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I’ve been using a specialty detector in search of gold nuggets for over 20+ years. Some of the tips and lessons learned while in the gold fields are not as well known by many of today’s newer hunters. On my last trip to Australia I was fortunate enough to run into a full time nugget hunter (I don’t recall his name) and we chatted up our experiences and knowledge. One of my eye openers was when he shared with me a gold nugget that sticks to a rare earth super magnet. Since that time, I have always paid a little more attention to my Hot Rocks and especially the ones that look like this. Wonder how many nuggets and or meteorites we have tossed into the nearest bush because we did not know? If anyone else has photos of nuggets stuck in ironstone please share so we can all learn. Yes I did purchase the nugget from the guy as I needed Proof and also wanted to educate others. It weighs a total of only 2.6 grams but I expect at least half the weight to be gold.

My office computer woes shut me down this afternoon. Soooo, I left it to the IT guys and escaped for a short swinging session with the SDC. Found this little .2 subgrammer within 10 seconds of turning the machine on! It was left for me courtesy of a dry washer who, obviously, did not believe in detecting his tailing pile. I walked up to the pile that was maybe thirty yards from my truck turned the machine on performed a quick balance swung over the top of the pile and BANG... Signal! Out came this little guy. There were four piles within a few yards of each other so I kicked them all down and detected them. This was the only one. Climbed back in the truck and was out of there in about an hour. I think this is what they mean when one "turns lemons in to lemon aid". Not huge by any stretch but it beat the skunk. Dean

I've also detected some big gold nuggets with ironstone. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Some big nuggets unearthed in WA yesterday afternoon, apparently another good signal was left overnight to dig out today. http://gpwa.forumotion.com/t221-30oz-and-50-oz-with#1161

This one was found by a hunting partner... 3.5 ouncer

Once upon a time while detecting in Arizona, a target that I thought was just another one of the many magnetite "ironstone" hot rocks littering the area jumped onto the super-magnet on my pick. But as I plucked it off of the magnet and prepared to fling it into the nearest bush, I noticed that it was unusually heavy for it's size; rubbing the dirt off of the nickel-sized stone revealed a band of gold running through it.

It's been said "iron is the mother of gold". I've found several gold/ironstone nuggets in Arizona. My camera won't download pictures to my computer for some reason. So I did these on my scanner and if you look hard you can see the gold is stuck to the rare earth magnet. Some of the nuggets show very little iron on them but all nuggets are magnetic except the one at the lower right. I guess it must be hematite and the others are magnetite.

Not magnetic (just checked) but a nice mix of ironstone/quartz. About 5g. The ironstone has tiny slivers infused into it as well, hard to see. Cheers BB

Prices on that web site are sure good. Some of the ironstone covered nuggets have a smooth coating on them and are a well waterworn nugget, suggesting they have been coated long after shedding from the reef. Unfortunately have smelted down the few I`ve found thus cannot post photos, but will endeavour to do so in the future. Never checked if a magnet would attract them so am curious, but have heard of modern alluvial plants that use magnets on their tables to remove such. Wonder how many are gold in disguise?

Many years ago on an Arizona prospecting forum the discussion came up about "Magnetic Gold". It may still be floating out there, but the gist of the whole conversation was about what your talking about Gerry. Nuggets and gold that had been picked up with a magnet~ often times to the surprise of the prospector. One of my motto's, Always Check your pick (magnet). Personally I've picked up bits out of my pans here in the USA but not on my pick yet. Down in Oz, depending on where your digging, its not uncommon to pick one up. Done it, picked one up with the pick, several times and I still keep one little momento to a hour hunt that drove me nuts on an ironstone pebble infested patch. Story there is I kept picking it up with the magnet, not finding it and it sounded sweet, cleaning it off and scattering the other stones with it. The residual magnetism made all but that one sound off up close. Had to keep separating them till I got one hand full and dropped it on the coil slowly. When I finally isolated it, figured it for a meteor by then, I chiped the side and saw the gold. On that trip it was the first of many back in 2006 with one being a 4 grammer totally encased in iron stone just sitting on the top with all its black buddies around. *found that one a bit quicker * Steve the WA nuggets associated with black ironstone blows are the most notorious I've found for being picked up with a pick and like the picture above are often encased or have ironstone attached to them. In my experience the magnetic ones are usually on the surface or in an inch and when I do my trash sweep they will show up or I will drop them close by for a re-sweep. Kicked plenty of them to with the foot scrape as well after the trash sweep... and shown them later by my mate picking up my trail. Deeper nuggets don't tend to be picked up very often because only the surface stuff is swept with a magnet as that's where all the tin is usually found.

Hard Prospector has a great point, camping for some of those folks maybe way to difficult. A good' hotel and a short drive to the river to prospect and get some color would be the safe way to go. Try out Mariposa near Yosemite its a 3-4 hour drive, book a couple rooms and after breakfast its an easy 20 minute drive to Briceburg recreational area. Free parking, very few people if any on any weekday and some panners and sluicers on weekends who can be helpful to answer any questions anyone of your friends may ask about the area. You can even take a side trip to the State mineral museum and show them some huge nuggets.

Very Cool - Knew it was possible but never seen it before - Thanks for shareing AjR

Gerry, Thanks for sharing that. I believe that i too may have a bit of this in my area as well. Cool to know.

That is a pretty cool specimen Gerry. I went to Ganes creek with your group back in June 2005, can't hardly believe 10 years have passed already! Nice to see you posting here on Steves forum. Ps, does that piece sound off like an iron grunt or scream like gold on an MXT ? -Tom V. in Illinois

Latest technology molecular frequency discrimination device, detects gold up to 1/4 mile away. Weighs less than a 1/2 pound, requires no batteries, fully weatherproof, and $9974 less than a GPZ 7000. I could not find a t-shirt I liked at the Mesa Gold Show so just had to have these!

I ordered this one several weeks ago. http://www.ebay.com/itm/281674146159 Can't comment on quality yet as it hasn't arrived yet. They got updated measurements on the GPZ, so it was delayed a little.

I figured you would have it out in no time up there in Idaho. Great to know your summer will be welcoming more gold from the same old spots. The GPZ-7000 can do some amazing things and you know how to make it sing. My customers wanted to thank you, Ron, Scott, Mark for the outstanding training at Rye Patch. I'll do another 3 day class end of May.