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Gold prospecting, summer of 2015
Zot
Posts: 825 ✭✭✭
No metal detector used here, but I guess gold prospecting in general is close enough 
This is from a prospecting trip in Finnish Lapland last summer (2015). I found it very relaxing (compared to Australia) not to be on the lookout for deadly animals all the time and not having to watch every step!
I barely saw any wildlife at all this year (assuming mosquitoes don’t count!), so these flower pics will have to do:
Here’s the setup:
Always nice to see gold in the pan!
Some interesting rocks were also found. This one, for example. It's about the size of an egg. Mainly iron with some quartz in it, so it’s rather heavy.
Some more of the good stuff:
It turned out to be an unproductive trip. Terrible ground, combined with some other problems (very limited water, for example).
Having to recycle the water was a major hassle. It involved:
- Building a dam in the tiny stream that didn't provide anywhere near enough water to operate on continuously
- Digging a water pit some way down from the sluice and using that as water intake
- Moving the pump around every once in a while to refill it, as some water was continuously being lost into the ground
Of course sluicing with dirty water doesn't help gold recovery either, but there wasn't much of a choice
I have ground with much more potential lined up for this year.
Anyway, this is the grand total (along with some black sand just for the heck of it)
An embarrassingly small amount of 1.34 grams, but it was fun regardless!
This is from a prospecting trip in Finnish Lapland last summer (2015). I found it very relaxing (compared to Australia) not to be on the lookout for deadly animals all the time and not having to watch every step!
I barely saw any wildlife at all this year (assuming mosquitoes don’t count!), so these flower pics will have to do:
Here’s the setup:
Always nice to see gold in the pan!
Some interesting rocks were also found. This one, for example. It's about the size of an egg. Mainly iron with some quartz in it, so it’s rather heavy.
Some more of the good stuff:
It turned out to be an unproductive trip. Terrible ground, combined with some other problems (very limited water, for example).
Having to recycle the water was a major hassle. It involved:
- Building a dam in the tiny stream that didn't provide anywhere near enough water to operate on continuously
- Digging a water pit some way down from the sluice and using that as water intake
- Moving the pump around every once in a while to refill it, as some water was continuously being lost into the ground
Of course sluicing with dirty water doesn't help gold recovery either, but there wasn't much of a choice
I have ground with much more potential lined up for this year.
Anyway, this is the grand total (along with some black sand just for the heck of it)
An embarrassingly small amount of 1.34 grams, but it was fun regardless!
Minelab: GPX 5000, Excalibur II, Explorer SE. White's: MXT, PI Pro
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I like the gloves on the spears. Sort of a sign to all of those gloves that if they revolt, their fates are sealed.
Although just being out there in the country - with flowers - is some reward. Cheers, RickO
Having said that, it quickly became clear that finding much gold here would be a long shot, so might as well chill out and enjoy.
No point going flat out just to get 1.8 grams instead of the 1.3...
I could have moved to another area altogether, but cleaning up the area, packing, moving, and unpacking the gear is no fun.
For this summer I'll have an area with proven gold and bedrock very near the surface (2 feet or so), so things will hopefully look different!
With only 2 feet of ground before bedrock, that sounds promising. The area you tried, were you close to bedrock?
Although I fail to admit it, I think my days of doing this kind of stuff are over. Much to strenuous and meant for younger folk. Will continue to prospect but most likely not for gold but for gems.
Over the decades of searching for gold I passed on many, many gem finds. Not that I could ever relocate them but the search will be fun. And should there be gold in the dirt I shall be very likely to pick it up and report it here!
bob
Oh, and ... what? Where's the mandatory critter pic?
Great flora, but we've come to expect fauna, as well!
Oh, and ... what? Where's the mandatory critter pic?
I don't have a single one, not even the rear end of a blurry reindeer escaping from frame.
This is the best I can do: