⭐ Gold Detecting Show'n Tell

Found this handsome specimen in brown/red soil on another steep slope not too far over a dividing ridge from my other finds shown previously. Again the old mine shafts are about 40m up above on the top of the hill. Found a few other sub-gram pieces closer to the mine in red volcanic soil.
The nugget looks bigger in this photo sitting on my knee than it really is. It has mainly quarts on the other side with gold showing through in places. The piece weighs 23.83gms and after doing the 'in-water' specific gravity weighing and calculations it estimates there is 14.97gms of gold in it.
All these pieces have the 'coral' close-to-source reef look to them.

Go buy a lotto ticket i say, man you must have some luck.

Crocket said:

I guess you call this a good 'patch'
First photo of the two nuggets was on my first trip detecting. After 2 1/2 days of digging scrap metal, shot, bullets etc. I decided to work away from a steep mountain gully base and tried the Lantana coated slope about 15m to the side. Found the small bit first in rich dark soil on steep slope then the 14g piece a tiny bit deeper in the same hole.
The next trip I went straight back to that spot and worked up the hill towards the old mine shafts (they are about 100m up the hill) and covered that area inch by inch (as best I could given the vegetation (Lantana/grass etc.) and the steepness of the slope. Thank goodness my SDC2300 is light, length-adjustable and easily manoeuvrable. Picked up a further 45gms in a few days. Should be more deeper I expect though will have to wait until I can acquire something that will go much deeper than my 2300.

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Very nice gold there, Crocket - well done, mate. :clap:

From my experience on Victorian goldfields, your assumption of "more deeper" may not be correct, given that you are finding gold on a steep slope. Deeper gold that I have found was usually associated with flatter ground, where it presumably slowly sinks over aeons of time, rather than being transported by steady erosion down a hillside.

Awesome Crocket. :Y:
What State you in?

State of Bliss I would expect. :lol: :lol:
Mackka

Dignit said:

Awesome Crocket. :Y:
What State you in?

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QLD I reckon hey

Mackka said:

State of Bliss I would expect. :lol: :lol:
Mackka

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Well put Makka. Yeak fairly happy mate.
I keep getting reminded by some detectorist friends how lucky I have been to have some great finds so soon after starting. One said he had been detecting for nearly 20 years and never found nuggets anywhere near that big or as many in a short time. I know I have been lucky, though also use what I have learned (am learning) and put in long days ofr a week at a time on rugged remote terrain to increase my chances. I sleep in my car and eat cold/tinned food for the week. Most might say it's pure arse, though the 'good patch' I found was after I studied the area, looked at soil types and changes, terrain slope changes, vegetation changes, where the old mines were, how they lined up geographically, imagined what it may have been like millions of years ago, then went with my gut feel of where may be a good place to spent time. Maybe my prayers to the gold God helped as well

Research,research,research, you are absolutely right and congratulations on your method and the great results achieved. Keep goin.
Mackka

Crocket said:

Mackka said:

State of Bliss I would expect. :lol: :lol:
Mackka

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Maybe my prayers to the gold God helped as well

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HaHa, yes if you ever come across Mrs M while she's digging a deep target she'll be chatting away to the gold gods. I don't know if they ever answer but sometimes they deliver :lol:

Dignit said:

Awesome Crocket. :Y:
What State you in?

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Qld

Managed to score a couple for Carol for Mothers Day.

Cheers

Doug

Mrs Redfin and a friend went to a new spot the other day.
She was happy with a few grams but her friend was more than happy.
Found with a 5k - 14x9 NF @ about 8 inches, so any detector would have pinged it.

The 6000 is getting the job done. Nothing huge, but many pieces from small areas I'd all but given up on.

A nice little ironstone coated piece. Very fluffy signal.


It was hiding in this very noisy old timers wash pile.


Then about 2m away, this tiny thing


About 15m away, a clear as bell signal between three old detector holes


Was absolutely freezing, and I wasn't prepared so I pulled the pin early.

Went back another day to another gully close by, and did a bit of prospecting on the slopes for no luck.
Moved further down the gully and on a little slope to the side pulled this suspect looking thing....


A quick tap with the pick saw the ironstone crumple away to reveal this nice little lump


Got another microscopic piece, 0.03g if I can believe my cheap scales, then got a soft but solid sounding signal that I knew would be deep.
Dug right down into an old wash layer and this popped out. 1.77g, but the gold looks likes it's wrapped around the rock.



Having lots of fun with it.

:goldnugget:

Mondo198 said:

:goldnugget:

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That's quite a story there Mondo. It get the imagination going so I guess that's a good thing :lol:

Mondo198 said:

:goldnugget:

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Thats a classic, you found a gold nugget sitting on snow! Thanks for sharing!

RS

Went for a swing a couple of weeks ago. had 4hr before the rain set in. 25mm for the day and showed no signs of stopping. ened up detecting for roughly 8hr in total over two days for a solid 35 grams.
Biggest went 10.5 grams.

Awesome must be a good spot cheers Muk.

Just like what I see on my scales regularly Dawsy, except the decimal point is usually in front of the 3

At least you have a decimal point mate :lol: :lol: layful: