How to Gold Mine
The great Gold Rush of the 19th century brought about a frenzy of gold mining in different parts of the world. While the frenzy has died down, you can try your luck gold mining yourself in places where it had been vastly popular. Make sure that you follow the locale’s regulations on gold mining! Here are some different techniques to try out:
Panning
Gold panning is using a pan-like instrument to sift through gold. Simply buy yourself a plastic pan and look for a good place near the bank of a stream. Parts where water noticeably slow down are your best prospect.
Dip the pan in the water and dig it slightly into the bank to get some sand. Fill the pan with sand and water. Use one hand to swirl the pan, until the sand mixes, and both sand and water sifts out of the pan. Hopefully, some gold bits will remain. When most of the sand and water are out, sift through the surface with your fingers.
If you find gold, pick them using tweezers (for the smaller bits) or your fingers. To check if it’s fool’s gold, scrape it against a rock. Fool’s gold will show a black streak after, real gold will not.
Dry Sluicing
Invest in a dry sluice box and go to a dry area where gold is reputed to be found, in dry lakes, dry riverbeds or the desert. Follow local ordinances on gold mining. Collect the gravel that you hope there will be gold in and slowly deposit into the hopper, the top part of the sluicer. The sluicer will remove all particles with the exception of black sand. Once filtered, you can then pan through the black sand to look for gold bits.
Metal Detector
Using metal detectors is very popular because of its flexibility and user-friendliness. Look for an area reputed to have gold. Turn the metal detector on, and walk around systematically to scan the surface. If the meter sets off an alarm, you may find gold under the surface, at least a meter deep.