Gold panning on the beach?

[dmulk]

Ok....total noob question here.... the other day I was at a socal beach and as I'm walking I notice the black sand....and the gold specs reflecting in the water...

I remember reading that in fresh water, anywhere there is black sand...there is usually gold....

....so....can you pan for gold in the pacific ocean?

[DirtyHarry]

Sounds right, I'd bag some and take it home to go through. If you right -ub the only one to know!

[IntoIt]

There is allot of gold in the ocean but it is at best fine or flour gold, Lots of work to process it not nearly worth the effort...Yet.

[strock]

those gold specks you see on the top is usually fools gold especially if it moves around in the waves. strock

[pan4au]

The rule is where there is gold there is usually black sand but where there is gold there is not necessary gold. Black sand is heavy and gold is even heavier. if the area has gold there should be some gold concentrated where you find gold(mainly fine gold). It is correct that a lot of times that there is gold in sea water. Some areas has more.. such as gold beach Oregon and the grand daddy of all is Nome Alaska. If you want to pan there... take a shovel dig a few scopes out... look at the walls of the hole.. if you see some black or dark red layers take a spoon or scoop and get some of that material and pit in a gold pan and sample it by panning. a lot of the beach gold is super fine.. kind of like face powder.. I hope you can find a rich spot...

[tatertatum]

Put a drop of dawn in that pan because beach gold is so fine it can float and the surfactant with break the surface tension so it will sink.
Hope that helps
Tater Tatum

[zeemang]

Got get some and pan it, you never know...Good luck!

[stonecutter]

I seem to recall reading there is a So. CAL beach that has some fine gold in it there is a beach up in the bay area that was mined for gold. If you pan some it is a good idea to put a drop of soap in the tub. I worked the Nome beaches for about 10 days years ago and found about one oz. of flour gold it was the easiest mining I have ever done no boulders and only a few rocks, just shoveling sand into a high banker I have moved tons of rocks and huge boulders to find a lot less gold than that. good times any ways.

[au-nugget]

If you were at Oceanside beach, yes there is very very fine gold in that sand.

[dmulk]

@AU-Nugget: Coronado... looks like the same type of sand content though...