GOLD PROSPECTING

[kaotic]

Here ya go Yukon.

Here ya go Yukon.

East TN gold flakes. It's everywhere around here and in eastern N Carolina. Tellico river, caney fork, little pigeon, natahala, ocoee, coker creek and all the little tributaries. You have to know where to look but it's there. This is where the ORIGINAL gold rush was, before the 49ers. Coker creek was loaded at one time. There's also a lost silver mine here too, complete with a legend and already processed silver waiting to be found. It's been years since I went prospecting but I've got the itch again now, thanks. Now I really won't have time for shit.

 

[I N Hail]

Very nice there "kaotic"!! Yep i got some of that TN. gold in a few of my jars

 

[kaotic]

Looks like somebody's put a lot of use on that pan. You juuuuuust might have a little more than I. I'm in the middle of planning a trip to cherokee county now thanks to this thread. I've got to buy all new equipment now cause everything has dissapeared over the years. Gold fever can be quite the PITA. Sometimes it's worth it though. There are lots of gems in the area as well, bonus.

 

[NOKUY]

Looks like somebody's put a lot of use on that pan. You juuuuuust might have a little more than I. I'm in the middle of planning a trip to cherokee county now thanks to this thread. I've got to buy all new equipment now cause everything has dissapeared over the years. Gold fever can be quite the PITA. Sometimes it's worth it though. There are lots of gems in the area as well, bonus.

k+

post sum piks of the trip if u can kaotic.

are u considering a sluice so that u can move rawk all day then pan at home in your free time?

i seriously wanna get me a suction dredge...maybe rent one and use my vacation working a claim in AK....i got 3 weeks vacation right now, im gonna try to hook that up.

gold fever baby

 

[I N Hail]

O yeh Kaotic. Man i found some of the prettiest color in cherokee !!!And pulled quite a few
oz's out of there in all the year's.When i started minning all we had was the metal pan's
These gravity trap pan's are nice and fast for cleaning the sluice box out!!
Good luck on ur trip and strike it rich!!!!

Take some pic's like nokuy was asking if you can and post what you find.

INH

 

[kaotic]

I'm going to build a high banker. It's amazing how close they resemble the kind of stuff we are used to building around here, pumps and rubbermaids and so forth. I never thought about the simularities of water hash and gold. I'll definatly get some pics. I'm going to try to move the trip forward to take advantage of the three weeks of hard rain we've had in the area. I recently read about a method I've never tried before, MOSS. It makes perfest sense. I'll have the kids peeling all the moss off the rocks while I do the real work. Hopefully that will give me something more to do when I get home. I won't be able to get a dredge where I'm going but a hand dredge will have to work. You guys ever use a come along to move larger rocks that most people won't screw with? I've been thinking about that here lately as well.

 

[kaotic]

I've also got an uncle with property in franklin, complete with an old Mica mine. They werent to worried abot anything but the mica so the by products are just laying about everywhere. That's going to be my gem spot.

 

[kaotic]

Sorry for all these back to back posts but I got something for ya. This was laying around in the driveway runoff in Franklin. I have not identified the ore but if you look closely you can see a vein of quartz and gold running through it left to right. It's not the best pic but you get the idea. Keep in mind this property is on the top of a moutain. I'm no miner but there is a stream running at the bottom of the mountain that has got my interest. I was probably 14 or 15 when I found this. I never really pursued anything after that. If anyone knows what kind of ore this is I'd like to know.

 

[NOKUY]

maybe iron ore????

this is a pic of iron ore

 

[kaotic]

It does't seem to be magnetic but it might just be weak cause it's unrefined. It's heavy as hell I know that much.

 

[I N Hail]

It looks to be iron ore/quarts/gold !
That creek needs to be mined for sure kaotic there will be alot of
gold if it's not been minned .

I got all the gear so when are we going ?,,,LOL

INH

 

[kaotic]

Being a prospector I think you know the answer there buddy. I'll let you all know how I fair. That trip is coming later. Love your avvy by the way.

 

[NOKUY]

largest alaska gold nugg (294 troy ounces)

alot more right here....fukin crazy.....and like i said before they estimate only 1% of gold in alaska has been recovered.

link:
http://www.akmining.com/mine/nuggets.htm

 

[pack a bowl]

i'd really love to find some of my own gold in the wild to fume with

 

[kaotic]

That definatly looks to be a back breaker.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

My area has lots of gold scattered about, in my early 20s I spent lots of time visiting the old hotspots, and this summer its going to be a family activity.

I mostly use small keene sluices, I bought one and found my second while prospecting a remote creek, it was leaning against the canyon wall of the creek with a rotten old shovel. It was the same model I was carrying but about 15-20 years older. Now I use both connected together.

Gold wasn't worth half what it is now the last time I was serious about prospecting, so I'll revisit some of my old favorite spots, and see if I can make my day of digging worth it.........

Lots of people started gold mining around here again when gold shot up, many of them folks who were layed off from work.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Sorry for all these back to back posts but I got something for ya. This was laying around in the driveway runoff in Franklin. I have not identified the ore but if you look closely you can see a vein of quartz and gold running through it left to right. It's not the best pic but you get the idea. Keep in mind this property is on the top of a moutain. I'm no miner but there is a stream running at the bottom of the mountain that has got my interest. I was probably 14 or 15 when I found this. I never really pursued anything after that. If anyone knows what kind of ore this is I'd like to know.

Have you taken it to a shop to be for sure identified? It almost looks like Iron pyrite(fools gold) in that pic.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

I recently read about a method I've never tried before, MOSS. It makes perfest sense. I'll have the kids peeling all the moss off the rocks while I do the real work.

Yep, this is called sniping, a very effective method when working creeks and rivers. Another type of sniping is to look for cracks in rocks and process the sand/dirt found within, take some pry bars to help access these pockets.

A old timer recently related a secret of his for finding rich spots on smaller gold bearing streams. Basically you start on a place in the stream that is straight, drag a long(20'?) heavy chain behind you as you walk down the middle of the stream, when you come to a bend in the stream, watch where the chain drags as you as you walk the curve, this will tell you where the heavy gold is dropping out of the current as it makes the bend. Makes sense to me!

 

[NOKUY]

My area has lots of gold scattered about, in my early 20s I spent lots of time visiting the old hotspots, and this summer its going to be a family activity.

I mostly use small keene sluices, I bought one and found my second while prospecting a remote creek, it was leaning against the canyon wall of the creek with a rotten old shovel. It was the same model I was carrying but about 15-20 years older. Now I use both connected together.

Gold wasn't worth half what it is now the last time I was serious about prospecting, so I'll revisit some of my old favorite spots, and see if I can make my day of digging worth it.........

Lots of people started gold mining around here again when gold shot up, many of them folks who were layed off from work.

good luck BACKCOUNTRY....hope you find some too bro

 

[NOKUY]

I have seen gold mining on television. One of the things they find is Mercury from previous gold mining. If you ever find Mercury in a stream it will almost always contain gold.

i think i saw the same program on NGC.

dude was in the jungle seperating gold from molten mercury....he found lots of gold, and knew there were health risks (w/ the merc.), but he wasnt worried about it.

looked cool tho