What kind surounding rocks should I look for when looking for gold?

Question

I live in northern california and I just want to take a day to dig for gold? Is it best to pan for gold? Or should I get some dynomite? Anything will help! Thanks.

Answer 1

Gold is found in two general settings. The most common for panning is to look for placer deposits, which are either consolidated or unconsolidated sedimentary rocks. In streams you will look for a place where water slows down and will drop heavy materials like gold.
Here are some diagrams to explain this:
http://www.e-goldprospecting.com/html/gold_step_by_step.html

Placer deposits are often preserved in sedimentary deposits of sandstone and conglomerates. These are ancient stream beds that have been buried and preserved. As they outcrop and weather out there is often gold released from these.

The other place where gold is found is in hydrothermal deposits. These are most often quartz filled veins in igneous rocks like granite or a porphyry, but can be in almost any type of rock. Pyrite, marcasite and other sulphide minerals are commonly found in association with gold. Silver is often associated with gold, and can be alloyed with gold making electrum. These are often in hydrothermal veins of quartz, carbonates, and fluorite. In areas close to these sorts of deposits the streams are more likely to have gold in them. Take a look through this web page for more information:
http://www.e-goldprospecting.com/index.html
Also keep in mind that any gold nuggets, or even dust you find is probably more valuable if undamaged and sold as a collectors item than it is for its gold content. Most collectors will want to know the provenance, that is the area and maybe even the river where it was found.

Answer 2

Unless you have a whole lot of time and unlimited funds to buy land and research old mines and get a degree in Geology, go to a sporting goods shop or find a shop that caters to gold hunters. They should have some tidbits of local information you can use for locations that are hot.
You will need a shovel, a sifter, pans , a chair, wading boots and lunch. Head to a river that comes from the mountains. It should be a natural area, with little or no interference with a bulldozer or construction in the past. You want natural deposits of rock.
Shovel a load of gravel into your buket with a sifter or screen in the bottom. Under the bucket you have a pan to catch the smaller rocks. Pitch the big stuff. You can now go to the pans and pull out the bigger rocks. Someone at a rock shop will show you how to actually sift and pan. But I digress, sorry.
Look for a natural area with gravel from the mountains. You at least will find flakes of gold. Use a small paintbrush to pull them off your pans.

Answer 3

Most Gold nowadays is mined in microscopic quantities and filtered. If you are looking for nuggets, panning is always viable. The actual rock type you would look for is aplite. These rocks are quartz-rich veins that form in the late stages of a granitic pluton.

Answer 4

highest concentration of gold\per pound can be found in:

los angeles pushers
miamy hookers
various queens (expect diamonds there, too)
and similar flesh

hope it helps

Answer 5

pyrite and quartz are often found around gold deposits

Answer 6

quartz