If you have just started prospecting for gold or looking to find more gold on your prospecting ventures, you will need to improve your knowledge of gold-bearing locations. Gold-bearing grounds and rivers can be found across the globe, but not all of them will give you the same chances to find gold at the end of your outing.
So, do all rivers have gold in them? Most rivers don’t have gold in quantities high enough to be recoverable with normal tools. In order to find gold-bearing rivers, you need to study the geology of the area and turn to old mining reports. Rivers that produced gold in the past are likely to continue to do so going forward.
Before picking up your pan and heading to the nearest river, check out the details below to increase your chances of finding gold and perhaps even nuggets on your prospecting trip.
Do All Rivers Have Gold in Them?
Technically, all rivers do contain some small amounts of gold, but in most locations, it’s so little that it can’t be mined successfully.
Moreover, not all rivers will contain gold in the same quantities. Due to the geological formation and history of specific locations, you will have more or fewer chances of finding valuable deposits. In some cases, the flakes and concentrations are small, not even visible to the human eye.
Additionally, your knowledge and expertise can make a difference in the outcomes of the research. An amateur prospector could be searching for gold in a gold-bearing river, but not in the right location. Other gold hunters could be searching in the right area, but might not be skilled enough to retrieve the smallest fine gold- which can reduce their findings.
How to Improve Your Chances of Finding Gold in Rivers
Successful gold prospectors make a constant effort to acquire new useful knowledge. Indeed, locations that had yielded valuable quantities of gold in the past are not guaranteed to be as fruitful today, and vice-versa. Here are some factors you should take into consideration.
Pay Streaks
Identifying and locating gold-bearing grounds is the first task to undertake. The changes in a location’s geology make the search much trickier, yet there are the best places to start your hunt for gold. Proven gold-producing locations might not yield the results expected, while areas in which there are no records of gold finding might surprise prospectors.
However, in just over 100 years, the erosion patterns might have brought new gold residues into a particular location, which in many cases makes proven gold-bearing areas the best places for prospecting.
Within these areas, the prospector will need to locate any eventual pay-streak. These pay-streaks are streaks where gold, due to its high weight, has deposited when traveling down the river.
Simply put, gold will take another path in the river than most other streambed materials, and consequently concentrate in other locations as well.
In our article on how to read a river for gold, you’ll learn more about how and where pay-streaks form.
Topographic maps
Topographic maps are among the most useful resources a prospector can acquire. Often, you will be able to buy a topographic map of the location you are interested in searching from prospecting gear sellers. These maps can help you identify the perfect place for your research along with the local records of where gold has been found so far.
Before attempting to read a topographic map, it is essential to understand that gold is usually denser than the surrounding deposits. While it might be pushed along a stream course by the force of water where the current is more potent, as the stream slows, the gold will settle along the streambed.
There are two easy-to-understand formations visible on such maps that can yield good chances of finding gold along a gold-bearing river:
- Pools after rapids: If you notice a stream, creek, or river dropping steadily along a steep slope, you should locate where it levels off. It can happen quite some distance from the hill, but this is where you could start your research.
Indeed, the gold might have been carried so far by the current, but in these locations, the stream is not powerful enough to move these heavy sediments.
- A stream that becomes larger: This formation is easy to find on topographic maps. If you notice the course of a river or creek stay narrow for kilometers and then suddenly open up into a more abundant flow, you should check it for gold placers.
As the stream becomes more extensive, the water has more space to flow, and the pressure decreases. Without the strong current, any gold sediments will fall to the bottom of the river.
Prospecting Skills
Your skills can make a difference in how much gold you will be able to retrieve, especially when examining locations that are not historically gold-bearing. Indeed, sand-like particles of gold might be too small to be visible in some instances. At the same time, you might lose visible yet small chips when panning if you are reckless with your pan!
The equipment used can also be a determining factor. A gold pan is an ideal tool for beginner and novice prospectors because, through it, they can practice and learn more about prospecting techniques. However, as your knowledge improves, you could consider investing in a sluice box that will allow you to process more streambed material within shorter timeframes.
However, the gold pan is by no means only used by beginners! It’s the go-to solution for any prospector regardless of experience who wants a quick and reliable way to sample for and find gold. It’s just that it’s limited with regards to the volume of material that can be processed, which might call for other pieces of equipment, such as sluice boxes or high bankers.
History
Aside from knowing whether the grounds are gold-bearing, it is really valuable to know about the history of the location surrounding the river. Indeed, there might have been a mine in the past, which could have caused a lot of the available gold to have been retrieved. While you might consider this a deterrent, it’s actually a good sign. It tells you there is gold to be found.
Oppositely, the location might have been mined long enough ago that the erosion in later years might have brought back fragments.
You can find information about past mines and gold findings from the local authorities or relevant legal department.
Laws and Legalities
In 1872, a mining law passed that states that any US citizen could claim sections of the land or river to mine and develop its mineral resources. Afterward, prospectors were required to sell the gold found to the government.
Today, many gold-bearing grounds have been claimed by prospectors and corporations. These gold hunters have to adhere to the local laws and permits that state the size of the dredge and what machinery can be used. Additionally, National Parks and other Nature Reserves are not available for prospecting.
Any gold hunter thinking of undertaking a trip should check the local laws regarding what land or river is available for processing and what is not. These regulations vary depending on the state or country, so it is vital to get all the right permits beforehand.
Other Signs
Other signs that you might be near a gold-bearing location include:
- Slow-moving current after rapids.
- Check for the presence of “traps” along the banks – such as rocks and gravel, preferably on the inside bend of the river.
- Check for the presence of other rocks and sediments such as granite, laterite, and Basalt with copper.
- Generally, avoid rivers flowing through marble and limestone.
- For safety and practical reasons, do not pan gold in locations where the water is higher than the knee level.
Conclusion
As we have seen, theoretically, all rivers contain gold. This fact does not necessarily mean that you will find gold in all streams. Indeed, the particles might be too small to be identified, or you might be looking in the wrong location along the river. Consulting topographic maps and records of the area can offer you an excellent starting point for your research.
However, your skills, equipment, and knowledge can truly make a difference in the outcome you can expect from your prospecting efforts.