Gold pan

Gold prospecting is the act of going equipped to find gold in rocks or in stream beds with a view to exploiting that discovery. As described in this document, this is taken to mean individual prospectors, as opposed to those trained and educated individuals working for mining companies. Up until the middle of the 20th century, gold prospecting was undertaken with the intent of securing an area to be worked exclusively with the intent of developing paying quantities of the metal. In the latter part of the 20th and 21st centuries it is more commonly used to describe recreational gold hunting as pursued by individuals, especially in streams and usually on the basis of no given authority (although there are exceptions). Professionals in the employ of mining compaines also seek deposits of economic value, usually different types of deposits, and in different areas. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 269 KB) Photographer: Nate Cull from Christchurch, New Zealand Title: Gold Pan Description: In the 1800s, the Wild West Coast of New Zealand was a gold miners boomtown. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 269 KB) Photographer: Nate Cull from Christchurch, New Zealand Title: Gold Pan Description: In the 1800s, the Wild West Coast of New Zealand was a gold miners boomtown. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ...

Individual gold prospecting has been seen in many parts of the world including New Zealand (especially in Otago), Australia, South Africa, Wales (at Dolaucothi and in Gwynedd), in Canada and in the United States especially in western states but also elsewhere. The Department of Agriculture in the U.S. is now of the view that recreational gold panning and gold prospecting in the general national forest areas is permitted provided that no machinery or explosives are used, no waterways are diverted, and no permanent or semi-permanent structures are built. Otago (help· info) is one of the regions of New Zealand and lies in the south-east of the South Island. ... This article is about the country. ... Gwynedd is an administrative county in Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... A sluice box used in placer mining Placer mining (pronounced plass-er) is a open-pit or open-cast form of mining by which certain valuable minerals are extracted from the earth without tunneling. ... Temperate rainforest on Northern Slopes of the Alborz mountain ranges, Iran A dense growth of softwoods (a conifer forest) in the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California A decidous broadleaf (Beech) forest in Slovenia. ...

Old workings in a drywash in southern Arizona.

In the UK, gold prospecting can only take place with the explicit permission of the Riparian owner and, even with such permission any activities that cause or permit pollution of a watercourse, even with re-suspended silt, could result in a criminal prosecution by the Environment Agency. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (961x720, 1288 KB) Old workings in a drywash in southern Arizona. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (961x720, 1288 KB) Old workings in a drywash in southern Arizona. ... A riparian zone schematic from the Everglades. ... (see also the List of environmental organizations) The Environment Agency (Welsh: Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd) of England and Wales was created by the Environment Act 1995, along with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. ...

Gold lodes and placer gold in the United States and potential gold prospecting sites extends from near Montgomery, Alabama to Washington D.C.. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama have many gold mines and prospecting sites. These states were the main source of gold for 45 years before the California gold discovery. The largest true California gold nugget, known as the "Dogtown nugget," weighed 54 pounds troy (20 kg), and was found in Magalia, California. A 195 pound troy (73 kg) mass of gold mixed with quartz was also found. A sluice box used in placer mining Placer mining (pronounced plass-er) is a open-pit or open-cast form of mining by which certain valuable minerals are extracted from the earth without tunneling. ... Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Montgomery Incorporated December 3, 1819 Mayor Bobby Bright Area    - City 404. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Categories: Substubs ... Magalia is a census-designated place located in Butte County, California. ... Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earths continental crust. ...

This 156 ounce nugget was found by an invidividual prospector in the Southern California Desert using a metal detector.

Image File history File links Stringer156_nugget. ... Image File history File links Stringer156_nugget. ...

See also

• Gold Prospectors Association of America
• Placer mining
• Gold rush

The Gold Prospectors Association of America is an organization that is dedicated to finding and mining gold on a small or recreational scale. ... A sluice box used in placer mining Placer mining (pronounced plass-er) is a open-pit or open-cast form of mining by which certain valuable minerals are extracted from the earth without tunneling. ... A California Gold Rush handbill A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ...

External links

• USGS article on gold prospecting