What To Look For On The Goldfields (New To Prospecting)

[Scout]

Thanks for this info Loamer, I have found it really interesting and useful.

 

[isolation]

Such great reading!

I feel like I want to join in, but as a newbie I have nothing to add, and any current questions have all been answered...which is a good thing.

Thanks for all the great advice

 

[joao garimpeiro]

Nice post Loamer!

 

[joao garimpeiro]

Nice post Loamer!
Beautiful place!
I wish I could be there too

 

[Dave.m]

Thanks Loamer for your time and details that you have given us newby's. I would possibly have never got the information that you have provided by just reading alone and would have probably not even given some of the work sites that you have described a second glance.Great work thanks again for the info.
Dave.m

 

[AtomRat]

I never had the chance to read over this thread thoroughly yet, and I have been amazed with the information that has come up in here! Excellent work loamer and everyone else who contributed to the thread, it explains a lot of information for absolutely anyone of any age or experience in prospecting.

 

[Drbean]

I used to step in them going to school ! :lol:

 

[MikeDaFinder]

Thanks for all of the great info Loamer

 

[KiwiKaren]

This is an awesome thread. Thanks Loamer!
I am heading out metal detecting for the first time in Australia this week and will keeping all this info in mind. Will need to read it a few more times to soak it all up or take notes

 

[stoyve]

Gday echidnadigger,
As far I am aware puddlers only used water,
Cyanide treatment plants or baths were a different
porocess.
You can see the remains of a cyanide treatment
plant at the Jubile Heritage Park west of
Smythsdale on the Berringa Newtown rd which
Is north west of Ballarat.
I recommend anyone to visit this park as its very
informative with quite a lot of infrastructure remaining.
Cheers Steve

 

[SnJ]

Thanks for all the time spent and info loamer! You have added a great deal of knowledge to us. As for the question from Rege-PA post #89, the answer to 'how to proceed after finding your first nugget' is not always an obvious one...and I must say, the search areas in Australia are certainly different from what I encounter in California. The ground is rarely level enough or clear enough to chain in a grid, let alone any real type of search pattern. Heres a great example of a pattern I had to come up with to suit the situation: I was exploring a 100 year old drift mine about 30 meters up a river bank. The slope was so steep that the tailings from the old mine were sliding down the hillside as I ascended. The slide area was about 20 meters wide. I was spot checking the tailings for nuggets on the way up and finally found one near the top a sunbaker to boot! So now how do I search this sliding hillside without covering up areas I had not searched yet with sliding gravel? After thinking about it, I decided to go back down and start at the bottom and go up, searching about a 3 meter-wide swath on each ascent, then go back down and move over to get the next 3 meter swath. This would enable me to search undisturbed tailings on the first pass, but also make fresh new tailings get churned up for the next time I detect the slope. Well, I spent 5 hours doing this (one pass) and never found another nugget! I still need to go back with my new Garrett ATX (when I get it!), but I went ahead and posted the sight on YouTube ("East Fork rare sunbaker"). The still pic at the beginning shows the hillside of sliding tailings. The nugget made a nice necklace for the misses.

 

[Guest]

That's a great video Stan.

Most of Australian detecting areas are certainly a lot flatter than that!

I would imagine there would be some alluvial/placer gold down in the creek at the bottom of the tailings as well?

Nice Gold as well!

Cheers

 

[washgravel]

Another question is what geological conditions and weathering conditions determine a nuggets position.

For example, from a reef, do larger nuggets travel further than smaller ones on steeper slopes or on gentler slopes?

 

[washgravel]

For example, from a reef, do larger nuggets travel further than smaller ones on steeper slopes or on gentler slopes?

Well my mate and I have an opposite opinion on which size nugget travels further on steeper slopes as he says larger heavier nuggets will travel further.

 

[old hand]

Traveling nuggets to be honest I do not know as I have found a 3 oz at the top of a slope and on the same slope a 5 oz at the bottom and all small between .Another spot 2 2 1/2 oz at the top of a ridge line all small on the slope and a 8 gram at the bottom.With time all the larger nuggets could end up down the slopes or in the gullies but by the time they end up there you and I will not be around,it many take millions of years regards john

 

[G0lddigg@]

Comes back to the old adage gold is where you find it

 

[SnJ]

That's a great video Stan.

Most of Australian detecting areas are certainly a lot flatter than that!

I would imagine there would be some alluvial/placer gold down in the creek at the bottom of the tailings as well?

Nice Gold as well!

Cheers

Yes, the river has much placer still present and was never mined to any great extent in that area. As for that particular spot, I saw a lot of deep holes people had been digging, so I think it is a good spot, even though I haven't panned there myself. Truthfully, I don't think I could ever sluice all day again after finding my nuggets - just too tedious. The state banned mining claims up that entire canyon so the local mountain sheep could recover their numbers. That was 50 years ago! Many 'homeless' blokes make a meager living panning and sluicing on the river - without claims. This canyon is only a 45 minute drive from Los Angeles.

There's a pretty good ~16 minute documentary about the whole situation if you're interested... search YouTube on this:
Documentary about Gold Prospecting on the East Fork of San Gabriel River

 

[blacksand]

Loamer thanks for the great thread, it took me from about 5 things to look for in selecting a site to about 20. Amazing! Went for my first detect on the weekend for a couple hours, more to learn the ropes with the GPX5000 I just bought and just found junk. For future trips I will use the info in this thread to be far more selective in where I try my luck. Although gold is where you find it, at least this thread will have noobs like me in the right general area

 

[toecutta]

Thanks Loamer
I just got back from a very rained out Hill End on my maiden voyage with my new (to me) GPX4000
This information helps a HEAP
cheers, Jason

 

[Lisa_Larriane]

[h]1. Puddlers[/h]
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/981/1374895856_puddler.jpg

For new starters, deciphering goldfields can be difficult when first starting out - what was actually going on??. There are some indicators that will highlight if the area was gold bearing for the old timers. Sometimes, research will tell us that the area was rich in gold. At times you will find things that are not marked or mentioned in maps and old reports - for example this puddler and diggings. What does the puddler tell me? The area was rich enough for the old timers to set one up for breaking up the gold bearing clay soils. The gold bearing dirt may have been brought to the area but generally they are in situ - water was the key. At about 1 o'clock on the puddler you can see where the slurry was drained off. The outside ring was where the horse/pony walked and the inside mound was where the guide post was located. These areas are well worth detecting and there may be throw outs, relics and the like. There will also be horse shoes and nails so a descriminator on a DD may be required. You can see a run of diggings in the background. The puddler itself should best be left alone as they are usually historically significant. Another thing was can see in the picture is the age of the trees. The ones on the puddler are about the same age and size as the rest of the area - the original trees were used for props, shafts, fire-wood etc. Look for the older trees - they may original or older and may be where the original soil level was - and also worth detecting around these areas.

Great post..... Taking notes