Cascade Steven

Both Centreville and Centreville Northwest are good businesses with which to deal.  I purchased an extra battery pack from them earlier for my TDI SL and am very satisfied with their service.   I have also noticed that their parts listing is changing over time so I suspect (I could be wrong) that they are running out of some items and may have only limited stock on other items.  Just my guess based on what I have observed on their web site.  I suspect that if a person is sincerely in need of some parts for their detector they should purchase the parts sooner rather than later.  Just my two-cents worth.

Yes, great find! Congratulations on another success.🙂

The 911 Metallurgist link is a good source.  The U.S. Geological Survey has also conducted research on a variety of gold deposit models.  This link provides information on some of their more recent work.

New Mineral Deposit Models for Gold, Phosphate Rare Earth Elements, and Placer Rare Earth Element-Titanium Resources (usgs.gov)

mn90403:  Thanks for the link.  Greatly appreciated. 

GotAU:  Thanks.

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

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.

Thank you to everyone for your insightful comments and observations.

GotAU:  You have introduced an interesting approach to metal detecting and I would like to explore this technique in further detail as applied to nugget hunting.  I have some specific questions on application and would like to use a hypothetical case as an example (I apologize in advance for the detail).  For this example I have chosen a grid approach and not the random transect.  So let’s assume: 1) an arid or semiarid environment such as Nevada or Arizona; 2) the general area has a history of gold production; 3) placer mining information is sketchy but there may be a potential for placer nuggets although they may be small in size (well under an ounce); 4) we have located the area on Google Maps; 5) historical data shows patented mining claims that we have eliminated from our area of interest; 6) BLM records show some active claims that we have eliminated from our area of interest; 7) the general topography is of low to moderate relief; 10) the area is traversed by a dendritic drainage pattern with many 1^st and 2^nd order ephemeral tributaries; 9) we have a topographic map of the area; 10) neither Google Map nor the topo map show any sign of workings; 11) only one unidentifiable outcrop is visible on Google Map; 12) we have identified a small drainage of interest that cuts across a two-track “road”; 13) our area of interest is a one-quarter mile square; 14) we grid the area into 10-ft. by 10-ft square grids (this produces about 17,424 squares; 15) the grid is plotted on the topo map; 16) we number each grid square with a unique number starting from the upper right corner using the same scheme as the public land survey grid; 17) we use a random number generator or table to choose 10-percent of the grid squares; 18) in the field we test each chosen grid square.

For the field procedure: 1) we start at the bottom left corner of the of the grid square and proceed slowly toward the opposite end; 2) a 4-ft wide left-to-right coil sweep is used with 10% to 20% coil sweep overlap; 3) this is repeated three times to cover the area allowing for a side-to-side overlap of about 10% to 20%.; 4) this approach is then repeated at 90 degrees to the first direction; 5) a large coil is used initially to search for large nuggets; 6) a smaller coil is then used to look for smaller gold.

My questions:  1) is the area chosen too large; 2) is the size of the individual grid squares appropriate (too large or too small?); 3) is a randomly selected 10% subset the proper size (you mentioned 30%); 4) is the two-coil approach appropriate; 5) should I have applied the random transect first and used this detailed approach on any areas with positive results; 6) what other modifications should be made to this technique and what other details have I missed?   If I have completely missed the point please feel free to say so.

I just have to add my two cents worth. 🙂  I strongly support the way Steve has designed, developed and supports this forum.    I have been on this forum for less than a year and must complement the many contributors and their knowledge.  It is from these contributions that I have gained much knowledge in the arena of nugget hunting.  As others have observed this is like an evening chat around a campfire.   As I learn more about nugget hunting I try to contribute a little to the conversation when ever possible and appropriate.  I have also learned that when entering a conversation it is often best to just sit quietly and listen.  It is amazing how  much a person can learn from just listening to the conversation.  The same is true here.  A specific thread may be about a specific detector and it's function, characteristics, etc.  but there will also often be little tidbits lurking within the text.  These tidbits will be about technique, approach, philosophy, location information among other "nuggets" of information.   Collecting these little "nuggets" of information is akin to collecting 'fly speck" gold with a VLF metal detector, after a while the total adds up to something significant.   Although I am focused on gold prospecting, I also frequent the other parts of this forum in search of those prized "nuggets" of information.   A single comment in a jewelry hunting thread or coin hunting thread can lead to a surprising amount of discovered knowledge if one is willing to do a little research.  It is not uncommon for me to find a single comment (not specifically gold prospecting related) on one of the threads that will lead to several hours of on-line and or library research.  Almost always this research leads to new knowledge for me.  So I say THANK YOU to all of you that continue to contribute to this forum and thus to my knowledge base.   I have found at least 20 metal detector and metal detector/prospector related forums on the internet (there are probably many more) and of this group, this is the most active forum.  

Steve, this is your forum to operate as you choose, and I for one like it in it's present format. 

Steve and Jeff:  Thanks for your perspectives and experiences.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight.

Congratulations on your find!  It's really nice that you found both pieces.

Welcome to the forum and wishing you the best with your new equipment. 

Welcome aboard and welcome to retirement.  This is a great group.🙂

Welcome aboard BGN.  Glad you found us. 🙂

Welcome aboard and best wishes with your return to the hobby. 🙂

Norm - I will keep you in my prayers.

This is very interesting and brings up another question:  does anyone know if any other metal detector brands (such as Fisher, Garrett or White's for example) are susceptible to the same problem?  Inquiring minds would like to know.  

Locator:  Thank you for your helpful suggestion.  My 24k is new (about 6 months old) so I do not have any plastic crack issues.  However, it is nice to know that such products are available should I need them in the future.  It is nice to have this information for reference.  Thanks for sharing. 

🙂🙂🙂

Karelian: Thanks for sharing.  You have brought up a good point that this tool can save a person a lot of time and wasted effort in a new area.  Do you care to share any details about the brand of drone you use and why you chose it over other brands or models?  How long have you used this technique?

I am curious if anyone has tried using a drone in the Western US, in such areas as the Sierra Nevada, Arizona desert, or wooded areas of the Cascade Mountains, Northern Idaho or Montana?  If so, I am very curious of their results and experiences.  

Congratulations on the find and for the advice and warning. 🙂

Thanks for sharing.🙂

Nice piece of gold!