Curious...seems it would be TOO good to be true.
2007-03-24 10:27:06 · 15 answers · asked by bradxschuman 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Hehe...excuse my ignorance...I'm from Pennsylvania.
2007-03-24 10:31:24 · update #1
Sure. The miners didn't get it all, and natural weathering processes frees more gold from rock all the time.
Two problems. It's enormously difficult to get more than a few dollars worth.
Getting a lot requires intensive mining which would cause more environmental damage than it's worth. So the intensive mining is banned.
But you can go there, swish creek bottom rock and soil and water around in a pan, and maybe get a few flakes. It's a tourist attraction to do that in some places.
http://www.collinsdevelopment.com/activities/goldpanning.php
2007-03-24 13:31:31 · answer #1 · answered by Bob 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would it seem to good to be true. Do you think the miners of the 19th century would have depleted the entire source of gold in the western US. LOL not!!
BUT... the chance of finding large deposits of placer gold in the wide open is unlikely yet possible. There are many firms that can set you up with the gear and travel etc to get to the streams where people pan, sluice, dig, and pray for the big lode. Many people take their vacations in these areas and some pay for the entire trip with gold found in the wild. Hard work IS a requirement.
2007-03-24 10:32:05 · answer #2 · answered by Larry L 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, but not usually enough to be worth doing. Gold panning, placer mining is hard work. I*f you had 1/8 of an ounce of gold in a ton of gravel it would be worth washing. Would you like to wash 8 tons of gravel for 1 ounce(about 500 dollars) of gold. One person can expect to wash almost 1 ton in one full day.
It does make a nice hobby though, and you never know, you might hit a bonanza.
2007-03-24 10:40:08 · answer #3 · answered by U-98 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why go to California. There is still gold in Pennsylvania and other states.
2007-03-27 12:01:11 · answer #4 · answered by sportsman72901 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can, but it takes a great deal of patience, equipment and skill. The gold is no longer readily available but if you have a dredger (like a giant water vacuum that sucks in dirt and water and runs it down a serrated discharge slot), a wetsuit (water is cold!) and a ton of patience you can find some gold...mind you it is tiny specks and you won't get rich, but it is there! (I have dredged with a number of friends and family). I only came home with about 1/2 teaspoon of flakes!
2007-03-24 10:32:24 · answer #5 · answered by Curly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, in fact, many brooks and streams running through the west from California to Wyoming still have nuggets to be found. Precious and semi-precious stones are plentiful if you know where to look.
2007-03-24 10:37:19 · answer #6 · answered by Justme 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
2007-03-24 19:48:41 · answer #7 · answered by Rachael W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yep, there's gold pretty much everywhere. Most of the easy-to-find stuff is gone, but there's still some. Good luck. (You're probably better off with a steady job.)
2007-03-24 10:30:56 · answer #8 · answered by etopro 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course it is.
The amount of gold you could 'pan' from a stream, however, is miniscule compared to the acid mining technology that exists today.
2007-03-24 10:30:10 · answer #9 · answered by Stuart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
2007-03-24 10:28:51 · answer #10 · answered by prusa1237 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋