The best thing you can do to better your chances of a successful prospecting trip is to do some homework. No, I don't mean to conjure up images of sitting behind a little desk and enduring boring lectures by a teacher. I am talking about doing a bit of studying. Our fore-fathers did quite a lot to aid us in our quest for that gleaming yellow metal we call gold. They did a great majority of the leg work in discovering areas of gold and greater concentrations of minerals.
By going to the library, mining museums or surfing the Internet, one can gain a world of information. Look up predominate gold producing areas, the amounts and types of gold that have been found. There is a saying among gold prospectors "gold is where you find it". This is true in all respects. However, you will find that you can better your chances of finding it if you work areas that are known to have had gold production there at one time or another.
When the gold booms of the mid 1800's were in full swing, most of the miners were always after the next big strike. Therefore, when the mining of a certain area would cease to produce the huge easily obtained amounts of gold, the miners would pack-up and move on to easier "pick'ins". Not to say all the gold in that area was gone, it just wasn't as easy to get to with the types of equipment the men had or it wasn't producing in the amounts they deemed worth going after. There have been huge amounts of gold since mined from areas the 49'ers abandoned for these very reasons.
Keep in mind, the equipment the early miners utilized was very primative compared to today's standards. Much of the methods used huge wooden troughs made from rough sawed wood that would shrink and expand, leaving gaps that gold particals and even nuggets could easily escape through. Leaving behind great quantities of gold! Crude enviornmentally damaging methods called hydraulic mining, which went on for some thirty years or so, used huge pressurized water cannons to wash away entire hilsides of material. These methods would silt up rivers far downstream as well as bury with sediments much of the areas being worked. It is said that hydraulic methods such as these were less than 40% effective. That means that more than 50% of the gold to be mined was lost and left behind after operations were shut down.
Sure, there is a very remote chance that you can explore distant areas that are not readily known to contain sizible quantities of gold and come across a small amount, but remember, those prospectors of old, did a lot of exploration and covered much of the ground in the western states. There is in fact more gold to be found. By no means did the "old timers" get it all. But, by doing a bit of research on areas that have been previously mined with success in the past, one will increase his or her chances at finding gold.
Be a good student, do your homework and good luck!
Replies
Right on the money great post
This is truly free gold nuggets. The wealth of print material that has never or will never make it to the internet has so much information its unreal. Another thing to seek it very old section and township maps. These contain a lot of information thats not entered into the databases. Specifically land that was tied up for many reasons over the years and then turned back to the govt. In many cases there were no mineral surveys done and the land is fairly much unexplored for recreational prospecting. May be not a lot in some states but in others its a very considerable amount. Knowing why there wasnt a full survey may be the tip you need.