What I’ve Found

[Ian g]

I had another go at panning today and apart from the rocks/stones,I didn’t find any shiny.Since I’m a total newly to the art of prospecting,(and it is an art) I wonder if someone can put a name to these stones,as I’m not sure what they are or wether they can help to conclude wether there’s gold about.All advice would be much appreciated thank you.

 

the bottom right is a dark red round smooth stone,and along with the three small round ones on the far left,we’re the last stones to pan out,so they are heavy.

The middle bottom stone is a yellow green colour and I’m also getting left with tiny yellow flakes in the pan.I think the flakes are from the same type of stone,but more yellow.They appear  as the last of the sand is panned back and it’s really annoying cause it can be vivid in the sunlight.

the stone third from right has a greenish hue and is much more heavier than the rest,apart from the biggest stone probably.

Thanks for taking a look.

 

[Ian g]

Ah! Just realised this has been posted in wrong thread,sorry’ boot at.

[alaska detector]

I’d say prospecting is as much of a science, or more, as it is an art. A rudimentary knowledge of geology, physics, and the ability to study and research areas to prospect -are essential to success. I’d highly recommend getting two books, the first being “The Essentials of Geology”, and the second being “Fist Full of Gold”. I bring this up because what you have here is an assortment of rocks from a stream system 
 

It’s going to be really hard to attempt at answering your question, but here’s a general rules; gold generally travels with the heavies which is all dependent on the local geology and history. Has the area had past gold production? What have past geological surveys or reports said about the type of gold in the area (size shape)? Are there pay streaks, or are there pockets? Are there indicator minerals? What layers was the gold found in? Was the gold found on bed rock? Was gold found on falls bed rock? Etc etc. A qualitative answer is so nuanced that I’d be throwing guesses at a dart board and I don’t want to lead you astray. The red one appears to be some form of hematite, and the small balls on the left looks to be lead. The top rocks looks to be quartz, and the bottom, idk could be a lot of things.

I’d highly recommend looking to see if there are any local prospecting groups or clubs in your area that you could join or tag along on. You’ll learn so much more from an experienced prospector one day in person than you’ll learn in a month researching online. Not to say that online doesn’t have value, it does, but when you’re trying to get started like you are it’s best to tag along.

I hope this helps.

Matt

[Valens Legacy]

I see some quartz in those rocks and maybe a glint of gold on the center bottom stone.

The flakes that you mentioned may be gold, some of what I find around here is small as flour.

I hope that you didn't throw it out as someone near you might be able to let you know exactly what it is.

I do believe that you are hunting in the right area, so just be patient and good things will come your way.

[GB_Amateur]

23 hours ago, Ian g said:

The bottom right is a dark red round smooth stone,and along with the three small round ones on the far left,we’re the last stones to pan out,so they are heavy.

'Dense' is a better word than 'heavy' to describe what gravity separation (e.g. panning) leads to.  As alaska detector indicated, those three on the left are lead shot.  Pure lead has a specific gravity (same as density in gram per cubic centimeter units) of 11.3.  Pure gold is 19.3 but natural gold is lower but still typically > 16.  Thus the fact that lead was in the bottom of your pan indicates if there was any gold present it should have been there, too.  (Other properties such as shape, which for tiny gold flakes can lead to it floating due to surface tension, can also play a role.)

Flatten a couple of those lead shot pieces for practice panning; gold is seldom spherically shaped.  As far as shiny stuff in the pan at the end of processing, gold will usually reflect no matter the angle you look at it.  Other minerals (like mica and pyrite) are mirror-like ('speclar') and will look great from some viewing angles but disappear at others.  Also, gold's density (as long as surface tension isn't playing tricks) will tend to cause it to stay in one place when you swirl the material in the pan at the end of processing.  It seems like it sticks to the bottom of the pan whereas lighter minerals are more easily washed around.

21 hours ago, alaska detector said:

I’d highly recommend getting two books, the first being “The Essentials of Geology”, and the second being “Fist Full of Gold”.

Chris Ralph's Fists Full of Gold is essential and worth much more than it's $30 price, IMO.  That other textbook looks expensive in the 6th edition, but typically books can be found in earlier editions for much less, and you don't miss much.  Here is a good place to look for used books:  https://www.addall.com/used/

Also, if you'd prefer getting one from a library:  https://www.worldcat.org/

Chris Ralph has several YouTube videos which are also quite informative, IMO.  Mike Pung did a YouTube series on finish panning (I think it was a series of ~10 parts).  If you go to YouTube and search for just their names you should find those and more.

 

[alaska detector]

Building off of what @GB_Amateur said there are several good prospecting YouTubers out there that are educational and entertaining, Dan Hurd, Vogus Prospecting, Schwendi, Pioneer Pauly, Tassie Boys, etc the list goes on with a lot of good ones. I learned quite a lot from them.

Matt

[Steve Herschbach]

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/12764-how-to-identify-minerals-video-series/

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/11621-check-for-gold-in-rock-identify-fools-gold/