Big Boys Hobbies

Gold prospecting: Questions

TheCoilist

TheCoilist

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This may belong in a different area of the forum, but I figured more people travel this area than others.

So... being in Texas and totally NEW to the concept of prospecting and all that good stuff. I had some basic questions.

Black sand, where do you find it?? I live pretty close to a few large rivers. Particularly the Colorado river and the Brazos rivers. Unfortunately, I am closer to the Gulf Coast than central Texas where there is more gold apparently. Where can I look to see if black sand is present? I have tried finding pictures of black sand and examples of what to look for with not much luck. :(

Does gold REQUIRE black sand in order to be found??

Does anyone know if the Texas Gulf Coast has provided gold before? Even if minimal? Obviously gold isn't found everywhere... :(
 
Historically, not that much gold has been found in Texas. When I was a kid, Padre Island and Mustang Island were pretty much still in their natural state and I heard of several people going out with their MDs and finding pirate loot. One major problem with hunting gold in Texas is that the land is privately owned.

Dusty
 
black sand is obvious. you will look at a river's edge and see sand, then streaks of blackish/purplish colored sand. this is the magnetite. (black sand), its magnetic.

go to google: black sand gold

click the images link near the top of the page.


http://www.goldgold.com/panninginstructions.htm

step-3.jpg


Gold is almost EVERYWHERE. is some small content.
 
NHKeith said:
black sand is obvious. you will look at a river's edge and see sand, then streaks of blackish/purplish colored sand. this is the magnetite. (black sand), its magnetic.

go to google: black sand gold

click the images link near the top of the page.


http://www.goldgold.com/panninginstructions.htm

step-3.jpg


Gold is almost EVERYWHERE. is some small content.
Click to expand...

That's exactly the google search I did. I know what black sand looks like, but where do you find it. Is it in cuts on the bank, is it on the ground, under the water. I guess I am trying to figure out what the signs are that you're in the right area for black sand.

The rivers are LOW lately and I can probably get good access but I need to find out where about to start my looking.
 
Black sand does not always mean there is gold in the area. It DOES mean there is heavy mineralization in the area.

Where I usually nugget hunt there is almost no black sand. I asked a local GPAA member about that and he kinda laughed and said, "You know about the Great Sand Dunes (Natl Park)?" I said of course. He said, "Those dunes were created by the winds blowing all the sand/soil in this area up against the sides of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. THAT'S where your black sand went."

What's left now are a bunch of drywashes and old riverbeds. The bedrock is exposed in many places and this is where I have the most luck finding gold.

Dusty
 
Yeah I think my parents picked the wrong part of the country to move to when I was a tot...

Texas stinks... lol
 
outwardjourney said:
That's exactly the google search I did. I know what black sand looks like, but where do you find it. Is it in cuts on the bank, is it on the ground, under the water. I guess I am trying to figure out what the signs are that you're in the right area for black sand.

The rivers are LOW lately and I can probably get good access but I need to find out where about to start my looking.
Click to expand...

So I prospect the gold river in stowe vermont. when the river is low, there is black sand along the river edges. it looks like you took a packages of black salt and spread it along the ground. I do not have any photos. I do have a few buckets I dug the last time I was up there, and every time I pan the dirt, i can use a magnet and pull out tons of dark purplish black sand. I have only found a few flour/flake gold. its hard hard work, to get not a lot of return.

I suggest you go and buy a bag of concentrate from Alaska and try panning the concentrate. i have done this a few times and have over 4 grams of nice alaskan gold. I realize they "salt" the concentrates to make sure the customers are happy and buy more. but it still is fun, and the gold is nice also..
 
outwardjourney said:
Yeah I think my parents picked the wrong part of the country to move to when I was a tot...

Texas stinks... lol
Click to expand...

I grew up around San Antonio and as a kid we used to go exploring in the Hill Country area. Never found any gold, but I did eyeball find a large (6" across) snail fossil and a few arrowheads.....

Dusty
 
The huge snail fossils are common here. I have come across some of the largest snail shells ever. I would hate to see them moving. Some of them are still fresh. The size of tennis balls.

As for purchasing black sands, I have thought about it, but at nearly 10$ per LB of black sand shipped here, the gains there are minimal, not worth that kind of investment. I was more hoping to do the actual labor and searching.
 
Don't..

outwardjourney said:
The huge snail fossils are common here. I have come across some of the largest snail shells ever. I would hate to see them moving. Some of them are still fresh. The size of tennis balls.

As for purchasing black sands, I have thought about it, but at nearly 10$ per LB of black sand shipped here, the gains there are minimal, not worth that kind of investment. I was more hoping to do the actual labor and searching.
Click to expand...

Don't buy paydirt or black sand. You can go out in your back yard and find black sand. Here are the steps:

Find gold-bearing soil - Classify (sift) the soil through a 1/4" classifier. - pan out your "concentrates" or classified soil. The black sand, which is all the heaviest crap in the soil (magnatite, hemitite, lead, gold) will be the last thing left in the pan. Practice with a mix of birdshot, gravel, sand and dirt.

Check out http://www.GoldProspectingLessons.com :cool:
 
The places in Texas I have researched are in the Hill Country around Llano, and a few other spots not too far.

I would look into the Gold Prospectors Association of America member clubs: Llano GPAA Club or the Roundrock GPAA Club for more info.

I have their websites if you have trouble finding them.
 
GPAA is cool, but it can be pricey ($67.50 basic membership). The trips I've heard members talk about were what they were supposed to be but some sites they went to were very crowded........(nobody can keep a secret anymore).

Dusty
 
True, I do wish Colorado and the other real gold producing states were not so far, I would love to get out and hunt for some natural gold.
 
Like Tom Massey says, "You'll almost always find black sand where you find gold, but you won't always find gold where you find black sand".
 
microhike said:
The places in Texas I have researched are in the Hill Country around Llano, and a few other spots not too far.

I would look into the Gold Prospectors Association of America member clubs: Llano GPAA Club or the Roundrock GPAA Club for more info.

I have their websites if you have trouble finding them.
Click to expand...

Shoot me the sites if you don't mind... I see you're in Houston area... I am west of Houston. Looks like the same boat for us. If you happen to come across anything more 'local' drop me a line and maybe I can help with the research. :D
 
It is all a matter of specific gravity in water. That is all gold panning is really. You pan off the lighter material to get to the heaver materials with gold being one of the heaviest. I say one of because many people believe gold IS the heaviest and that simply is not true. It is 19x heavier than water but Osmium for example is nearly 23x as heavy as water.

The GPAA member that said your black sand had all blown away and those that say you don't always find it with gold are off - way off. I have found plenty of flake gold in my prospecting years, but not one time did I find any gold with out some black sand being present.

Gold, hematite, lead, magnetite and other heavy minerals like the low places in streams and gorges. When moved it likes to settle in cracks, crevices, around and under rocks or other objects that may have been moved over time. When looking for it you need to get down to the bedrock where natural deposits collected, long before we were ever around.

Hope this helps.

The Shark
 
black sand

deposits will usually be on the inside corners of a stream, river, dry bed as the heavier metals come around the corner the current lessens and they deposit on the inside ect ect i would try looking there first
 
Montana 3-7-77 said:
deposits will usually be on the inside corners of a stream, river, dry bed as the heavier metals come around the corner the current lessens and they deposit on the inside ect ect i would try looking there first
Click to expand...

This. Also, check on the downstream side of boulders or obstructions in the flow.
 
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