prospecting

I'm going prospecting. Anyone done it before in creeks and rivers?
trying to figure out the most efficient outlay equipmentwise.
I see quartz chips everywhere in this river im near, I figure there's gold in them thar hills and mean to get me some.

The Pope wrote:I'm going prospecting. Anyone done it before in creeks and rivers?
trying to figure out the most efficient outlay equipmentwise.
I see quartz chips everywhere in this river im near, I figure there's gold in them thar hills and mean to get me some.

Well the cheapest way is obviously panning, that's were I'd start to eastablish if its there first.

Its here alright, I can smell it.
I thought I'd share my thoughts on silver prospecting.
On the offchance someone has some knowledge.
My sister has a place a few hours out of sydney and I was wandering through the bush and noticed a few pieces of quartz on the firetrail that looked a little like bluevein cheese.
Which I'm pretty sure is silver.
By pretty sure I mean, I don't really know but can't imagine what else it would be.
It wasnt hard to find and I'm wondering if it is silver and just lying around, is this because it isnt economical to get the silver out?
Or maybe (I'm hoping) it wasn't economical for the lone prospector a few years ago, but now it might be.

Is this likely to be silver? And is it just a matter of crushing it in a dolly and panning it?

how to extract gold and give yourself nice fingers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WO97CZKns&feature=related

All I can say is it isn't easy, a mate and I went out the other weekend for 3 days and came back tired and empty handed. Had a heap of fun but no success. If there is quartz and the other rock around it has broken down a lot I would look over it. If it is still fairly large sized and compacted I would say that it is still in rock and buried deep. It is a good place to start but be prepared for a lot of hard work and also do as much research as you can. There is a heap of information out there.

were you metal detecting?

Ive tried that and didnt much like it.
Hired the new minelab
Felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

I'm thinking some dredging would be morefun and more profitable

The Pope wrote:were you metal detecting?

Ive tried that and didnt much like it.
Hired the new minelab
Felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

I'm thinking some dredging would be morefun and more profitable

There's an old saying among prospectors...You won't find gold unless your on gold bearing ground So it's vital to read the ground properly and you won't do it in five minutes. Get information and study it. All you need is a pick and a water bottle to start with and a gps to find your way home again.

Ive already got lost in the bush a couple of days ago. I couldn't find bedrock let alone gold.
Then I couldnt find my way out.

So I've abandoned the plan to find it round here and go to a known gold river area and learn there.
Its only 20 kilometres away over a mountain or 2.
Find a sneaky creek and do some dredging.
Will probably need to sell alot of fine gold here pretty soon

The Pope wrote:Ive already got lost in the bush a couple of days ago. I couldn't find bedrock let alone gold.
Then I couldnt find my way out.

So I've abandoned the plan to find it round here and go to a known gold river area and learn there.
Its only 20 kilometres away over a mountain or 2.
Find a sneaky creek and do some dredging.
Will probably need to sell alot of fine gold here pretty soon

What kind of ground are you on at the moment? gullies bordered by hills with rock outcrops are of interest, old creek beds, remember gold and gravity go together. Gold found in rivers could be far from the source and that's ultimately what you want. In running streams look for gold on the short side of bends where the current is slower. I could prattle on for ever.