. The most traditional device is a metal detector, which allows you to probe the soil to a depth of 15 cm to 1 m. The main problem is its excessive sensitivity. The device is not tuned to yellow metal, i.e. the signal from iron and gold will be the same.

Today, more advanced special instruments have been developed that make it possible to search for nuggets at a depth of up to 1 m. This gold probe is equipped with a probe with a sensor device. A signal about the presence of a precious metal is given by direct contact with it. Unlike a metal detector, this equipment is not sensitive to soil type.

Searching with a metal detector

To search for gold in the ground and river beds, you must correctly set the sensitivity of the metal detector. The number of false signals that the device gives depends on it. It is also necessary to configure the ground balance function. This parameter will have to be adjusted every few minutes, since the composition of the soil is constantly changing.

When working with a metal detector, the coil should be kept as close to the ground as possible. When a signal is received, it is recommended to “listen” to the soil in all directions. If the sound fades quickly, then the signal is false. A similar check is carried out by lifting the coil up.

How to wash - manual extraction technologies

To determine the presence of gold in rock, prospectors use traditional iron or plastic trays. It is preferable to use a plastic tool: it is lightweight and does not leave fingerprints. The optimal tray diameter is 20-40 cm. Additionally, a sieve with a cell size of 12 cm is purchased.

A sure sign of the presence of gold deposits is if at least one grain gets into the sieve. A negative result does not mean the absence of precious metal: you need to try again. Beginners still use pans to pan for gold, while experienced miners use mini-drags.

This device helps to significantly increase labor productivity. In terms of operation, it resembles a vacuum cleaner. Rock is pumped into the injector from the bottom of the river, which then enters a special chute. There, gold is separated from other solid elements by washing. Minidrags differ significantly in power and performance. Large devices are capable of processing a ton of material per hour.

Top 10 Russian rivers rich in gold reserves

Gold can be found in the following places:

1. Lena River basin. Over one and a half hundred years of industrial production, about 1.5 tons of precious metal were mined here. There is still enough gold left in abandoned deposits for private miners.
2. Bom River (Amur Region). The yellow metal is found throughout the Bohm. In some places, prospectors find gold deposits where it lies right in the riverbed. Nuggets are often found, the largest reaching 300-400 g.
3. Millionny Stream (Amur Region). Placers of gold were accidentally discovered by smugglers at the end of the 19th century. In the first month, we managed to wash about 650 kg of metal.
4. Unakha River (Amur Region). Mountain river with fast flow. Gold is found where the bottom is exposed.
5. Jalon stream (Amur region). The rich part of the seam (more than 2 kg of gold per 1 ton of sand) has already been developed, but there is still room for enthusiasts with metal detectors.
6. Bodaibo River (Irkutsk region). The alluvial gold here is large. There are grains with a diameter of 8 mm or more.
7. Bolshoy Chanchik River (Irkutsk region). Tributary of the river Bodaybo. The riverbed has already been dredged, but large nuggets are still found.
8. Alekseevsky stream (Kamchatka region). Famous for large nuggets weighing up to 1 kg.
9. Talga River (Khabarovsk Territory). It has been exploited since the end of the 19th century, but large nuggets are still found today.
10. Sanarka River (Chelyabinsk region). Here were the richest deposits of precious stones and metals, which had been mined since the end of the 19th century. Currently, there is no industrial gold mining in Sanarka.

Those wishing to try themselves as a private miner should remember that they must purchase the appropriate license. Otherwise, fishing will be illegal.

Gold is a noble metal, the mining of which began in ancient times. It may seem that this material is now of no practical value. But even in the modern world, you can see cases of brutal bloodshed that are directly related to this metal. This article will talk about where you can find gold and how you can do it.

A little history

If we go back to the times of Ancient Rus', it is reliably known that lands containing gold were not discovered at that time, even despite the fact that the territory of the state was quite vast. Ruler Ivan III was obsessed with the goal of finding the noble metal and even invited specialists from distant Italy for this purpose. But to his regret, only a small piece of gold was found, which was only enough to make a small cross.

The next seeker was Ivan the Terrible. For the sake of gold, he even conquered Siberia with the help of a huge army, but he never achieved the expected result. The same fate befell all the other rulers of Ancient Rus'. But the turning point in the history of gold mining was the coming to power of Peter I. It was under the power of this ruler that the first items of clothing and jewelry that contained gold and precious stones began to appear.

The first gold nugget was mined in 1945 by a Russian peasant from the Urals who was building a house on the river bank.

While digging a hole, he found golden grains of sand. The peasant immediately showed the find to his friend, who was also a silversmith. The master confirmed that the nugget was genuine. Experts arrived at the place where the grains of sand were found and began further searches. But unfortunately, they left with nothing. And only two years after the discovery of the deposit, a decision was made according to which it was necessary to continue the search and dig a mine. This decision turned out to be more than successful.

At the bottom of the dug shaft, a large amount of gold reserves were found, which marked the beginning of larger-scale mining of the metal.

Where to look

The question of how to quickly and efficiently find gold in the ground, as well as in what places this should be done, worries many seekers. In fact, there are many places where gold particles are present, but they are contained in very small quantities. If you are serious about searching for a large mine, then luck may turn your way, but the likelihood of this is negligible.

A small part of the precious metal can be found in sea water. According to experts, if you separate all the sea water from the gold reserves, you will get about 10,000,000,000 tons of metal. This figure is simply shocking. But at the moment there is not a single way in which this could be done.

It is pure precious metal that can rarely be found in nature. Most often, gold is found with many impurities, from which the metal will then have to be purified. The most common place where you can find pure gold without impurities in large quantities is in quartz beds.

Under the influence of natural elements, such as wind or rain, layers can be destroyed. As a result of this process, a solid piece of gold nugget is formed. Also, gold reserves can be deposited in several types:

• Eluvial deposits;
• Residual deposits;
• Bottom sediments;
• Terrace deposits.

Residual deposits can be observed directly near the vein itself, which has been subjected to physical or chemical influence. Eluvial deposits are most often located at the foot of mountains.

This is what quartz layers look like.

Terrace deposits are in most cases found at the bottom of the river. After a certain time, the river erodes the land, as a result of which an additional bottom is formed. The old bottom rises above ground level, which is why it is called a terrace.

The terraces, which are several hundred years old, contain a very large amount of gold reserves. Bottom sediments form at the bottom of rivers in the form of precipitation. With the help of rain, gold moves along the river bed.

Ore development.

Today, the process of mining gold deposits is not much different from the extraction of all other metals and ores. First, a deep shaft is made, and then huge pieces of ore are lifted to the surface, which contain what started all these searches and excavations. At the final stages, gold should be separated from all unnecessary elements and impurities. To do this, the metal is ground to a powder state.

Searching for gold in Russia

There is practically no exact answer to the question of how to find gold in Russia even today. The most promising regions for searching are the Urals, Chukotka, Magadan, and Amur. It was in these places that nuggets were discovered, weighing 16 kilograms. Similar finds are still in the memory of local residents.

But before you go looking for metal, you need to find out whether it is in a particular place. All the necessary information can be provided by geologists or indigenous inhabitants who are well versed in the given territory.

Very often, the discovery of gold deposits is mentioned in newspapers, so in order to collect as much information as possible, you should turn to archival data.

Industrial mining sites.

There are also special geological funds that collect information about gold mining in a particular region. Such funds can be of great help in advancing the search for a profitable mine.

If the places where gold reserves were found weighing 50 grams or more have become known, then nuggets several times heavier can be found there.

Based on everything that was said above, it should be concluded that before going to a specific region in order to start searching for precious metal there, you need to carefully check all the data, analyze the information, and view all photos and video materials.

How to search correctly

Finding gold is a very long process that can last for years. It is unlikely that in the first days of searching the digger will find something worthwhile. In order to somehow speed up this process and make it more productive, it is recommended to study a large amount of literature that can teach you how to properly organize your searches.

It has already been said that gold is found in quartz strata. To detect them, you need to pay attention to certain signs that are characteristic only of such deposits.

Gold dredge

After many years, the technologies used to mine gold in ancient times have not changed much. All that has changed is the work of mechanized machines instead of human labor.

Today, few people are engaged in gold mining using trays, since this method is no longer relevant and widespread. But the technology has survived. Today, many people use a huge machine that has a large number of trays.

A dredge is a device used to flush water from a river. It is this huge and noisy structure that is capable of extracting precious metal from river rock. Although this method is very effective and profitable, it has a very negative impact on the environment. After dredging, river beds are left in a deplorable state. But in order to know how to find and then safely extract gold from the river, it is recommended to use dredging as the easiest way to mine gold.

Gravitational differentiation

This gold mining technology involves grinding rock that contains the metal. After these rocks have been loaded onto trucks, they are taken to special mills. Inside these mills, huge stones crumble under the pressure of large balls made of strong cast iron.

After crushing, this entire mass is placed in a centrifuge, in which the earth and stones are separated from the pyrite. Pyrite contains particles of valuable metal. Very often the shine of the mineral is mistaken for real gold.

Modern mining technologies

Today, technological progress has made significant strides forward. With the help of the latest technologies, gold is extracted even from poor and almost deserted mines. Balanced deposits are also created.

In order to establish the use of heap leaching, it is enough to spend one year of work. In addition, it is a very profitable investment. Within a year, the mine owner will be able to hold entire bars of precious metal in his hands.

Searching with a metal detector

There is an opinion that it makes no sense to continue gold mining in ore that has already been mined. After all, in order to find a few grams of metal, it is necessary to process a whole pile of rock, and this is a huge amount of work. The question arises: how to find gold, with the most accurate determination of its location?

On average, there are about five kilograms of pure gold per ton of land. If these data are correct, then metal mining becomes unprofitable. But there are certain places where quite a large amount of precious metal accumulates. Such places are called deposits. They are found by geologists who have relevant knowledge in this area. In such local accumulations, the gold coefficient is several times higher than usual.

In the deposits you can find nests and columns. These are places in which there is much more metal than in all others. The efficiency of mining can only be seen when the amount of precious material is calculated relative to the ton of rock that was processed. In order to learn how such calculations are made, you can study the corresponding video.

To find such deposits, a metal detector is used, which is widely used for such purposes. It significantly increases the level of efficiency and reduces the duration of search work. If the metal detector indicates something, then the sector must be carefully checked and, perhaps, even a soil sample must be taken and the rock washed.

Many years of practice have proven that gold nuggets are never far from each other. If one was found, then it makes sense to look further, since there should be more similar specimens nearby.

Metal detectors were first used about forty years ago in foreign countries. Today you can see instruments that have excellent sensitivity, which can indicate even a small piece of metal. The device shows exactly how to quickly and accurately find gold in nature.

Scientists geologists tested dozens of instruments that searched for an identified object in a variety of conditions, both on land and in deep reservoirs. The test results proved that the metal detectors performed well and that they can conduct full-scale searches.

During the research conducted in the Irkutsk region, geologists managed to find more than a hundred nuggets, the total weight of which was more than 1 kilogram. Most often, such specimens are found on the surface of industrial dumps, and not on the surface of the earth, as is usually shown in movies.

There are different types of terrain that have unique prospects for mining, so searches should be carried out wherever possible. To avoid mistakes, there is a more proven and reliable option. Where gold can be found, mining must have already been carried out previously or continues to this day. Places where gold has never been mined do not present any prospects or opportunities for further exploration.

It is important to consider that excavations had already been carried out before your arrival. Therefore, if even highly qualified specialists could not find anything, then you are unlikely to be luckier than them. But there are also exceptions.

Geologists are interested in areas that have vast volumes. They do not pay attention to distant corners. Therefore, if you look hard enough, you can find small amounts of gold nuggets in those distant corners.

It is better not to skimp on buying a metal detector.

Small streams high in the mountains are another promising place where you can get metal. Light pebbles are carried away by the current, while heavier ones remain and accumulate at the bottom of the river.

Is it possible to find gold using a regular, amateur metal detector? Naturally, it is possible, but it is better to use a tool that costs 30 thousand rubles or more, since it greatly simplifies the task.

The origin of gold still remains a mystery. Many scientists come to the conclusion that gold is of cosmic origin. But this theory is incomplete, since the relationship of gold to water was noted - it is at the bottom of rivers and reservoirs that the precious metal can be found. Even in sea water, gold can be found in the form of colloidal particles. How to find gold in streams and rivers is a question that worries not only scientists, but also miners who are looking for ways to get rich.

Searching for gold in the streams

Search algorithm

There are several basic rules, following which it will be easier to detect precious metals, and the search will be quick and effective:

• Search in areas where mining has already taken place. Most equipment is unable to completely extract gold from the ground or river bank. If geologists, after research, have already said that there is no gold in the area, this means that the precious metal really cannot be found there. Since professional determination methods are more sensitive to the presence of precious metal.
• Studying the landscape. Analysis of geological maps before searching for gold.
• Working in groups of miners. It will be difficult for one person to cope with this task, but several people will be able to conduct searches and analyze information at the same time.
• Purchase of equipment for gold mining.
• Familiarization with the features of the territory.

If you are looking for gold in a river or other bodies of water, you should pay attention to shallow streams. It is in them that you can find so-called nests with a high concentration of precious metal in the form of flakes and nuggets. Remember that under the pebble layer there are bedrock deposits or durable rocks, which are otherwise called “rafts”. Over time, gold seeps through dense rock and settles in bedrock deposits. And the nuggets that are most often found on rafts are the largest in size; they are usually not found deeper.

A metal detector is not capable of detecting nuggets underwater at different depths. The nugget contains a large amount of diamagnetic precious metal, which complicates the task, and the sensitivity of the metal detector decreases. It is better for prospectors to find streams in which the gold will be located as superficially as possible. It is better to choose mountain rivers that often change their course and are not too deep. But even in such reservoirs there are difficulties, since the river bed can change and the flow speed along the inclinations is high, so gold particles can be carried over long distances.

It is necessary to check the rocks and their crevices nearby. Even if you discover gold with some kind of device, it is not a fact that you will be able to extract it from the gorge. Such deposits belong to placers and are called residual.

Even if the shore is eroded to magma, areas of gold may still remain. But terrace deposits are more common. This means that the river brings more soil and irregularities or layers are formed on it, which are called terraces. The precious metal is hidden under the top layer of clay.

Action steps

If the river is really steep, you should study the features of the riverbed and its changes using maps and the terrain. This is where it makes sense to start your search. In addition to the channel, you should study the bottom of the river. All marks during the study should be placed on the map to make it easier to navigate and head in the right direction. The stage conditionally consists of the following parts:

• detours of the river valley;
• studying the flow of the river;
• drawing up a gold search plan;
• research that is carried out on the shore to understand whether there are satellite rocks of the precious metal.

The bypass of the river valley must be carried out by prospectors, since there is a chance that the precious metal will have to be mined not in water, but on land. The process takes place using various devices, for example, metal detectors. The study covers lands at a distance of 10 to 70 meters.

Regarding the river flow: you just need to know the approximate speed of the riverbed and follow the large stones at the bottom. Regardless of the speed, gold particles can linger near large stones, and the movement of the precious metal is always slow due to its heavy mass. The metal does not float with the current, but furrows the bottom, since it is almost 20 times heavier than water. After this, a search plan is drawn up, and zones and tasks are assigned to each member of the group.

A survey of the shore will help you find gold satellite rocks such as quartz or pyrite. It should begin from the places where the river overflows during the flood period. It is worth paying attention to the outer layer. There are several rocks that contain valuable material or indicate the presence of gold in the ground:

• quartz;
• pyrite;
• silver;
• platinum;
• galena;
• adularia

It is these rocks that can be detected using a metal detector. This is a kind of hint from nature that you are looking for gold in the right place. Some of the satellite materials are used as ornamental stones or act as building materials and industrial materials.

And there is also a feature that concerns another precious metal: gold never meets with silver. Moreover, particles of silver may be in gold nuggets, but if a prospector discovers silver, then there is no need to look for gold any further. This search result is also considered satisfactory.

Platinum, on the contrary, is often found in tandem with gold. It can also be mined and sold for more than the yellow metal. Precious metal is often found not near rivers, but in ore deposits, where industrial mining is carried out. More material is extracted from mines than from placers, although in the second type of deposit the gold particles are larger in volume.

The precious metal is often found together with quartz and lies in quartz veins or layers. But galena and adularia are not the most reliable indicators of the location of gold. And also when mining gold, the main thing is not to confuse it with pyrite. The stone was called “fool’s gold” in ancient times because the substance is very similar in color.

Gold panning

To be sure of the value of the find, you should test the nugget for hardness: a dent will remain on the precious metal. The precious material does not shimmer in the light and does not change its soft shade. Although it is necessary to have a metallic sheen, which reveals the nature of the substance. The nugget must be rolled, and it is not always yellow; green and brown shades are possible. It is better to take everything that you find on the territory that looks like gold home to find out the composition of the substance.

Depressions on the bottom of rivers can be regarded as potential sources of precious metal, since gold can be retained in the hole as it moves downstream. If the subsidence process has been formed for years, then the reserve can be impressive.

Where to look for gold?

If the search is carried out on the territory of Russia, then there is a sufficient amount of gold in the country and the mining industry is developed. And prospectors need to pay attention to the following regions:

• Siberia. There are skarn types of deposits where gold is found.
• In the Urals and Transbaikalia there is a quartz-sulfide formation of gold, that is, it occurs in tandem with pyrite. In Transbaikalia, quartz and chalcedony can also indicate the presence of precious metals.
• The Pacific Ore Belt contains volcanic and hydrothermal deposits.
• In the northeastern territories, gold is found in tandem with quartz and adularia.
• But nuggets are found in Chukotka, Magadan, in the Amur River valley and in the Urals.

Even in recycled places it makes sense to look for gold. There you can find up to 100 grams of precious metal per day after a dozen years of work by industry and miners. In addition to river streams, mineralogists say that gold can also be found in mountain ranges.

Technical equipment for searches

Of course, in addition to the desire and theory of finding gold in the area, you need to have good technical equipment. This includes equipment such as:

• metal detectors with a high level of sensitivity;
• washing trays or sluices;
• mini dredges;
• electronic devices.

Metal detectors are one of the most expensive devices for searching for gold. Their work is based on identifying not the particles themselves, but impurities in the form of ores or other ferromagnets. There are also very accurate instruments that quickly pay for themselves and show good results in gold mining. The search will happen faster, so the purchase cannot be called useless.

Sluices and chutes are the most ancient methods of gold laundering. In this case, extraction is done manually, which is very inconvenient and harmful to health. In addition to good eyesight, you need to have patience and the ability to withstand a day in cold water. But this technique is more visual, since it can be used to find out the approximate number and size of gold flakes in the water. Gold panning has been used since the American Gold Rush.

The approximate size of the gateways is from 30 to 50 centimeters. If previously they were made of metals, they were quickly covered with a layer of rust. The weight of the gateway is about 10 kilograms, and transportation occurs manually from place to place. Therefore, the technique is also rarely used.

Using such devices, you can get up to 100 grams of gold in a week if one person works, provided that there is a sufficient amount of precious metal in the river. Of course, the indicator is calculated for an experienced miner, so if mining is being carried out for the first time, it is not profitable to go for it yourself.

A minidrag is a device that you can design yourself. In industry, large dredges that look like stations are used for mining. Minidrags are motor-powered devices that are only suitable for mining gold in water. The principle of their operation is similar to a vacuum cleaner that sucks up and filters particles of precious metal. But the device is sensitive to stones at the bottom of rivers, and it is also difficult to transport due to its weight of up to 10 kilograms. Minidredges have high productivity; they are capable of processing up to 100 kilograms of sand per hour.

Electronic devices are able to determine the class of other satellite rocks. They are also not cheap, but are not included in the mandatory shopping list. Sometimes such devices are able to determine the percentage of gold in a found stone. There is a device called a “gold tester”. It consists of a probe that sticks directly into the bottom soil and determines the percentage of precious metal in the medium.

Mining activities are considered illegal in most countries, including Russia. Many miners not only violate the constitution, but also put their lives in danger, since there are entire clans of miners dividing territories among themselves. Therefore, it is better to carry out mining after purchasing a license from a company that is already doing this legally.

Searching for gold in river valleys or in the reservoirs themselves is still a promising industry for prospectors. Having a clear action plan, a group of enthusiasts and equipment will make the process easier, faster and more efficient.

Interest in the search for gold has not waned for many centuries. And now it is becoming increasingly difficult to find something from this precious metal. However, with the necessary knowledge and skills, this is possible. Here are tips on the best way to search for gold.

1. Find out where gold has been found before. The best way to start looking for gold is to check out areas that were previously (or currently) considered gold-bearing. Look for old mines, rivers and streams where prospectors have searched and you will have a better chance of success.

2. Study geology. Research the geological data of the location where you want to look for gold. You must understand what types of rocks accompany gold. The 3 important types of minerals to look out for are granite, schist and gneisses (quartz, feldspar). These 3 types of rocks are present in most places where gold is found.

3. Learn to look for traces of gold mining. These are traces of the activity of miners in the past (mine dumps, rocks dumped in the wrong place, mines, holes in the ground, etc.).

4. In rivers, look for gold in natural “pockets” at depth, on the inner bends of the river, near large stones and in the cracks of stones - too.

5. The Internet can help you find places to look for gold. Google Maps is a very useful tool for locating old mines and other areas you might want to explore with a metal detector.

6. Work with old reports, statistics, old newspapers in the off-season.

7. Be prepared to go on a multi-day hike. This could be the best way to find new gold deposits in remote areas.

8. Look for names on maps related to gold: Golden River, Golden Brook, Nugget and others. At first glance, it’s not very smart, but it happens that these are places where gold mining previously developed.

9. Search with a partner, friend, or family member. This way, your chances of finding gold will be twice as great. And the search itself will be safer (if you accidentally break an arm or leg, there will be someone to help in remote places).

10. Choose appropriate equipment for the conditions(extra batteries, proper clothing for the weather, a change of clothes, good boots, repellent, a quality backpack, tray, pickaxe, shovel, etc.).

11. Wash sand in streams with a special tray- For example, Minelab PRO-GOLD, it is blue and grains of gold are especially visible to us, and the corrugated surface allows the gold to linger in the tray.

12. Wash sand and gravel properly. Do not overload the tray. Pour out the water after mixing, and do not splash it out, but carefully pour it over the edge from the corrugated side. Carry out the entire process slowly and carefully.

13. Dig gravel along the stream. The best place for gold is at the beginning of the bedrock underneath the pebbles. Gold settles here.

14. Carefully study and explore each area. If you find even a crumb of gold, look here until you are sure that there is nothing else around.

15. Find out or guess where the fish are. Gold tends to settle in areas of low pressure, on the inside bends of streams and rivers, behind large boulders and similar areas in small pockets of slow-moving water. These are the places where fish like to stand. If you know where the fish are in the river, you have presumably found an area where gold may be found.

16. Consider river floods. Sometimes it is worth looking for gold throughout the floodplain, and not just near the river bed, because during a flood, gold can be carried away by water very far.

17. Use a special metal detector to search for gold.

• Minelab GPX 4500 is a universal pulse detector.
• Minelab SDC 2300 is compact, waterproof and sensitive to small gold.
• Minelab GPZ 7000 - finds gold deeper than all other detectors.
• Minelab GOLD MONSTER 1000 is a high-frequency, simple and powerful detector.

18. Don't miss the tracks of previous gold miners: for example, pits. You can also look for gold in them, which a metal detector of another model might not detect.

19. Pay attention to the nature of the relics. Lots of iron debris, nails, broken spoons - a sign that people spent time in the area, possibly mining for gold.

22. Learn the different types of placer gold:

• Alluvial placers are formed in river and channel deposits.
• Eluvial placers are formed as a result of weathering, common in desert conditions.
• Residual placers are the concentration of gold at or near the main source.
• Coastal placers are small deposits of gold found on sandy beaches
• Glacial deposits are gold that was deposited during the movement of the glacier.

23. Look for oxbow lakes- remains of the ancient bed of gold-bearing streams and rivers. There may be even more gold there than in the main channel.

24. Find out where rivers flowed in ancient times. The bed of an ancient river can be identified by the characteristic round shape of stones and pebbles.

25. Look at the shape of the gold. It can be an indicator of where the gold came from. If you pick up smooth, water-dipped nuggets, then they probably spent a lot of time in water and “arrived” from a long distance. There may be more gold upstream. But the rough shape of the nugget will indicate that you need to dig here!

26. Look for quartz. Clean, white quartz is generally less interesting than dirty, iron-tinted quartz. Gold often goes with iron.

27. Go searching after a flood or flood. Heavy rains also cause soil erosion and gold is washed into streams and rivers.

28. Learn the difference between gold and other shiny minerals- for example, pyrite, “fool’s gold” (it leaves a black mark on the stone if you scratch it with the edge).

29. Don't make gold mining your main job. Even miners in artels work for seasons - in the summer, for example.

30. You can start your own gold prospecting business, having assembled a team of workers and received an official license.

31. Don't talk about your findings. Until you completely empty the area.

32 . Don't listen to the advice of armchair experts. Take advice from real gold miners, who devoted years to this activity.

33. Finding gold is not easy. Even in very rich areas, sometimes you may go days or weeks without finding any gold at all. This can be frustrating, and many newbies quit at this point. So be persistent and determined. Hard work is the key to success when you are looking for gold.

We hope that the article was useful to you. Luck with searching!

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT

Placer gold (placers) is found in sediments in the beds of ancient rivers and in the deposits of modern streams. Placers can be alluvial, terrace, or channel (bottom, spit). Terrace sediments are found on river banks, and bottom sediments are found under river water. Bedrock deposits are gold-filled cracks or crevices in bedrock or ore. Eluvial gold placers are formed on slopes in the remains of ore, which, under the influence of natural forces, have become detached from the ore deposit. They are usually located directly below the ore deposit from which they came off. Alluvial placers are deposits of part of the gold ore that have become detached from the ore deposit and have fallen into the action of water flow. The hill from which they were washed may no longer exist or even change its location.
During the Tertiary period, about 2 million years ago, the mountain ranges underwent major changes. Many water streams were formed, the channels of which do not exist today. Terraces of these streams located far from existing rivers are known as places containing rich placers. Often these deposits are dark blue in color. When exposed to light, the color of the deposits changes to dirty red. At the very bottom of the sediments of ancient streams, gold can be found, formed as a result of very strong rivers capable of creating deposits of high concentration. Look for layers that are painted in different colors, have different hardness and density. Some of these sediments, being quite hard, can resemble bedrock.
The principle of the “shortest path” also applies in this case with terraces. It is also necessary to check what is behind all the ledges in the sides of the valley, located far enough from the existing water level in the river.

Where to dredge gold (part 1)

The movement of gold, which is 19 times heavier than water, is quite predictable. In order to move gold from its place, a strong water pressure is needed, therefore, when it weakens for one reason or another, the gold settles in the place where the water pressure has dropped. Gold, especially its grains and nuggets, does not float but “crawls” along the bottom of the river, gravitational forces press them to the bottom. The bottom may be bedrock or layers of clay that are not washed away by the flow of water. As a rule, gold moves along the shortest path, tending to a straight line. Of course, when a river makes a bend and changes direction, the flow of water changes the position of the gold, but the gold is not carried by the water as easily as ordinary stones. Gold and sediment begin to move only when the water pressure is strong enough. So, when trying to determine where gold is concentrated in a river, you first need to know what the river looks like during a flood. This does not mean floods caused by heavy rainfall, but those that occur once a year with spring waters. If possible, thoroughly examine the river bed to see what the river bed might have looked like during one or the worst spring floods. Note the tops of the bends and the width of the channel during such a flood. After this, connect the midpoints of the floodplain with an imaginary line, taking into account the bends of the riverbed. It is most likely to find gold-bearing deposits along it. It is sometimes called the "gut of the river." Gold always moves along this shortest path along the river bed.

Picture 1
1 - border of the river bed; 2 - border of the river bed during flood; 3 - river core.

The channel placer of gold, as a rule, begins at the end of the internal bend of the river bed and gradually narrows further along the “gut” of the stream. The closer you are to the turn of the modern river bed, the narrower and more powerful the placer stream will be; accordingly, the further you are from this turn, the wider and less powerful it will be.

Figure 2
Placer jet shape.

Another good indication of where a placer stream may be located are riffles containing large boulders along a line from one end of the inner bend of the river to the beginning of the other. Take a comfortable position at the end of a bend in the river, from which you can clearly see the beginning of the next bend down the river. Note the chain of boulders with riffles starting approximately where you are standing, and which extends in an almost straight line to the next bend. Typically, gold-bearing sands follow these boulders. In this case, a placer with gold may not be as wide as a riffle with a chain of boulders.
When dredging riverbed placers of gold, you must always clearly monitor whether you are moving to the right or left of its stream. Channel placer is only part of the alluvial sand deposits located in the modern river bed.

Where to dredge gold (part 2)

Taking into account the hydrology of each river bend, water flow moves faster along the outer bend of the river channel than along the inner bend of the river channel. Thus, the water pressure on the inner bend weakens, and on the outer bend it increases. Since gold moves downstream, the part of it that ends up at the outer bend is carried around the bend in the river. That part of the gold that is closer to the inner bend settles where the water moves more slowly at the beginning of the bend. This is also a good place to look for gold.

Figure 3
1 – fast flow zone; 2 – slow flow zone;
3 – gold deposition line; 4 – place of gold deposition

Under the influence of gravitational forces and other influences during a flood, gold is pressed to the bottom. The river bottom is bedrock. The bedrock may be shallow, with little sediment on top (or even completely clear), or it may be quite deep (9-12 meters below the sediment). Since the gold rests on bedrock, you need to reach it by dredging. Taking into account all of the above, you should look for a channel where the bedrock is shallow. This can be determined by examining the banks of the river above the water. The exposed rock on the banks indicates that it is shallow underwater. How shallow can only be determined by dredging. Sheer drops of bedrock on the banks may indicate a continuation of the steep slope further into the channel, meaning that the bottom may be quite deep. The gradual descent of bedrock on the banks means that the bedrock in the channel is shallow.

Figure 4
1 - descent in bedrock; 2 - river bottom; 3 – sediments;
4 - placer gold; 5 – bottom of bedrock (raft)

Please note that the above rules do not apply in all cases. If bedrock does not come to the surface on the banks themselves, examine the sides of the river valley. Note the ledges on both sides of the river valley close to each other, and then draw an imaginary line from the downstream ledge to the upstream ledge. In the place where the imaginary line crosses the river, the depth of the underlying rock is shallowest.

Where to dredge gold (part3 )

The bedrock at the bottom of a river is not the only place where gold can be found. If there are several layers of clay between the river bottom and the lower bedrock, and these layers of clay are dense, they can act as “false bedrock.” Thus, unless a flood is strong enough to erode and transport all the layers on the underlying bedrock, then it will only remove the material from the upper layers. Gold is heavier than the materials of the clay layers, but if they are motionless and not washed, then gold cannot penetrate through them. Therefore, gold can lie on a layer of clay and only slightly penetrate deep into the loose bottom sediments.

Figure 5
1 – layers of clay; 2 – placer gold

As a rule, gold occurs in the first, upper 15 cm of the clay layer. Clay layers differ from each other in terms of their thickness (thickness) from a few cm to meters. Therefore, it may take a long time to reach the next layer. When working in areas that have multiple layers of clay, you should work with each layer as if it were bedrock. Once you have reached the current layer, start moving left and right across the surface until you reach the edge of the clay layer. After finding the edges, you must decide whether to continue mining at that level or move deeper. However, remember that the presence of gold-bearing sands on a given layer of clay does not mean that another layer of sands will be strictly below it at the next level. It is possible that below, under this layer of clay, there is another one, but it may be located to the right or to the left, or may be completely absent. If you have already gone deeper, then it makes more sense for you to move on to the next layer or to the bedrock, whichever comes first. When mining sands on clay layers, gold of a fairly high size can be obtained, but the largest gold is mined from the underlying bedrock. Therefore, try to carry out work in places where you can quickly reach the bedrock, or where there is no more than one or two layers of clay to it.

Where to dredge gold (part 4)

Gold moves only in those parts of the river where the water pressure is strong enough and makes it possible to wash away sediments heavier than water. Therefore, when the water pressure drops, gold sinks to the bottom and accumulates. Let's look at some conditions that reduce the water pressure in the river during a flood - this will give us a rough list of places where gold can accumulate.
The inner bend of the river is a promising place for searching for gold. At the beginning of the internal turn of the river and at the location of the spit and rifts, there is a good concentration of gold. This is because the speed of the current at the inner bend of the river is less than the average speed of the current. We also know that the flow speed at the outer bend of the river is higher than the average flow speed. Therefore, as a rule, gold is never found at the outer turns of the riverbed, since the pressure of the water carries it away from there.
Consider the situation with a large boulder in the water. Water washes the boulder from all sides. If you take a closer look at how the water flows around the boulder, you will see that there are two places where the flow practically stops. This is the central part in the center in front of the boulder and just directly behind the boulder. There may be gold traps here, and it tends to be purer in the back pocket than in the top pocket. Boulders in the riverbed trap gold; if they are located on the “shortest path”, then the likelihood of finding gold behind them increases significantly.

Figure 6
1 – boulders; 2 - gold
Likewise, any object at the bottom of a river that is washed by water will trap gold. For example, logs or pebble islands.

Where to dredge gold - part 5

As long as the flow of water is strong enough to move the gold, it will continue to move. We have already talked to you about the turns of the riverbed and how they affect the water pressure. We have also already covered the situation with objects washed on all sides by water, such as boulders. We also mentioned that gold “crawls” along the bottom of the bedrock of the river (raft). The gold continues to move in this way as long as the water pressure is high enough. The following 2 circumstances can stop it:
- The raft at the bottom of the river can be quite uneven with ledges and obstacles behind which gold will accumulate.
- The river raft may have cracks and caverns where gold will fall.
The search must begin by studying the river bottom. Obstacles in the bedrock trap gold in different ways. If the top of the obstacle is inclined downstream, then gold is deposited behind the obstacle. In the case of an upstream slope, gold collects in front of the obstacle. The configuration of rock ledges located on the sides of the stream act in a similar way.

Figure 7

Focus on cracks and caverns in the rock at the bottom of the stream. Once gold is found in one of these places, it will remain there until the underlying bedrock is altered by water pressure, an earthquake, or the movement of large boulders along the bottom. The smooth underlying rock at the bottom does not give the gold the opportunity to hide from the forces of water pressure, so it continues its movement down the river until it finds a secluded place.

Figure 8
1 – cracks; 2 – protrusions; 3 – places of gold concentration; 4 - smooth surface of the raft

If you are dredging in a place and you reach the bedrock and it turns out to be level, then move to another place. It is possible that you will find a random nugget here too, but most likely you are wasting your time. Gold does not linger on smooth surfaces.
However, if there are cracks or cavities in the bedrock, be sure to have them checked. Gold usually settles in them. Any irregularities or protrusions on the surface of the underlying bedrock can act as a trap for gold. Gold is trapped in potholes in the bedrock, so search until you hit the edges of the potholes. The cracks in the rock may not be large. The smallest particles of gold will find their way into even the smallest cracks. Undoubtedly, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the contents of these cracks. It is better to clean them two or three times. To do this, use a powerful pump and crack cleaning tools. Very thin cracks must also be opened, as very large pockets of gold can accumulate in them. Sometimes a large amount of gold can be obtained from a trap that, at first glance, contains nothing. Therefore, do not pass by any cracks or caverns in the bedrock.

Where to dredge gold part 6.

Gold moves when the water pressure is strong enough to overcome the weight of the gold. The fourth case is where gold can concentrate, this is a place where the river widens or deepens and the flow of water slows down its speed.
Let's consider the case of a certain volume of water flowing out. When water moves along a 7.62 m wide channel at a speed necessary for river sediments with gold to be dragged along the narrow river bed. If the same amount of water moves along a channel 30.48 m wide, then the flow speed slows down several times and the gold sinks to the bottom. This occurs when a river flows into a lake or another river. When it flows into standing water, the water pressure drops. Therefore, the area of ​​the river bottom, at the beginning of the drop in water speed, will be the place where gold is deposited. It is possible that the gold will be spread in a thin layer over this entire area, so look for places where gold may be concentrated - overhangs, boulders, cracks, etc.

Figure 9
1 - the channel expands and the flow slows down;
2 - fast current; 3 - gold precipitation.

In a place where the bottom level changes sharply towards increasing depths, the water pressure drops and the flow speed slows down and the gold sinks to the bottom. In places where the channel changes from sloping to flat - the river flows out onto a plain with a lesser slope - a significant placer may be found. Waterfalls act in a similar way. Boulders at the base of the waterfall trap the gold, preventing the rushing water from washing it away. Sometimes gold is deposited right under the place where the water is bubbling.

Figure 10
Using a topographic map, identify the locations of waterfalls, depressions and sudden changes in the landscape, check them.