Prospecting & Detecting
Hunting for Big Gold in a Haunted Canyon
August 2022 by Cal Kellogg
More than one prospector has gone into that canyon and never came out.
Iowa Hill District
For the last two years we’ve held a hands-on prospectors training session in the Iowa Hill district of California’s Mother Lode country as a part of our Gold Prospecting and Mining Summit event. Because of this, I thought it might be good to take a look at the history, geology and opportunities that the Iowa Hill district still offers to the individual prospector.
Holcomb Valley Gold, Southern California
The first time I found gold in the creek here is when I decided to try a new place to drywash on a hill not far from the dirt path I was on.
Gold From Black Sand Tailings
The pile up on the small hill had to be a couple yards of black sand. I’m not one to ignore a little gold even if it is small in size—I have always believed that gold fever comes in all sizes.
Hunting for Big Gold in a Haunted Canyon
More than one prospector has gone into that canyon and never came out.
Clues for Detecting Ancient River Channels and Flats
The gold in this area can get quite large. Most of the pieces are about half a pennyweight on average.
The Black Diamond of the Forest
Hearty trees, shrubs and plants are a product of the soil conditions in which they grow, so it makes sense that roots near an ore deposit will take on nutrients containing metals if they are present.
Step-by-Step Crevicing
Gold trapped in the cracks can be encrusted close to the walls or mixed with sand and pebbles, making the gold difficult to see and then extract. Crevicing requires a lot of patience to achieve positive results.
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