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I just read this article about 'coverage' which doesn't include a detector but yet a hoard was discovered by random but as the archaeologists now say it has established a new possible pattern.  Basically ... you don't know until you know.

 https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-hoard-sweden.html?utm_source=notification 

 

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In the previous discussion about random sampling it is really not quite 'random' in a geological sense.  If you were to take the proper maps and find gold on particular structures like gullies or reefs in an area then you concentrate on those areas without being totally random.

When I went to the Australian Golden Triangle for instance metal detectorists would prefer to detect a shedding reef.  How do you find the reef?  Research and then focused coverage.  Not all selected sampling areas would include a reef structure so maybe you should only go where they exist?

When in Arizona the primary focus is on washes but you can't hunt them in a 'scientific' grid pattern as suggested.  Everything is modified by topography.  Experienced detectorists will try the bottom of a wash first but at this late stage of metal detecting it is often times futile.  What do you do then if nothing is at the bottom?  You try the top.  Well that has been hit also so ... a pattern is to also go to a wash measure up two detector swings above the bottom and detect that line.  I have seen that pattern used for great effectiveness in Gold Basin.

This brings up another 'coverage idea' about missing clues.  What if you go to a geologically great looking area or past claim and you look for 'evidence' of gold and you can't find it.  If you see lots of dig holes then there is a chance it had been there but what if the detectorist before you left no trace?

Some people say 'gold is where you find it.'  Well ... that is true.  But, gold has a 'story' also.  How did it get to where it was found.  Doc has a great thread/story/discussion on this as well as all successful pre-detector prospectors.  I say gold is where you look for it and the most successful are those that look for it more right places than wrong.  You can waste a lifetime looking in the wrong places too.  No amount of gridding will find a patch.

These are the ramblings of a detectorist with moderate success but certainly not great success.  Take them with a grain of salt.

I'm guilty of not doing enough research.

Mitchel

 

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35 minutes ago, mn90403 said:

In the previous discussion about random sampling it is really not quite 'random' in a geological sense.  If you were to take the proper maps and find gold on particular structures like gullies or reefs in an area then you concentrate on those areas without being totally random.

When I went to the Australian Golden Triangle for instance metal detectorists would prefer to detect a shedding reef.  How do you find the reef?  Research and then focused coverage.  Not all selected sampling areas would include a reef structure so maybe you should only go where they exist?

When in Arizona the primary focus is on washes but you can't hunt them in a 'scientific' grid pattern as suggested.  Everything is modified by topography.  Experienced detectorists will try the bottom of a wash first but at this late stage of metal detecting it is often times futile.  What do you do then if nothing is at the bottom?  You try the top.  Well that has been hit also so ... a pattern is to also go to a wash measure up two detector swings above the bottom and detect that line.  I have seen that pattern used for great effectiveness in Gold Basin.

This brings up another 'coverage idea' about missing clues.  What if you go to a geologically great looking area or past claim and you look for 'evidence' of gold and you can't find it.  If you see lots of dig holes then there is a chance it had been there but what if the detectorist before you left no trace?

Some people say 'gold is where you find it.'  Well ... that is true.  But, gold has a 'story' also.  How did it get to where it was found.  Doc has a great thread/story/discussion on this as well as all successful pre-detector prospectors.  I say gold is where you look for it and the most successful are those that look for it more right places than wrong.  You can waste a lifetime looking in the wrong places too.  No amount of gridding will find a patch.

These are the ramblings of a detectorist with moderate success but certainly not great success.  Take them with a grain of salt.

I'm guilty of not doing enough research.

Mitchel

 

Definately sample where gold is most likely to exist, a randomly placed transect would be useful for open patch hunting where there are no obvious gold producing spots and you are trying to cover the area just to see the potential, but as pointed out, following a wash or bench that has features that may have gold deposits is a different situation.

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1 hour ago, mn90403 said:

I just read this article about 'coverage' which doesn't include a detector but yet a hoard was discovered by random but as the archaeologists now say it has established a new possible pattern.  Basically ... you don't know until you know.

 https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-hoard-sweden.html?utm_source=notification 

 

That’s an interesting article. My wife is an archaeologist as well, and one way they test an area for site potential is to do buried site testing by digging random trenches across an area, they also do random shovel probes to test an area.  It’s very similar to what I described earlier.

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GotAU:  A couple of questions regarding the random transect:  1) while walking this transect, should the coil sweep be tight with overlapping sweeps or loose producing a zig-zag pattern; and 2) on a reconnaissance or first pass transect should a large or small coil be used (and what parameters should be considered in the decision)?  I can envision justification for each approach.

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7 minutes ago, Cascade Steven said:

GotAU:  A couple of questions regarding the random transect:  1) while walking this transect, should the coil sweep be tight with overlapping sweeps or loose producing a zig-zag pattern; and 2) on a reconnaissance or first pass transect should a large or small coil be used (and what parameters should be considered in the decision)?  I can envision justification for each approach.

Interesting points, and it really depends on the timeframe you have for that first survey.  If you are there for only a day, the more ground you cover with the coil the higher the probability you have of finding something, but that would drop if you are selecting areas where gold is less likely to be deposited.  If you stay in the areas where it could have been deposited, an do not have the time to cover it, then I’d try to maximize the effort by spreading out across the best areas and perhaps using a wider sweep.  But if you can return to an area later, gridding it off with each visit may be better.  Also keep in mind, as others have had happen to them, if the area is remote you can take the time to grid it, but sometimes people have returned to a site to find it trashed and worked before they could continue working it, so doing transects  first will help find the better areas to concentrate on quicker than starting in a new area by meticulously gridding it.

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20 minutes ago, Cascade Steven said:

mn90403:  Can you provide a link to Doc's thread that you mentioned?  I have been unable to find it.  Thanks

I had to go back and search all of Doc's content.  I thought the name of it was 'Gold is Not where you find it' but the search engine didn't pop it up for me.  I've had training from Doc and this approach of his is excellent.

 

 

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