Gold panning is one of the most ancient and popular methods of prospecting for gold. Undoubtedly, prospectors who practice gold panning can expect endless hours of recreational fun outdoors. At the same time, other prospecting techniques are known to be much more profitable.
Gold panning can be worth it; it depends on how much gold you want to find. Through gold panning, you can only process a small amount of material at once. The gold found also depends on the skill of the prospector. This method is worth using for hobbyists who want to refine their prospecting skills.
However, gold panning will offer you the chance to enjoy beautiful sceneries with your whole family. Read on to learn more about this prospecting technique.
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Is Gold Panning Worth It?
Gold panning is among the most common methods used to prospect for gold worldwide[1]. It is also the preferred technique by hobbyists and amateurs since it does not require significant investments and equipment to get started with this activity.
Gold panning might not be as efficient as other gold mining methods, such as sluicing or dredging. However, it has several benefits that prospectors should not overlook. These include the opportunity to spend time outdoors, learn more about the geology of a location, and refine your prospecting skills.
Ultimately, the worth and value of gold panning purely depend on your prospecting needs. If you are looking at making a living out of this hobby, consider investing in more efficient equipment. Oppositely, if you are only looking at having fun with your friends and family, and experience the excitement of finding gold, there is no better prospecting method than gold panning.
What Is Gold Panning
Gold panning is the most ancient method used to prospect for gold[2]. This activity involves processing streambed material through a gold pan’s use by leveraging the motion of the streamwater.
Since the gold is, on average, six times heavier[3] than any other surrounding material, it will sink to the pan’s bottom. At the same time, the stream water will wash off any lighter material floating above it.
While it can take quite some time to refine your skills, everything amateurs need to get started is a gold pan, a bucket, a shovel, and a suction bottle, or a magnet. Ideally, you would also have a vial to store the gold retrieved.
In any case, as the prospector manages to get rid of the lighter materials floating above the gold, the black sand composed by the heaviest materials[4] in the mix will remain at the bottom. This substance will include other elements, such as iron or magnetite.
Expert prospectors can then keep panning this black sand until everything that is left is gold particles. However, especially if you are a beginner, you might resort to other safer methods, such as micro sluice boxes, magnets, and suction bottles.
Gold Panning for Fine Gold
One of the factors that reduce the effectiveness of panning for gold is the fact that, in most cases, the gold in a placer comes under fine flour, also known as fine gold[5]. Nuggets, on the other hand, are rarer and only found in specific locations that boast the right geological composition.
As we have seen, extracting fine gold from streambed material can be extremely tricky with just a pan. So, if you are panning for gold in a location where everything present is fine gold, you might find it challenging to retrieve enough material to make your expedition worth it.
In these cases, you might have to consider implementing your kit with a micro sluice box designed to retrieve fine gold, such as the Gold Mining Fine Gold Recovery Mini Sluice Box.
While this might represent a more significant investment than you wish to undertake at first, it can make your gold panning efforts worth the time.
Sampling
Gold panning is still widely used by prospectors and gold miners for sampling a terrain before filing a claim[6]. Indeed, while novices opt for using a pan due to the limited initial investment and accessibility, experts can still make the most out of this device, especially as they are looking for a terrain to claim.
Filing a claim is one of the firsts steps to consider if you wish to turn your prospecting activity into a profitable side hustle – or even a profession. Through this strategy, you will be free to use other, more effective types of equipment to make the most out of a particular kind of terrain.
Sampling the terrain before filing a claim is also something that prospectors should not overlook. This step can take time and patience, but it is one of the few ways to ensure that your claim contains gold-bearing grounds. In this case, gold panning is genuinely worth the effort and time.
How Much Can You Make From Gold Panning?
Several obstacles can stop prospectors from seeing viable profits from thor gold panning activity. Naturally, these include knowledge and skills, but also the particular geology of the location in which they are prospecting.
Moreover, making a living out of gold prospecting is undoubtedly possible, especially as the price of gold is rising steadily[7]. However, investing in the kind of equipment that allows you to extract fine gold, in this case, is essential.
Most prospectors who hunt for gold recreationally can see profits varying, depending on where they are panning and at how much they sell the gold retrieved.
However, you should consider that you can sell the gold found at 80% of the spot price[8], which is another factor reducing the profits you can see from it. Below you will be able to find out whether this activity is the right one to help you meet your prospecting needs and how to improve your chances of making a profit out of your findings.
The Benefits of Gold Panning
While profits can be much higher if you opt to invest in more efficient equipment, gold panning has some benefits that you would not be able to experience through other prospecting methods.
These benefits are also what makes gold panning irreplaceable and worth practicing. It is worth noting that these benefits change depending on your specific prospecting needs, and this method might still not be the ideal one for all prospectors.
Prospecting for Gold on a Budget
One of the most attractive characteristics of panning for gold is its reduced cost. Indeed, the majority of other gold prospecting methods – from professional sluice boxes to dredges – will require you to commit to a substantial initial investment.
Instead, prospecting has become an activity accessible to everybody through gold panning, regardless of the budget and disposable income that is available to a prospector.
For even better chances to retrieve gold from the streambed material, you should compose a prospecting kit that includes:
- One or more gold pans – preferably of different sizes and ideally boasting “cheaters riffles”[9] to increase your chances of capturing gold particles.
- Classifiers – these mesh nets allow you to filter some finer material that you might seem left on the pan. They are optional tools to have, but they can be useful in increasing your chances of success.
- Shovel and bucket – these are necessary accessories to pick up the streambed material you are interested in processing and store away your findings.
- Magnet – especially if you have just started your prospecting activities, a magnet[10] can be an excellent solution to separate the magnetic black sand from eventual gold particles.
- Magnifying tweezers and suction bottle – Once you have eliminated the lighter material lingering on the pan, you will probably be left with heavy black sand to analyze. Magnifying tweezers and suction bottles allow you to see, pick up, and store away the smallest particles of gold.
- Vials – These accessories are useful to store fragments and fine gold.
If you are not sure where to start collecting all these items, you might consider investing in a panning kit such as the 11 pc Prospecting-Mining-Panning Kit.
Learning About Geology
If you have just started your journey to become a professional gold prospector, you will soon need to become familiar with the geology of a place[11]. Investing in professional and costly equipment before you have understood what to look for and what are the signs that distinguish gold-bearing grounds can genuinely limit your findings and profits.
However, through gold panning, you will be able to test your skills and learn more about geology, mainly through experience. This technique requires you to increase your knowledge of rock formations, placers, and gold-bearing grounds.
In turn, this knowledge will be a better safety net for when you decide to invest in other pieces of equipment such as dredges, detectors, and vacuums.
Improving Your Technique and Acquiring the Basics of Gold Prospecting
Given the rising price of gold, it is undeniable that gold hunting is making a comeback as one of the most profitable hobbies to take on. On the other hand, the miners who can see enough profits to turn their efforts into a full-time job are the ones who decide to invest in claims and mining equipment.
Whether you are thinking of filing a mining claim in the future, panning for gold is at its core. Without this technique, you would not be able to sample viable terrains and areas. Without these skills, you might mistakenly declare a location non-gold-bearing and miss out on the opportunities it has to offer.
Instead, if you practice gold panning, you will understand how to process streambed material and what soil composition[12] to look for in the future. As you keep practicing, you will also be able to pan the black sand through to see just the gold particles left in the pan eventually.
Meeting Other Prospectors
As we have seen, gold panning offers many knowledge-related benefits. However, it also provides you the unique chance to spend time outdoors and in nature. Additionally, some of the best locations for gold panning are by creeks and rivers that offer beautiful scenery and opportunities for camping weekends and picnic.
Unlike some types of electronic gold prospecting methods (i.e., metal detectors), gold panning can also be a social activity that will allow you to get in touch with other prospectors and veterans in the sector.
While providing recreational fun, this factor allows you to ask questions related to a specific location and acquire knowledge that you might not always be able to find in books and manuals. If you are particularly interested in the recreational aspect, joining a local association and subscribing for a membership can open many doors.
Recreational Fun for the Family
Unless you are using gold panning to sample a terrain and file a claim, this prospecting method is one of the best ones for novices and hobbyists. As we have seen above, the initial investment required is limited to the cost of a pan and few accessories.
This characteristic makes it highly accessible for entire families that would like to spend time together outdoors. Many locations across the States allow you to take part in tours and prospecting events, where you will have the chance to merge a camping trip with perfecting your gold panning skills.
Aside from offering you the chance to spend time bonding and learning with your kids, this activity can also be quite rewarding!
Tips to Increase Your Findings and Profits
As we have seen, the benefits of practicing gold panning go beyond the profits that a prospector will perceive at the end of the day. However, if you are only interested in making this activity more profitable, some tips can help you understand the location better, refine your abilities, and find more gold on your outings.
Practice With Paydirt
Not all prospectors are lucky enough to be located a stone’s throw away from gold-bearing grounds. The ones that are might decide to practice their skill every weekend or every day, and they are likely to see improvements in their abilities and results within shorter timeframes.
However, others might only have the chance to take prospecting trips to gold-bearing locations a limited number of times per year. In this case, it is paramount that your skills are refined enough to make these trips worthwhile. At the same time, the opportunities to practice in between outings might be limited.
Luckily, some tricks can help you practice panning for gold in your backyard and get you ready to face a trip to a gold-bearing location. One of these tricks includes investing in paydirt[13].
Bags of paydirt are available online or at your local gold prospecting gear retailer. These packages come in different sizes, and they fit the necessities and budget of any prospectors, such as the Goldn Gold Paydirt Eureka Panning Pay Dirt Bag.
Such products, designed to offer prospectors the chance to refine their skills from the comforts of their homes, are also ideal for testing and tuning detectors. Some of the characteristics of these products to keep in mind are:
- The paydirt is usually a concentrate of gold-bearing grounds extracted through other prospecting and mining techniques.
- While their price is per bag or kilo, not all kits will contain the same amount of gold.
- Some paydirt producing companies decide to “seed” the bags with nuggets and gold flour to allow any buyer to find some gold while prospecting. However, this does not always match the price you have paid for the bag.
- In each bag, you can experience concentrates of gold varying from simple flour to flakes and nuggets.
Since many companies produce and sell bags of paydirt on the market, checking their reviews and specifications can help you understand whether it is worth investing in that specific brand.
Couple Up Panning With Other Prospecting Methods
Undoubtedly, gold panning has benefits that cannot be overlooked, yet it boasts some characteristics that might make it not the ideal solution to perceive valuable profits for your activities.
Indeed, one of the main disadvantages of this technique is that you will only be able to process limited amounts of streambed material at a time. Additionally, the panning process itself can be extremely time-consuming, meaning that prospectors will be limited to sampling only a few locations per outing.
In this case, prospectors should consider the possibility of using other tools and your pan – to increase the amount of gold retrieved. These tools can differ depending on the type of location you are prospecting, as well as your specific prospecting needs. Here are examples of the ones novice prospectors can take into considerations.
- Sluice boxes
Sluice boxes[14] represent the first upgrade many recreational prospectors acquire. These pieces of equipment are easy to use compared to others and can allow you to process material much faster than you would be able with just a gold pan.
The way sluice boxes work is not too different from the functioning of a pan. Both devices leverage the characteristic of gold to be much heavier than surrounding materials and the force of water to clean lighter substances from the gold. However, sluice boxes can increase the speed at which you can process content by anything between 10 and 200 times.
It is also worth considering that any prospector who does use a sluice box will also need a pan for the final “clean up.” Indeed, much of the concentrates remaining in the sluice box will also contain black sand that will need to be separated from the mix. The best way of doing so without losing precious gold particles is through panning.
- Metal detectors
Metal detectors[15] are the apparent choice after sluice boxes, especially for prospectors who also spend time looking for other mineral and metal deposits that are not gold.
However, it is possible to acquire a gold-specific detector that can help you identify a viable location and then analyze it further. Just like in the case of sluice boxes, prospectors will need to make use of gold panning techniques to process the material in which the detector has sensed gold.
Other pieces of equipment include vack-machines and dredges, yet these require an even more substantial investment than the devices seen above. If you are just building your experience in prospecting, you might need to consider whether investing in costly equipment will outweigh the profits you will see.
Instead, if you hunt for gold as a recreational activity, you should know that dredges might not be allowed in any prospecting sites.
Indeed, many public areas are available for prospectors to practice their skills, yet only pans and sluice boxes are permitted. In specific locations, the use of dredges is allowed but regulated by restriction regarding the engine’s power and size.
Ultimately, if you wish to prospect using a dredge, you might have to check what regulations apply to your activity before starting.
Learn More About the Area’s Geology
Nothing can increase your chances of finding gold, like a better knowledge of the geology of the area. Indeed, certain rock formations and natural marks can be excellent tell-tale signs that the site is gold-bearing, but only to the eyes of a knowledgeable prospector.
In this case, it is crucial to keep in mind that not all areas will have the same geology, and, as you take a trip to another location, you should inform yourself about its history, existing mining sites, and hotspots.
While speaking with experienced prospectors in the area might be an excellent starting point, but finding local maps and keeping in mind the existing claims can give you additional indications.
Make the Most of Topographic Maps
Thanks to their clear lines, topographic maps help you identify landscapes and natural formations that could suggest the presence of gold-bearing grounds[16]. On the topographic maps of a location, you will be able to find the position and shape of a particular creek or elevation.
Along with the knowledge you already have about placer and geology, these factors can indicate the right locations to start your search for gold. Topographic maps of a specific area are available from local prospecting gear shops and retailers.
However, you might need to contact the relevant authorities if you are looking for the ones that are best updated and precise. These governmental bodies do indeed keep records of topographic maps, existing claims, and the portions of land that are available to prospectors.
Prepare the Gold for Selling
Once you have found “color” in your pan, you might need to translate your results into profits. However, selling gold can require you to have valuable skills[17].
Indeed, each buyer might offer you different prices and quotes for your findings, so knowing how much the gold you have found is worth can help you identify a reasonable offer.
Some techniques can also help you receive better offers. Firstly, just like in the case of any other investment, you might decide to sell the gold later, when its market price is higher. Cleaning the raw nuggets and flakes[18] before bringing them to a buyer can help you receive a fairer valuation.
Additionally, each buyer might add some processing fees to the price, so shopping around different buyers will increase the chances of identifying a fair offer for your findings.
Join an Association
Joining a prospecting association is one of the most effective methods for you to increase the chances of finding more gold on your outings. While this might require you to commit to a monthly or yearly fee, some benefits of associations[19] are not to be found anywhere else. Here are some to consider if you are looking at increasing the profits from your prospecting outings:
- Joining a prospecting association allows you to have access to other prospector’s claims. These locations are otherwise out of reach for most prospectors. At the same time, since a gold miner has already filed a claim for it, you can be sure that the grounds are gold-bearing.
- Prospecting associations are often composed of aficionados and passionate gold hunters that will be happy to share their knowledge with you. This factor is highly valuable, especially if your understanding of the area is not as refined yet.
- Such memberships allow you to make the most of topographic maps of the area and have access to the coaching you might need when starting your journey as a prospector.
Local associations can be found everywhere, and they often have different membership plans to fit everybody’s needs. The Gold Prospectors Association of America gives you access to over 296 properties and 53052 acres of gold-bearing ground, as well as magazines, studies, news, and equipment.
Conclusion
Gold panning is the oldest and most popular method of prospecting for gold. Expert prospectors tend to use this method to sample a terrain before filing a mining claim. However, novice prospectors often opt for this method due to the low initial investment it requires.
While this activity is worth practicing, if you wish to improve your prospecting skills and knowledge, this method does not come without limitations. The amount of material to process at a time can be limited, and panning alone is not ideal for retrieving the widespread fine gold.