Jp’s Gold Thread

[Jonathan Porter 3,272]

This thread is a place were I can share and continually update pictures of any of my current gold finds, kind of like a gold diary of sorts. Sometimes I’ll include narrative other times it will be just pictures of what I found for the day. I get out detecting regularly and I use a lot of different equipment some of which is not open for discussion. This thread is NOT about equipment but about the gold I find as I find it. I will try to include pictures of the terrain so people can visualise what the areas look like where I‘m detecting. 

I would prefer if others do not post up pictures to this thread but ALL DP members are more than welcome to comment and ask questions about detecting related subjects, especially about targeting locations and mind sets and approach. It’s OK to relate to a post and talk about your own experiences, in fact I insist on it. That’s the whole point of a gold thread, to share my daily gold finds and talk with like minded people about how much fun it is to find gold.

The Last couple of days detecting things have been a little slow as I revisit old haunts not visited for years. I’m targeting areas associated with old gold finds looking for indications of other nearby locations that are conducive to nuggets being present. The signs I’m looking for are gravels that are exposed at the surface, especially with pieces of ironstone in the mix, then working off the edges into the soil covered zones. Clermont does not have channeled gravels that were originally associated with creeks and rivers but instead has deltas of wash that spread away from the source becoming water worn in the process, this means you can have quiet large areas of deco clays with very little gravels then hit an area the size of a kitchen with good wash that contains gold, sometimes it can be associated with a weathered down localised quartz reef which has acted as a trap for mobile gravels or it will be made up entirely of gravelly wash that has moved on-mass and delta’d out in a fan shape. The trick is to find these areas hidden amongst the tree cover and fine surface soils that hide them. Quite often you will head downslope following the gold then hit a blank of deco that goes for 30 meters then the gravels will start up again. The trick is to try and push the boundaries until either a major drainage gobbles up the contents of the slope or the ground becomes barren. The hard part is to try and decide if the surface soils are laying over gold gravel or just deco with nothing underneath. 

JP

Pics are of the last couple of days in two different locations.

 

Day two

 

[goldrat 151]

JP , That's how I like threads to go . Far more beneficial to my learning curve than settings ,  coils etc . I hope this is the new trend for all to report . Take care mate an have a great year .

Cheers

goldrat

[DigsAlot 268]

Solid thread. I like the pics of the area and of the gold found.

Is it possiable to add a pic of the hole or draw on the pic to show the ground type that caught your eye. This thread could replace published books.

[Jonathan Porter 3,272]

This mornings effort started out late so only a few hours targeting some deco clays. This ground is hard work and you really need to focus, hence my fatigue now that the session is over.

Some pics of the waxy gravels (colloidal clays) and deco with nuggets encased. I think at some stage this country has seen some glaciation way back in the distant past. Who know’s it once might have been as mountainous as NZ and these flat Nuggies were locked up in the slates before the country flattened off to what it looks like today.

JP

[fredmason 2,686]

Thanks, Jonathan 

nice tiny gold in your areas...are the gold baring areas hot, average  or mild?
Fred

[Jonathan Porter 3,272]

1 hour ago, fredmason said:

Thanks, Jonathan 

nice tiny gold in your areas...are the gold baring areas hot, average  or mild?
Fred

Hi Fred generally hot, as an example I have very few areas here where I can use Normal type timings.

[Gold Catcher 439]

53 minutes ago, Jonathan Porter said:

Hi Fred generally hot, as an example I have very few areas here where I can use Normal type timings.

Great thread, JP. Thanks for setting it up. Are you using HY/difficult in these grounds? How high are you able to go with the gain to still hear deep faint target? Thanks.

[2Valen 1,024]

JP, great thread with some interesting observations that you included. I believe that most of what you detailed can be used here in the USA in certain areas.

Hope to learn more and I will keep watching the new threads.

[strick 2,252]

This is going to be something to follow for sure....a thred where I can actually learn something  about how to find gold..thank you JP.

strick

[flakmagnet 1,586]

That ground looks" hot" and compacted. I'll bet it's a challenge to work in.