Nugget Hunting In Hilly Terrains

[Ken Walls]

I agree, one of the best books out there for all around prospecting.

[Norvic]

Hilly/Mountainous Terrans are/have been the go for me downunder here in FNQ OZ, no specific advice except to think outside the box as GS5000 advises. It isn`t easy, in fact is probably the most difficult country to detect, but for that reason you will not have much competition thus the ground is likely virgin ground ie. hasn`t had a coil scan it. Gold can be up high 100s even 1000s of feet above streambeds where even the quartz from the reefs/veins has weathered/eroded out down into the streams but an odd heavy nugget or maybe even a run of nuggets has lodged behind a rock bar perhaps on their way down. Even that original rock bar has weathered down, thus that indicators gone. How do you find it? the chief indicator quartz is mostly gone. Only way you find it is through persistence and stop listening to those stream beds calling you, likely you`ve done them anyway. Nah I doubt there is any easy way except do the footwork. 

[phrunt]

I dream of gold detecting flat ground, those people have it so easy, all I ever detect is hillsides, I don't get how gold gets to where it does, right on the top of a ridge can hold nuggets and often oddly does.

[Gold Catcher]

15 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I dream of gold detecting flat ground, those people have it so easy, all I ever detect is hillsides, I don't get how gold gets to where it does, right on the top of a ridge can hold nuggets and often oddly does.

I probably have found as much gold on ridges as I have in gullies. Yet the area where I hunt the gold was there before the mountains.... 🙂

GC

[rvpopeye]

Might be glacial deposits ?🤔

[principedeleon]

On 11/13/2023 at 4:29 PM, Norvic said:

Hilly/Mountainous Terrans are/have been the go for me downunder here in FNQ OZ, no specific advice except to think outside the box as GS5000 advises. It isn`t easy, in fact is probably the most difficult country to detect, but for that reason you will not have much competition thus the ground is likely virgin ground ie. hasn`t had a coil scan it. Gold can be up high 100s even 1000s of feet above streambeds where even the quartz from the reefs/veins has weathered/eroded out down into the streams but an odd heavy nugget or maybe even a run of nuggets has lodged behind a rock bar perhaps on their way down. Even that original rock bar has weathered down, thus that indicators gone. How do you find it? the chief indicator quartz is mostly gone. Only way you find it is through persistence and stop listening to those stream beds calling you, likely you`ve done them anyway. Nah I doubt there is any easy way except do the footwork. 

i have seen these rock bars hanging up around rivers where we mostly mine.. but the gravel is really course with big rocks.. so i dont know how shallow the gold could be to be reached with a metal detector. i think a PI with a larger coil would be best used in these areas.. i dont know.. all i have is a QED with a 20" coil and tiny x-coil for it. i do want to get a cheap VLF to pin point and use the discrimination to find out if is hot rock or nail.. 

 

 

 

[Norvic]

4 hours ago, principedeleon said:

i have seen these rock bars hanging up around rivers where we mostly mine.. but the gravel is really course with big rocks.. so i dont know how shallow the gold could be to be reached with a metal detector. i think a PI with a larger coil would be best used in these areas.. i dont know.. all i have is a QED with a 20" coil and tiny x-coil for it. i do want to get a cheap VLF to pin point and use the discrimination to find out if is hot rock or nail.. 

 

 

 

I agree a PI is mostly the go, I say mostly as sometimes those nuggets are near the surface in these areas thus big signals and because a lot of the mineralization is eroded off the heights/ridges a VLF is very capable in such low mineralization with discrimination a bonus if there is ferrous junk. More than the detectors ability is the worth of a positive persistent attitude to carry you over the initial many days of frustrating searching. The QED is ample to get you going and gain the confidence/faith to prove up such areas, with your dredging gained knowledge of rock bars, and other features of streams that can create drop off zones for heavies like gold.

[principedeleon]

On 11/15/2023 at 2:34 AM, Norvic said:

I agree a PI is mostly the go, I say mostly as sometimes those nuggets are near the surface in these areas thus big signals and because a lot of the mineralization is eroded off the heights/ridges a VLF is very capable in such low mineralization with discrimination a bonus if there is ferrous junk. More than the detectors ability is the worth of a positive persistent attitude to carry you over the initial many days of frustrating searching. The QED is ample to get you going and gain the confidence/faith to prove up such areas, with your dredging gained knowledge of rock bars, and other features of streams that can create drop off zones for heavies like gold.

i was thinking .. should we run a test from a VLF and the PI to see which could give us more of advantages in different soils because im guessing maybe running a VLF in LOW mineralization areas would be a better option?

[Norvic]

From runnng VLFs for many years exclusively gold chasing to PIs/ZVT, I am going to stick my neck out and give the PIs/ZVT the tick here, whether in low/high mineralization I believe they have the depth but the VLFs have better discrimination. Could be that I`m biased, plus a wee bit old to be using large coils continuously. That`s something for the individual to work out in their circumstances/area.

[dig4gold]

On 11/14/2023 at 6:06 PM, phrunt said:

I don't get how gold gets to where it does, right on the top of a ridge can hold nuggets and often oddly does.

To remotely get an understanding you need to study the geology of your areas & learn how the land developed & gold formed, & how & why the mountains grew & from what. Tectonic plates, faulting & folding. Glaciation that has come & gone a few times, advance & retreat, destroying mountains & eroding the quartz gold reefs liberating & depositing the gold. Ancient river channels & glacial material, gold bearing, lifted to thousands of feet above sea level. Can be a real mind f%*k but that is how the gold got to where you describe. The study of that is fascinating in its self & most people that love chasing gold love geology too. The two go hand in hand & for good reason.

D4G