Here's a few I can add: 1. RailRoad Tracks are good if you know there are Ore Carts moving through. I found a 42g Rocklet that had 0.2g of gold in it. Like a scratch and win. :D 2. If you live in a Mining Area there will be a lot of OverBurden being used as Local Fill. Check Newly Created Waterways as the Shores are sometimes Gold Vein OverBurden. OverBurden often has Veinlets which are Rich, or they cut into the Vein as they follow it. 3. Highway Overpass Bridges across Creeks and Streams built before 1970'ish (Canada). I find that these bridges were built with a sand fill underneath them that was provided by dredging the River/Creek at that area and spraying it onto the banks to support the bridge. They really tore up the creek under a local bridge, false river bottom chunks and everything. It is the only chance to see the river/creek flipped upside down and spread out. I have been pulling some great Gold Bearing River Stones from under a bridge about 150 meters away from where I live.
I found my first gold after moving out West, in a parking lot! In Illinois glacier country, I used to find lumps of silver ore in driveways and along a creek in our local municipal golf course.
Dude Chris Ralph, THANK U. I live in an old mining town in south Riverside county California and I never cease to be amazed by the amount of visible gold in our roads and sidewalks. Let alone abandoned properties , other large plots of land around town that ive sampled, my favorite places are the half developed fields that they ran out of money to build houses on so they just leveled the land cut down the over burden and many rich epithermal minerized rock deposits become explicitly exposed. So I'm like... hmm don't mind I'd I do and end up hauling bags of rich ore back to the garage on my skateboard and in my arms. "Just for the takin." *spoken in an Irish accent
@@ChrisRalph oh trust me I do. That's what I'm saying. I go out with just a shovel and a head lamp and I load up grocery bags and a back pack full of the best stuff I can find after poking around reading the dirt. I always end up with way more than I can carry so it's handy to have a skate board to use in place of a mining cart since I don't have a car. Even if I do look silly skating with one foot on a board that has bags of rock piled up on it. Since we been getting all this rain lately the main flood basin has become a large river with big fish and the bench gravels are full of gems and epithermal alluvial gold specimens' exposed deposits and often diamond bearing conglomerates and native platinum rich mafic rocks. My little town looks so unassuming. If people only knew what treasures these soils hold. I've been collecting specimens and crushing the rocks, classifying, wet panning,dry panning, black sand magneting and roasting the concentrates and then smelting them in my propane kiln and so far I'm up to nearly a 3 ounce piece of gold that I manufactured over time thru various smelting sessions with many different batches of ore. I've only been at this a couple years barely now and had a lot of discouraging trial and error but I refuse to give up because I'm getting way too good at finding these deposits and recognizing all the different minerals and rock types and the metallurgy and the more I learn the more I see, and the stuff I find just keeps getting better than the prior. It's all cuz of YOU. You turned me into a geology nut crazy Gold Hound and it has enriched my being. People always Ask me how much money I've made so Far and I told them I havent made any yet but I've gotten paid in a priceless skill that I'll be able to use for the rest of my life and I will be making money soon once I sell this piece of gold or one of my diamonds. I'm gonna start a mining company eventually and call it AUDia Mining CO because one of my specialties is finding these big diamonds with gold deposited onto them. Most are less than gem quality but do make marvelous specimens.
Great advice! I’m a believer in watching where you step, and watching the environment for signs. I was mountain biking next to a mine opening around Fresno, Ca. Years back, when my tire kicked a rock out with a shiny quartz crystal showing. My cousin was anxious to get moving, told me to drop the rock, let’s get going. I rode back with one hand holding that rock… it had small crystals all over one side, with a few tiny spots of gold on it. That turned out to be a high grade pile that was covered with grass and weeds. I got a lot of Gold off that pile, but the property got sold before I could get back out there with a detector. Thanks Chris!
"ONYA CHRIS" NOW THAT WAS A EXELLENT CHUNK OF ADVICE.I LOVE YOUR UPLOADS & WATCH EACH UPLOAD ATLEAST TWICE AS THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING IVE OVERLOOKED.I personally look forward to your uploads as your my prospecting HERO.THANKYOU CHAMP
Another lost treasure story! Lol. I can see how miners had a good spot and never made it back. Others cant find there spot when they went back. Claims closed down when it wasn't profitable . Those people get old or die. Their spot is lost.
I've never watched one of your videos and not come away with new things or places to try that I never thought about before. Thank you for sharing a bit of your knowledge with all of us!!
Thanks again for the information Chris. The 'nugget in the road' story is not unusual - most of the big nuggets that were found in the Australian gold rushes of the 1800s were found because someone ran over them or stubbed his toe on them! The irony is that most prospectors never bother to detect on the roads - they look everywhere else! Great advice!
@@ChrisRalph I always seem to find an inordinate amount of Iron either falling out of truck beds, or falling off the chassis, on roads. For this reason, I only will detect on new roads. Even these have a lot of Iron junk, due to small bits eroding off the cutting edge. Fortunately, they are usually on the surface, and can be found quickly with a magnet.
I remember roads being covered with rock chips when I was a kid. it was called chip seal or something. we found tiny specks of gold in the gutters after cars had driven on it for a while. years later, I was reminded of this when Utah avalanche did a youtube video about it. I don't think there was enough where I was. Otherwise, I would go back and check culverts in the area.
I’m in Minnesota. Glacial gold is out there but it’s quite difficult to find, plus our state is heavy on prospecting, no sluice, dredge, etc. pretty much pans and shovels. I find approximately one gram per season. I’ll never sell what little I have obtained, the finding is the fun part. Glad I found your channel!
@@WaveformV1.0 I definitely don’t do it for the money! 😂 I’m a forager at heart and the exploring and discovering are what does it for me. I hope to make it to an ounce before I die…. I don’t know if it’s gonna happen but I’m gonna try 😀
Thanks for the tips Chris! I’m glad I discovered your channel! I love learning about “old timer” tips and techniques. Good gold hunting to ya! Take care.
Thank you Mr. Chris. Please continue producing these helpful videos. You have a talent to inform with easy to follow, detailed skillful information. Thank you sir!
Retired now and we are selling our house and buying a RV to spend our winter in the southwest. I just bought your book Fist full of gold. We already have all the equipment and will search for gold for a fun pass time. Maybe we will get lucky and find something.
Hey Chris . I live in California. In Livermore a farmer on his property found a boulder in small creek. It was different so he took it home a decorative item. He got a big surprise when was checked out it had 70 thousands dollors worth of gold in it. This started a gold rush. In the area. No other gold was found. . Point is you just never know. This is in farm land there is just mud stone and rolling hills with line stone. Absolutely no geology in the mother load. There isnt anything like intrusive outcroppings of anything . No old volcanos for miles . Very odd find.
@@ChrisRalph it came a old newspaper clipping. I had saved it but lost in in a house fire in Paradise Ca. It was close to the 580 Altamont hills pass. Some call them mountains but they are really old hills that sepperate the valley thats. In the middle of california.
Ancient river systems and floods over the eons have deposited/dispersed minerals/metals in some surprising places. One never knows, however if you don't look you don't find and if your not knowledgeable you don't recognize it!
That’s interesting I’m in Fairfield and I own a goldmine.. u lost ur house in paradise fire.. I lost my cabins in the Dixie fire lol.. man PG&e really screwed the pooch on that one… anyway that’s crazy that he found that it must’ve been from an old glacial deposit or something
Thank you Chris. A really informative video! I really enjoyed your style of presentation. Will definitely put your tips to use the next time I’m out in the Australian Goldfields. Thanks cobber! 👍👍
@@ChrisRalph You always tell it like it is. To be good at anything you have to devote yourself to it. Yes there is dumb luck. People who win the lottery who dont look at how to save or invest there money go broke. To enjoy the thrill of the hunt is the way to insure that youve already have made your life worth living. If you find a bit of gold then that icing on the cake. We live in a concrete jungle most of our life chasing dollors. In nature and wonder is the true value in living. The nature and its beauty alone makes the adventure. Gold is the icing on the cake. To be able to explore and use your knowledge. Thats worth more than gold. If you enjoy your job and chasing dollors in a concete jungle that's ok too. To me the world is so much more than that. Thats what you bring to the table Criss and i just wanted you to know that its well appreciated.
Your tutorials are fantastic Chris. I always take your advice because it’s good old fashioned honest advice. You remind us that gold is rare, really really rare and that theres no shame in failing to find it. This actually gives more confidence than videos where they find gold in every episode. I prospect an area in Scotland and I’ve been told by so many people “ oh there’s only a few flakes left “. Well thanks to your tutorials I just won’t be having that sort of talk, and it worked out for me when I found a gram nugget sitting on a ledge on the face of bedrock where a stream had cut through it. The nugget didn’t have a speck of dirt on it, it was if I was meant to find it, and therefore I couldn’t agree more when you say to keep one’s eyes open. One just never knows, that retirement nugget might just be laying on the ground in full view. I wonder if you could answer a question about metal detecting as I’m a bit unsure of a particular aspect. Does the gain or threshold affect the depth a metal detector detects, or is it a case that once its ground balanced it will detect to the maximum depth regardless of how much I play around with gain and threshold. If you or someone else could answer me that then it would be much appreciated, as it’s something that I’m not sure of. I did watch your tutorial on the gold bug pro and it was a great video and explained in simple terms, so much so that I went and bought one even though I could barely afford it. That’s what your videos do haha. Greetings from not so sunny, but still Bonnie Scotland.
Gain and threshold are two totally different things and both affect the depth of detection. Gain refers to the detector’s sensitivity. The higher the setting, the deeper objects can be found, and the more sensitive the detector is to very small metal objects - but also the more sensitive to hot rocks and soil mineralization. The constant background ‘hum’ produced by the detector is called the Threshold. Variations in the Threshold help you to hear very small and deep targets. Setting the Threshold to an audible hum will highlight variations in signal response which may indicate the presence of a target. If the Threshold Level is too high, faint targets will be harder to hear above the Threshold ‘hum’. If the Threshold Level is too low, the slight variation caused by a small or deep target may not be sufficient to hear. Adjusting the level to below audible will ensure silent operation but could mask the audio response from small or deep targets. I explain this all in my book.
Purchased your book I believe in 2011, along with other 2 other books, follow the dry washers and rich hill. Your book is very informative.. Thank you.
Ive been studying geological reports and maps of my area of choice, and this info is so valuable and worth studying. Im hoping to stumble on a semi forgotten zone, this season could become my big find. Thanks
Looking at the USGS maps it's like gold melted from Canada and rivered it's way down Pacific Northwest to Southern Nevada hills just looked up in sections layers and lines
What about river dredge tailings. I live a 5 minute walk from a river in central California. There's a large pond where the dredge would turn around. There are lots of piles of tailings.
!*BEWARE*! I RECENTLY MET A FELLA THAT OBTAINED MERCURY POISONING FROM DIGGING AROUND IN OLD TAILING PILES*!! I normally don't express myself in all caps... But this seemed like the right time because the reality of it is that tailings that are old enough, *from times when they used mercury in EXCESS, are VERY DANGEROUS for our health and well-being!! 👍
Some of the best tailings I ever went through was for a huge dredge that last operated over 125 years ago. It seemed like it went after gold with a quantity before quality approach and left A LOT of gold in its tailings.
Hey, Chris. I like watching your videos. They're informative. My name is Kim. I live in Southwest Oregon and I have a fairly rich, hard rock mine that if you're ever in the area come up and see if you see something that I don't. We're the same age I've been doing this stuff 50 years. It's fun. I have a lot of gold on the outside of the tunnels is where I'm mostly have been playing anyways. If you ever get to my neighborhood, I live in the Applegate, basically, Jacksonville I look forward to meeting you soon. Thanks, keep your videos coming bro.
I am new but was seeing a road in a mining zone that gets scraped by the county...even better there is a drywash from the mountains and mines and it hits a ten foot bank and goes 90 degrees onto the scraped road. This is going to be my first metal detecting area pending delivery of Gold Bug 2...thanks Chris
I plan on spending most of my retirement getting out there in nature with my gold bug 2. Also the longer video format is awesome I’d rather watch this than T.V
hello sir what is best idea while having 7000 .is good to buy extra coli or buy dry washer instead ,which one is the best while you can't afford extra coli and dry washer at the same time.
Hi Chris , I have watched your videos multiple times . I did purchase your book Fists Full of Gold . It is a treasure chest of knowledge. Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge. I am just getting started in gold prospecting . I have lived in southern Az all my life . I love the outdoors . I have camped and horseback riding all over parts of the state . My interest is for a hobby to gold prospect. Checking to see if you have any recommendations on equipment. I have about a 3 thousand dollar budget . I plan on researching and not making any bad equipment choices .
Awesome explanations, thanks a lot. This is more valuable than the gold actually. I wish i was one of those friend's you brought to the place😂. I really love gold man i got a garret 24k goldmaster but i move to Pensilvania and doesn't test it yet.
Our favorable rock types here in North Georgia are biotite gneiss and mica schist. Not much gold associated with granite here, though there are lots of places with veins in granite with very little or no gold.
@alph That's not a joke! I've been in the gold fields prospecting every weekend for over 2 years now and still haven't found a rich gold vein. lol Everything is covered with moss and vegetation in Georgia and where the bedrock is outcropped it's decomposed almost into soil. I think it's easier to find veins in dry climates where you can see the rocks.
Great video Chris! Something you said while talking about rock type and proximity made me think of one of our claims. There are MASSIVE slate walls as well as smaller slate formations. Some walls may be nearly 80' to 100' tall or more. Random small slate slabs protrude all over the hillside, great for tripping on. The claim also has plentiful multi-color quartz, both in a broken down cobble state as well as in quartz vein formations. Just off our claim is a very large quartz vein flowing down the hillside 40 to 50 feet long. Back on ours, at the very top of the hill, is a quartz "minefield" of broken down smaller size quartz. What is the relationship of quartz and slate if any? We do have the book, in fact, the other half is reading it right now! Thanks again!
There is no direct relationship of quartz and slate - slate may have no quartz veins at all or may have many of them - and anything in between. Quartz veins can be found in many different types of rock. Slate weathers and decomposes - often to a clay. Quartz does not decompose like that, so where you have your quartz minefield, you likely have a quartz vein nearby. Now most quartz veins have little or no gold. Only a few have significant gold.
I hate watching your videos it brings back all my detecting efforts in WA, only scored nuggets biggest being 7g but I was stoked. Thing is it was right next to an operating hard rock mining access road, about 100m, sadly we were on a time table so could not spend more than a half day. Another 4g was at a town called Cue and it was in the fossicking area about half a km from the town, clearly in sight. If you watch a lot of people detecting its very 'sawtooth' and must miss a lot. Come to Australia and we will do WA together! take care and I really love the stories
Hi Chris, many years ago I always walked back to my car and never detected the cattle pad I walked on. Long story short, three brothers detected the track and picked up 46 ounces first day, they continued and ended up with around 700 ounces in a couple of months. Deepest ground was only 2-3 feet deep and loose gravels. Best nugget was 14 ounces.
I bought your book I will read it but since I love your videos I thought it would be smart to have it to pass down to my kids! With my equipment! So they know what to look for! These times are getting really bad! Gold will only go up with the world falling apart! This will be a lot of peoples job in the future I think!
@@ChrisRalph I have been living in the Philippines where it is not legal but I will soon be back in the US and I will get back to it it is late in the season but I will be prospecting on public land I plan on staking
One time I was out detecting and got a signal by a tree. I thought I was probably garbage but Dug it up anyway. Once I got a little closer I heard some glass break and then the signal disappeared. I pulled an old 1800 bottle a small bottle with a cork and noticed there was Mercury everywhere in the hole I dug it all up and paint it out there was probably a pint of Mercury a couple weeks later I got another bottle by a tree it was full of mercury as well I didn't break that one ended up running the Mercury through a cloth and it had a small nugget in it so now I got some old miners gold and his Mercury he used and reused obviously
Don’t forget about old hydraulic areas! Like Litele Creak off 15 fry going up to Hesperia ca! You drive over the huge bridge just before you climb the mountain! That river has gold in it the whole river is a good place
You have such great information. Thank you. I just wish that there was more information on gold and mineral deposits in the Eastern US. Some of us can't travel to Nevada, Arizona et al. Please do some videos on prospecting in the East.
Although I've been east a few times, I've never done any prospecting in the east. So its hard for me to do a video on prospecting in places I've never been.
Hopefully you know someone that has the experience to do those kind of videos. I would sure subscribe and I am sure there are many more. I have done some prospecting in Alabama and hope to get back to it soon. @@ChrisRalph
I live in Florida.....Where would be the closest place you would look for gold? I read where North Florida had a gold rush in 1830 around the Apalachicola River that drains from the North Georgia mountains.
Not sure where that story came from, but there are no known occurrences of natural gold within the state of Florida. The geology of the state is just not right for gold. Gold prospectors from Florida would be encouraged to research the gold deposits that have been found in nearby Alabama and Georgia. Both of these states have produced significant amounts of both lode and placer gold, and individual scale gold mining is still done in several areas within both states.
Chris your awesome and love your videos! I’m disabled and would love to figure out a way to get a gold detector or metal detector…this would be sweet way to check areas! And get me out of the house…🤷♂️
Excellent video. We are looking to buy vacant land with mineral rights in Nevada. We plan on building a small house but I’d like to find gemstones along with gold. Do you prefer desert flats/ grasslands or hills / mountains? Only a couple have streams that are seasonal. What are you thoughts? Thanks for all your help your channel has taught me so much! ❤
Come out and see and spend some time in the area you are looking to buy BEFORE you make any offer on a property. Nevada has a lot of remote desert land with no services - electricity, etc. and miles and miles of dirt roads to the nearest grocery or other store. Also there are gold and turquoise mines, but they may or may not be anywhere near the desert property you might look at. Just because you own mineral rights does not mean there are any valuable minerals on the property.
@@ChrisRalph Thank you! Yes, we are looking off-grid. We are planning on coming out to see and sample the properties in person. Thank you again for all you do to help us gold and gem dreamers. ❤️
Great info for sure and your almost at 100 k subs congrats that play button is coming soon thanks for sharing all your knowledge with us see you on the next one👍🏼👊🏼
Hi, Chris. I have a newfound interest in prospecting. I'm having a great time watching your videos. I have a question- How did they determine the exact locations of the mines in the 1800's? Were there geologists back then who had ways of helping with that?
Liked your video. I wanted to ask do you have to bring something to protect yourself: snakes, other wild animals? I know a first aid kit but any fire arms? What is the best time of day after a rain storm, in the morning/evening when its not too hot?
I don't really carry anything special. I've only had one small indecent in hundreds of prospecting trip. One of the best safety choices for all sorts of potential problems (not just animals) is to bring someone along - don't go alone. I am only rarely alone when I am out in the field. I prospect at all times of day - When its hot I focus in the higher elevation country as it is cooler up there with more shade.
Very appreciated I always receive a lot of knowledge from your videos. The PI metal detectors are in a class of their own? I may have to get a P I machine. Your formal education places you in a different class. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the kind words! Choosing a detector is not a simple question, as there are many factors to consider, including your budget, and the type of detecting you might do. Please watch my video on selecting a detector for yourself. See: th-cam.com/video/EF4oFvSHbJo/w-d-xo.html
I love your videos. I contradict what you say and where you say it won’t be found. I would love to send you a pic or video of what I found, where geologists say I won’t be able to find it.
Choosing a detector is not a simple question, as there are many factors to consider, including your budget, and the type of detecting you might do. Please watch my video on selecting a detector for yourself. See: th-cam.com/video/EF4oFvSHbJo/w-d-xo.html
"break the bank" means different things to different people - for one its less than $100, others less than maybe $1,000. I don't know your budget, what you will use it for, etc. - You have to make that call for yourself. Take a look at this video about choosing a detector for yourself: th-cam.com/video/EF4oFvSHbJo/w-d-xo.html
Hello Sir.. I have a question for you.. Have you ever heard of a old ghost town named Campo Seco California? Could you share any thing you know about it please. Thank you. Have a good day. Respectfully Mr. James McGee
@@ChrisRalph hey man thank you for getting back to me so quick just like you said you would in your video.. 🙂👍 next time I will try asking better questions... I live in Campo Seco.. it's a ghost town.. in between amador & calaveras county.. I have found 2.4 grams in little normally dry creaks.. also some specs in some mine tailings. For the Herculean effort i have invested in this "gold mining" operation of the last 2 months.. I will pretend I have found 2 ounces not 2 grams... I tried hard really hard.. the Golden State is truly still golden.. but I can't go on collecting a dollar or 2$ per 8hrs of unbelievable labor.. I think collecting cans on the side of the road would make more money for the effort... I salute you Good Sir ... 👋🙂 Thank you for your teachings.. they really helped me produce more.. especially the tips on what not to do . My favorite & most useful was to not just mine the first place.. to continue to hunt . Respectfully Mr. James McGee
I am kind of in a rut ... I don't have any claims or in depth knowledge about old hydraulic pits or where to find old channels... I am pretty much stuck prospecting on the same river ... the south yuba. I have tried multiple times to head to the american river, and even went as far as the feather river down by paradise! I have NEVER found anything better than the South Yuba... I would LOVE to find those spots you are talking about up in the gullies and the old channels... But i struggle to find ways to access good spots... i can't hike hours through vertical terrain, and if you look at the south yuba river, there are really only about 3 bridges over it... the rest is wild river and NO trails! I want to find good spots ,but i feel like i am very limited by my access points... Any tips?
I'm up in southern Maine and recently had a fairly large logging operation behind my dad's house. That area where he lives is on a ledgey Ridge and the logging operation exposed a lot of quartz veins and garnets, think it's worth checking out?
Your first story made me think of a question for you, specifically related to the bulldozed road cut through bedrock. Is asbestos exposure something you’re aware of and has it ever kept you away from a otherwise decent location?
The geology of Gold vs. Asbestos occurrences are such they they only rarely occur together. I stay aware of natural asbestos but its never stopped me because they are almost never together.
Not aprapo to this video, but would you consider doing a vid of minerals associated with gold look like after being exposed to weathering cause them to look differently than how you might expect them to look. I'm thinking of minerals like serpentine, schist, shale. Does that sound like a video you might like to do? Really enjoyed your stories of unexpected places to look for gold! ❤
An interesting thought - I will think about that as an idea for a video. But Its not a simple or easy thing. Its not like there are 10 or 12 minerals associated with gold - there are more than 100. and the "minerals" you cited - serpentine, schist, shale - are rocks. There are also dozens of different types of rocks that can be associated with gold. The geology of gold deposits is not a simple or easy thing.
I don't mean to ask you for a difficult to do video, just think it would be helpful to those of us who are new at prospecting to be able to recognize the most common rocks and minerals associated with gold ( maybe 15 ?) after they've weathered and look very different from those we see in handbooks on the subject. I was thinking of a photo I saw of weathered greenstone that I would never have recognized as such, but now I have a better idea of how it could look. Do these rocks and minerals associated with gold reveal their fresh side if broken open with a hammer, or do they tend to be weathered all the way through? Thanks for your help! I've enjoyed all your videos.
High banking in the desert is highly over looked. Old river rocks over top of rusted black sands are abundant in some areas. It's easy face diggings & often beautiful chunky finds. I've seen deposits at over 9 oz a ton of chunky nuggets from these ancient river beds. And they visibly stand out in the Strata layering of the rock faces. I've seen the black sands layers as thick as 4' to 5' thick. But there's a lot of time consuming wandering & climbing involved in the desert1. Some of my best finds back in the 1970s was when gold was only $55 oz
@@ChrisRalph- Not specifically -- but I bet Gary Honan does. 😊 Was just thinking out loud about potential gold sources on roads in, for example, the Mother Lode Country -- alluvial gold missed in tailings used to construct access roads, some segments of which are no doubt on old benches, with some eluvial accumulations from weathering hard rock deposits uphill ... hmm, or placer gold weathering out of ancient channel conglomerates higher up.
Why are you telling people our secrets? I would like to see a video, on the cycles of Au, from deposition to erosion to eventual dissolution in sea water, subduction, and then redeposition. Thanks again Chris.
@@johnedwards5738cool being a leech… rather go find my own or Bust. Other to leech off another work and knowledge like that is shitty but I knows there’s plenty of shitbags out there but that attitude will you get you much less than you think long term and that’s a Promise
@@ChrisRalph it's tough going out with Gary...he always puts a whooping on me ... 😂 that guy knows his stuff when it comes to getting your coil over gold. Great job on video it will definitely help people find gold as long as they listen
Chris I live in Southern Arizona where there's a lot of history in silver and copper. Is there a chance some gold got overlooked because they were primarily looking for silver and copper?
There are a number of known gold deposits in southern Arizona. Take a look at my video on Arizona gold deposits. See: th-cam.com/video/3TRvKAF4vpI/w-d-xo.html
People ignore seasonal creeks that become waterfalls during a certain season only, then at other times of the year is no creek or waterfall at all. Lots of canyons I own gold mines have seasonal creeks that a person could never mine unless it’s winter and rainstorms have made this seasonal creeks. Can’t do manual labor without water nearby. Logic said so.
Here's a few I can add:
1. RailRoad Tracks are good if you know there are Ore Carts moving through. I found a 42g Rocklet that had 0.2g of gold in it. Like a scratch and win. :D
2. If you live in a Mining Area there will be a lot of OverBurden being used as Local Fill. Check Newly Created Waterways as the Shores are sometimes Gold Vein OverBurden. OverBurden often has Veinlets which are Rich, or they cut into the Vein as they follow it.
3. Highway Overpass Bridges across Creeks and Streams built before 1970'ish (Canada). I find that these bridges were built with a sand fill underneath them that was provided by dredging the River/Creek at that area and spraying it onto the banks to support the bridge. They really tore up the creek under a local bridge, false river bottom chunks and everything. It is the only chance to see the river/creek flipped upside down and spread out. I have been pulling some great Gold Bearing River Stones from under a bridge about 150 meters away from where I live.
Those definitely would work in some areas.
I found my first gold after moving out West, in a parking lot! In Illinois glacier country, I used to find lumps of silver ore in driveways and along a creek in our local municipal golf course.
wow very intresting! thnks for sharing
Thanks for another great presentation! Wonderful ideas for finding gold that others ignore! Love to hear your stories.
I found an old war metal. It says the old guard.. it's really worn but such a great find right in the middle of Virginia Beach city.
From Indonesia, you give me your knowledge and experience for free, thank you so much. God Bless you.
You are very welcome
Dude Chris Ralph, THANK U.
I live in an old mining town in south Riverside county California and I never cease to be amazed by the amount of visible gold in our roads and sidewalks. Let alone abandoned properties , other large plots of land around town that ive sampled, my favorite places are the half developed fields that they ran out of money to build houses on so they just leveled the land cut down the over burden and many rich epithermal minerized rock deposits become explicitly exposed. So I'm like... hmm don't mind I'd I do and end up hauling bags of rich ore back to the garage on my skateboard and in my arms.
"Just for the takin."
*spoken in an Irish accent
You should pick some up and make some money.
@@ChrisRalph oh trust me I do. That's what I'm saying. I go out with just a shovel and a head lamp and I load up grocery bags and a back pack full of the best stuff I can find after poking around reading the dirt. I always end up with way more than I can carry so it's handy to have a skate board to use in place of a mining cart since I don't have a car. Even if I do look silly skating with one foot on a board that has bags of rock piled up on it.
Since we been getting all this rain lately the main flood basin has become a large river with big fish and the bench gravels are full of gems and epithermal alluvial gold specimens' exposed deposits and often diamond bearing conglomerates and native platinum rich mafic rocks. My little town looks so unassuming. If people only knew what treasures these soils hold.
I've been collecting specimens and crushing the rocks, classifying, wet panning,dry panning, black sand magneting and roasting the concentrates and then smelting them in my propane kiln and so far I'm up to nearly a 3 ounce piece of gold that I manufactured over time thru various smelting sessions with many different batches of ore. I've only been at this a couple years barely now and had a lot of discouraging trial and error but I refuse to give up because I'm getting way too good at finding these deposits and recognizing all the different minerals and rock types and the metallurgy and the more I learn the more I see, and the stuff I find just keeps getting better than the prior.
It's all cuz of YOU.
You turned me into a geology nut crazy Gold Hound and it has enriched my being.
People always Ask me how much money I've made so Far and I told them I havent made any yet but I've gotten paid in a priceless skill that I'll be able to use for the rest of my life and I will be making money soon once I sell this piece of gold or one of my diamonds.
I'm gonna start a mining company eventually and call it AUDia Mining CO because one of my specialties is finding these big diamonds with gold deposited onto them. Most are less than gem quality but do make marvelous specimens.
In blm land u can claim for gold mines, and by sale it, become millioner,all the way I will be helpfull if you want
Great advice!
I’m a believer in watching where you step, and watching the environment for signs.
I was mountain biking next to a mine opening around Fresno, Ca.
Years back, when my tire kicked a rock out with a shiny quartz crystal showing. My cousin was anxious to get moving, told me to drop the rock, let’s get going.
I rode back with one hand holding that rock… it had small crystals all over one side, with a few tiny spots of gold on it.
That turned out to be a high grade pile that was covered with grass and weeds.
I got a lot of Gold off that pile, but the property got sold before I could get back out there with a detector.
Thanks Chris!
Yes-he DEFINITELY PUTS OUT GREAT ADVICE.HIS BOOK IS AN AWSOME READ...
"ONYA CHRIS" NOW THAT WAS A EXELLENT CHUNK OF ADVICE.I LOVE YOUR UPLOADS & WATCH EACH UPLOAD ATLEAST TWICE AS THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING IVE OVERLOOKED.I personally look forward to your uploads as your my prospecting HERO.THANKYOU CHAMP
Another lost treasure story! Lol. I can see how miners had a good spot and never made it back. Others cant find there spot when they went back. Claims closed down when it wasn't profitable . Those people get old or die. Their spot is lost.
@rsaldivar4218 - That was an exciting find.
shanelocke - thanks for the kind words.
I've never watched one of your videos and not come away with new things or places to try that I never thought about before.
Thank you for sharing a bit of your knowledge with all of us!!
Glad you like them!
Thanks again for the information Chris. The 'nugget in the road' story is not unusual - most of the big nuggets that were found in the Australian gold rushes of the 1800s were found because someone ran over them or stubbed his toe on them! The irony is that most prospectors never bother to detect on the roads - they look everywhere else! Great advice!
Interesting!
@@ChrisRalph I always seem to find an inordinate amount of Iron either falling out of truck beds, or falling off the chassis, on roads. For this reason, I only will detect on new roads. Even these have a lot of Iron junk, due to small bits eroding off the cutting edge. Fortunately, they are usually on the surface, and can be found quickly with a magnet.
I remember roads being covered with rock chips when I was a kid. it was called chip seal or something. we found tiny specks of gold in the gutters after cars had driven on it for a while. years later, I was reminded of this when Utah avalanche did a youtube video about it. I don't think there was enough where I was. Otherwise, I would go back and check culverts in the area.
I’m in Minnesota. Glacial gold is out there but it’s quite difficult to find, plus our state is heavy on prospecting, no sluice, dredge, etc. pretty much pans and shovels. I find approximately one gram per season. I’ll never sell what little I have obtained, the finding is the fun part. Glad I found your channel!
Well, I am sure its fun to be out there in the wilds getting some gold.
Wow one gram per season is not much. I’m impressed with your staying power. Hope you find a solid nugget soon. Cheers from Australia
@@WaveformV1.0 I definitely don’t do it for the money! 😂 I’m a forager at heart and the exploring and discovering are what does it for me. I hope to make it to an ounce before I die…. I don’t know if it’s gonna happen but I’m gonna try 😀
Love watching and learning. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks, I'm glad you found it helpful.
Thanks for the tips Chris! I’m glad I discovered your channel! I love learning about “old timer” tips and techniques.
Good gold hunting to ya!
Take care.
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad the video was helpful.
Good job Chris keep these videos coming out and help me work my mind to help me find more. Thanks bro
Glad it was helpful!
I.l8ve 9n ky
8ve 8n ky
8m kentucky 😢
Very far west Kentucky
Thank you Mr. Chris. Please continue producing these helpful videos. You have a talent to inform with easy to follow, detailed skillful information. Thank you sir!
Thanks much. I'm glad the videos are helpful!
Retired now and we are selling our house and buying a RV to spend our winter in the southwest. I just bought your book Fist full of gold. We already have all the equipment and will search for gold for a fun pass time. Maybe we will get lucky and find something.
Best of luck, if you stick with it, I am sure you will find some.
Hi there. I'm in a different country, but you are living my dream. Best of luck!
Thanks Chris, your advice is gold.
I do have your book and recommend it.
Awesome, thank you!
Hey Chris . I live in California. In Livermore a farmer on his property found a boulder in small creek. It was different so he took it home a decorative item. He got a big surprise when was checked out it had 70 thousands dollors worth of gold in it. This started a gold rush. In the area. No other gold was found. . Point is you just never know. This is in farm land there is just mud stone and rolling hills with line stone. Absolutely no geology in the mother load. There isnt anything like intrusive outcroppings of anything . No old volcanos for miles . Very odd find.
Interesting. I've not heard that story.
@@ChrisRalph it came a old newspaper clipping. I had saved it but lost in in a house fire in Paradise Ca. It was close to the 580 Altamont hills pass. Some call them mountains but they are really old hills that sepperate the valley thats. In the middle of california.
Ancient river systems and floods over the eons have deposited/dispersed minerals/metals in some surprising places. One never knows, however if you don't look you don't find and if your not knowledgeable you don't recognize it!
Probably carried by the indigenous and dropped because it was too darn heavy LOL!!!!
That’s interesting I’m in Fairfield and I own a goldmine.. u lost ur house in paradise fire.. I lost my cabins in the Dixie fire lol.. man PG&e really screwed the pooch on that one… anyway that’s crazy that he found that it must’ve been from an old glacial deposit or something
SUPER HOT TIPS" A MUST WATCH! THANKS 4 POSTING!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Chris. A really informative video! I really enjoyed your style of presentation. Will definitely put your tips to use the next time I’m out in the Australian Goldfields. Thanks cobber! 👍👍
Glad it was helpful! Best of luck to you, mate.
Thanks for the video and sharing your knowledge.
Glad it was helpful!
@@ChrisRalph You always tell it like it is. To be good at anything you have to devote yourself to it. Yes there is dumb luck. People who win the lottery who dont look at how to save or invest there money go broke. To enjoy the thrill of the hunt is the way to insure that youve already have made your life worth living. If you find a bit of gold then that icing on the cake. We live in a concrete jungle most of our life chasing dollors. In nature and wonder is the true value in living. The nature and its beauty alone makes the adventure. Gold is the icing on the cake. To be able to explore and use your knowledge. Thats worth more than gold. If you enjoy your job and chasing dollors in a concete jungle that's ok too. To me the world is so much more than that. Thats what you bring to the table Criss and i just wanted you to know that its well appreciated.
Thank you for sharing your experience in places rarely detected, good advice...
Glad it was helpful!
Your tutorials are fantastic Chris. I always take your advice because it’s good old fashioned honest advice. You remind us that gold is rare, really really rare and that theres no shame in failing to find it. This actually gives more confidence than videos where they find gold in every episode. I prospect an area in Scotland and I’ve been told by so many people “ oh there’s only a few flakes left “. Well thanks to your tutorials I just won’t be having that sort of talk, and it worked out for me when I found a gram nugget sitting on a ledge on the face of bedrock where a stream had cut through it. The nugget didn’t have a speck of dirt on it, it was if I was meant to find it, and therefore I couldn’t agree more when you say to keep one’s eyes open. One just never knows, that retirement nugget might just be laying on the ground in full view.
I wonder if you could answer a question about metal detecting as I’m a bit unsure of a particular aspect. Does the gain or threshold affect the depth a metal detector detects, or is it a case that once its ground balanced it will detect to the maximum depth regardless of how much I play around with gain and threshold. If you or someone else could answer me that then it would be much appreciated, as it’s something that I’m not sure of. I did watch your tutorial on the gold bug pro and it was a great video and explained in simple terms, so much so that I went and bought one even though I could barely afford it. That’s what your videos do haha.
Greetings from not so sunny, but still Bonnie Scotland.
Gain and threshold are two totally different things and both affect the depth of detection. Gain refers to the detector’s sensitivity. The higher the setting, the deeper objects can be found, and the more sensitive the detector is to very small metal objects - but also the more sensitive to hot rocks and soil mineralization. The constant background ‘hum’ produced by the detector is called the Threshold. Variations in the Threshold help you to hear very small and deep targets. Setting the Threshold to an audible hum will highlight
variations in signal response which may indicate the presence of a target. If the Threshold Level is too high, faint targets will be harder to hear above the Threshold ‘hum’. If the Threshold Level is too low, the slight variation caused by a small or deep target may not be sufficient to hear. Adjusting the level to below audible will ensure silent operation but could mask the audio response from small or deep targets.
I explain this all in my book.
Great info, thank you so much for sharing! Ordered you book as well.
Glad it was helpful! I'm sure you enjoy it!
Purchased your book I believe in 2011, along with other 2 other books, follow the dry washers and rich hill.
Your book is very informative..
Thank you.
I'm glad to hear the book is still working for you.
Ive been studying geological reports and maps of my area of choice, and this info is so valuable and worth studying. Im hoping to stumble on a semi forgotten zone, this season could become my big find. Thanks
Best of luck! Glad it was helpful!
Looking at the USGS maps it's like gold melted from Canada and rivered it's way down Pacific Northwest to Southern Nevada hills just looked up in sections layers and lines
Thanks Criss, as always good information
No problem 👍 Glad it was helpful!
Places with manzanita groves often have gold veins. Manzanita loves mineralized zones along faults.
True, but there is a whole lot more manzanita than there are gold veins.
What about river dredge tailings. I live a 5 minute walk from a river in central California. There's a large pond where the dredge would turn around. There are lots of piles of tailings.
Some dredge tailings have gold, some do not. I'd say go and give them a try.
!*BEWARE*!
I RECENTLY MET A FELLA THAT OBTAINED MERCURY POISONING FROM DIGGING AROUND IN OLD TAILING PILES*!!
I normally don't express myself in all caps... But this seemed like the right time because the reality of it is that tailings that are old enough, *from times when they used mercury in EXCESS, are VERY DANGEROUS for our health and well-being!!
👍
I live in central Chatham county NC looking for some people to dredge with, I got a 4" Keene dredge and plenty of experience
Merced river ?
Some of the best tailings I ever went through was for a huge dredge that last operated over 125 years ago. It seemed like it went after gold with a quantity before quality approach and left A LOT of gold in its tailings.
Thanks Chris for your Amazing information 🎉
My pleasure! Glad to know you enjoyed the video.
Hey, Chris. I like watching your videos. They're informative. My name is Kim. I live in Southwest Oregon and I have a fairly rich, hard rock mine that if you're ever in the area come up and see if you see something that I don't. We're the same age I've been doing this stuff 50 years. It's fun. I have a lot of gold on the outside of the tunnels is where I'm mostly have been playing anyways. If you ever get to my neighborhood, I live in the Applegate, basically, Jacksonville I look forward to meeting you soon. Thanks, keep your videos coming bro.
Southwest Oregon does have a lot of gold. But I've never prospected there and I don't have any plans in the foreseeable future.
Hey mate, im in Kalgoorlie, Australia, good info, thanks. Just bought your book, cheers.
Awesome, thank you!
You are a nice , good man , that book will be priceless,
Always like listening to you and your knowledge,
Thanks my friend 👌✨✨✨
I appreciate that!
I am new but was seeing a road in a mining zone that gets scraped by the county...even better there is a drywash from the mountains and mines and it hits a ten foot bank and goes 90 degrees onto the scraped road. This is going to be my first metal detecting area pending delivery of Gold Bug 2...thanks Chris
Sounds interesting.
Thanks again for the informative lesson Chris!
No worries! Glad it was helpful!
I plan on spending most of my retirement getting out there in nature with my gold bug 2. Also the longer video format is awesome I’d rather watch this than T.V
I'm glad you enjoy it. Its tough to pack much information into the 60 second shorts format.
You can dig gold but you cant dig silver, aint that wild? 😉
There are some silver mines that produce native silver, but only a small percentage.
❤❤❤Much live Chris❤❤❤ great pointers now days dangerous for women but always travel in two or three.
Safety in numbers.
Your road gold is awesome!
Thanks. Finding it was a lot of fun.
hello sir what is best idea while having 7000 .is good to buy extra coli or buy dry washer instead ,which one is the best while you can't afford extra coli and dry washer at the same time.
This all depends on where you are mining - it is not a simple question.
@@ChrisRalph am mining in Africa and our areas has small nugget
Hi Chris , I have watched your videos multiple times . I did purchase your book Fists Full of Gold .
It is a treasure chest of knowledge.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.
I am just getting started in gold prospecting . I have lived in southern Az all my life . I love the outdoors . I have camped and horseback riding all over parts of the state . My interest is for a hobby to gold prospect. Checking to see if you have any recommendations on equipment. I have about a 3 thousand dollar budget . I plan on researching and not making any bad equipment choices .
Good gold out around Tucson and other parts of southern AZ
Awesome explanations, thanks a lot. This is more valuable than the gold actually. I wish i was one of those friend's you brought to the place😂. I really love gold man i got a garret 24k goldmaster but i move to Pensilvania and doesn't test it yet.
Glad it was helpful! But Pennsylvania is not a great state to hunt gold.
Yeah I know, sadly. But I'm gonna try my best in the Susquehanna river and he's connected creeks.
Our favorable rock types here in North Georgia are biotite gneiss and mica schist. Not much gold associated with granite here, though there are lots of places with veins in granite with very little or no gold.
quartz is pretty common - its the gold rich veins that are rare.
@alph That's not a joke! I've been in the gold fields prospecting every weekend for over 2 years now and still haven't found a rich gold vein. lol Everything is covered with moss and vegetation in Georgia and where the bedrock is outcropped it's decomposed almost into soil. I think it's easier to find veins in dry climates where you can see the rocks.
Very intetesting, thanks Chris
Glad you enjoyed it
You are the best Chris
I'm not sure about that, but thanks for the kind words.
All good places just got home from the Mountains it was nice out today !!!!
Not covered by snow? you must be fairly low in elevation.
@@ChrisRalph was below Downieville
Great video Chris! Something you said while talking about rock type and proximity made me think of one of our claims. There are MASSIVE slate walls as well as smaller slate formations. Some walls may be nearly 80' to 100' tall or more. Random small slate slabs protrude all over the hillside, great for tripping on. The claim also has plentiful multi-color quartz, both in a broken down cobble state as well as in quartz vein formations. Just off our claim is a very large quartz vein flowing down the hillside 40 to 50 feet long. Back on ours, at the very top of the hill, is a quartz "minefield" of broken down smaller size quartz. What is the relationship of quartz and slate if any?
We do have the book, in fact, the other half is reading it right now! Thanks again!
There is no direct relationship of quartz and slate - slate may have no quartz veins at all or may have many of them - and anything in between. Quartz veins can be found in many different types of rock. Slate weathers and decomposes - often to a clay. Quartz does not decompose like that, so where you have your quartz minefield, you likely have a quartz vein nearby. Now most quartz veins have little or no gold. Only a few have significant gold.
Great video Chris! I take rocks that I find and can find Gold in them by looking with a light! I found Gold this weekend! Dan Brent
sounds interesting.
Thank You . ❤
You're welcome 😊
I hate watching your videos it brings back all my detecting efforts in WA, only scored nuggets biggest being 7g but I was stoked. Thing is it was right next to an operating hard rock mining access road, about 100m, sadly we were on a time table so could not spend more than a half day. Another 4g was at a town called Cue and it was in the fossicking area about half a km from the town, clearly in sight. If you watch a lot of people detecting its very 'sawtooth' and must miss a lot. Come to Australia and we will do WA together! take care and I really love the stories
My 6 weeks prospecting WA was spent between Cue and Meekathara. It's a very rich region and I do plan to return someday.
Hi Chris, many years ago I always walked back to my car and never detected the cattle pad I walked on. Long story short, three brothers detected the track and picked up 46 ounces first day, they continued and ended up with around 700 ounces in a couple of months. Deepest ground was only 2-3 feet deep and loose gravels. Best nugget was 14 ounces.
You never know where those gold nugget patches might be hiding.
Great list!
Thanks for sharing
🙏❤️🌲
Thanks for watching! Glad it was helpful!
I bought your book I will read it but since I love your videos I thought it would be smart to have it to pass down to my kids! With my equipment! So they know what to look for! These times are getting really bad! Gold will only go up with the world falling apart! This will be a lot of peoples job in the future I think!
Sounds great.
Good stories, good tips.
Glad you enjoyed it
I have watched this video many times I wish I had all this information when I started prospecting in 1966
Why not for prospecting now?
@@ChrisRalph I have been living in the Philippines where it is not legal but I will soon be back in the US and I will get back to it it is late in the season but I will be prospecting on public land I plan on staking
Excellent information. Thanks.👍👍😎
Glad it was helpful!
Grew up in Juneau, AK. Many places to search for gold.
The Juneau region produced a lot of gold.
One time I was out detecting and got a signal by a tree. I thought I was probably garbage but Dug it up anyway. Once I got a little closer I heard some glass break and then the signal disappeared. I pulled an old 1800 bottle a small bottle with a cork and noticed there was Mercury everywhere in the hole I dug it all up and paint it out there was probably a pint of Mercury a couple weeks later I got another bottle by a tree it was full of mercury as well I didn't break that one ended up running the Mercury through a cloth and it had a small nugget in it so now I got some old miners gold and his Mercury he used and reused obviously
I've never dug any bottled mercury - just got small amounts of amalgam panning and dredging along streams.
@@ChrisRalph it was pretty cool had Gary and Todd with me for one of them and my cousin was with me for the other
Don’t forget about old hydraulic areas! Like Litele Creak off 15 fry going up to Hesperia ca! You drive over the huge bridge just before you climb the mountain! That river has gold in it the whole river is a good place
The point for the video was places "that other prospectors ignore". Lytle Creek has been hit by everyone and his brother for decades.
You have such great information. Thank you. I just wish that there was more information on gold and mineral deposits in the Eastern US. Some of us can't travel to Nevada, Arizona et al. Please do some videos on prospecting in the East.
Although I've been east a few times, I've never done any prospecting in the east. So its hard for me to do a video on prospecting in places I've never been.
Hopefully you know someone that has the experience to do those kind of videos. I would sure subscribe and I am sure there are many more. I have done some prospecting in Alabama and hope to get back to it soon. @@ChrisRalph
Oh Man, I'm a Downieville chapter Clamper , ECV , theres an old town Under that little old mining town too btw
Under that little old mining town?
I live in Florida.....Where would be the closest place you would look for gold? I read where North Florida had a gold rush in 1830 around the Apalachicola River that drains from the North Georgia mountains.
Not sure where that story came from, but there are no known occurrences of natural gold within the state of Florida. The geology of the state is just not right for gold. Gold prospectors from Florida would be encouraged to research the gold deposits that have been found in nearby Alabama and Georgia. Both of these states have produced significant amounts of both lode and placer gold, and individual scale gold mining is still done in several areas within both states.
Popular beaches! Sorry.. hadta
1,400 more subscribers let's go!!!! Can't wait to see your silver play button on the wall!
Me too!! You know I am tracking it. At the rate I am going, I am looking at sometime in Mid-March to reach 100K.
There is a run off ditch on a buddys property it's full of gray clay and quarts is that a good place to find gold around clay?
Quartz and clay are both super common, while gold is rare. The best way to know is to sample and test it to see if there is any gold there.
Funny thing, detecting back to the car also can work with coin detecting.
Yep, good point there too.
Ordered your book, arriving tomorrow. I'm going panning.
Awesome! Sounds great. Thank you!
beautiful finds
Thanks. Glad you like them!
Chris your awesome and love your videos! I’m disabled and would love to figure out a way to get a gold detector or metal detector…this would be sweet way to check areas! And get me out of the house…🤷♂️
Try Craigslist. You can find some good deals there.
Excellent video. We are looking to buy vacant land with mineral rights in Nevada. We plan on building a small house but I’d like to find gemstones along with gold. Do you prefer desert flats/ grasslands or hills / mountains? Only a couple have streams that are seasonal. What are you thoughts? Thanks for all your help your channel has taught me so much! ❤
Come out and see and spend some time in the area you are looking to buy BEFORE you make any offer on a property. Nevada has a lot of remote desert land with no services - electricity, etc. and miles and miles of dirt roads to the nearest grocery or other store. Also there are gold and turquoise mines, but they may or may not be anywhere near the desert property you might look at. Just because you own mineral rights does not mean there are any valuable minerals on the property.
@@ChrisRalph Thank you! Yes, we are looking off-grid. We are planning on coming out to see and sample the properties in person. Thank you again for all you do to help us gold and gem dreamers. ❤️
I find most gold in mountain valley rivers and streams.
Hey Chris,if there is pirates is there any possible of gold presence?
Depends on what presents the pirate possess.
Great info for sure and your almost at 100 k subs congrats that play button is coming soon thanks for sharing all your knowledge with us see you on the next one👍🏼👊🏼
Thanks much, I enjoy sharing. And yep, the 100K benchmark is coming soon.
Hi, Chris. I have a newfound interest in prospecting. I'm having a great time watching your videos. I have a question- How did they determine the exact locations of the mines in the 1800's? Were there geologists back then who had ways of helping with that?
Prospectors found gold and traced it back to the source.
is there gold on a gravel road ? i live in wi. and theres a gravel pit there where we put this gravel to level the road thank you
There can be gold in road gravel - but not always. Gold is pretty rare stuff. Test the road gravel to see if it has gold or not.
@8:50 That is the beautiful thing about the Bazooka Hydraulic Sluice Box. If you have a Heavy piece of Ore, it will get caught on the Classifier.
OK.
Great video !!!
I'm glad you liked it.
Thank you
You are welcome.
What make of detecter were you using to find these nuggets?
I was using more than one - different detectors at different times and in different places.
Hi, is it worth looking for gold in volcanic area's. Thanks from New Zealand.
Some volcanic areas have gold, some do not. There is lots of info on gold mining areas of New Zealand. Check on line.
Liked your video. I wanted to ask do you have to bring something to protect yourself: snakes, other wild animals? I know a first aid kit but any fire arms? What is the best time of day after a rain storm, in the morning/evening when its not too hot?
I don't really carry anything special. I've only had one small indecent in hundreds of prospecting trip. One of the best safety choices for all sorts of potential problems (not just animals) is to bring someone along - don't go alone. I am only rarely alone when I am out in the field. I prospect at all times of day - When its hot I focus in the higher elevation country as it is cooler up there with more shade.
Very appreciated I always receive a lot of knowledge from your videos. The PI metal detectors are in a class of their own? I may have to get a P I machine. Your formal education places you in a different class. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the kind words! Choosing a detector is not a simple question, as there are many factors to consider, including your budget, and the type of detecting you might do. Please watch my video on selecting a detector for yourself. See: th-cam.com/video/EF4oFvSHbJo/w-d-xo.html
@@ChrisRalph As always I appreciate your advice. Thanks for posting the link. I will watch it later. Thanks!
I love your videos.
I contradict what you say and where you say it won’t be found. I would love to send you a pic or video of what I found, where geologists say I won’t be able to find it.
Ok -
On rd 68 outside of butte and oroville I found a couple pieces of quartz that had gold on them.. not much but still there
It is still there to be found.
ever try a falcon md-20? it can find some really small gold.
It can, but cannot be used like a metal detector because the probe is so small.
@@ChrisRalph I just always found it useful when doing hard rock prospecting. Thanks for the answer. Take care.
Nice gold nuggets! I would make jewelry out of the interesting pieces!
For now, I keep them as is, as a trophy of past finds and memory of the fun I had discovering them.
What metal detector do you recommend?
Choosing a detector is not a simple question, as there are many factors to consider, including your budget, and the type of detecting you might do. Please watch my video on selecting a detector for yourself. See: th-cam.com/video/EF4oFvSHbJo/w-d-xo.html
@@ChrisRalph I will. Thank you!
Where do you sell the nuggets?
THere are people who buy them. As for me, I don't sell my gold, I keep it in the bank.
@@ChrisRalph ok. Thanks
penny wieght , pounds ounces, how to convert to modern measures?I know there are different ounces - several. which one do you use? enjoy your hobby,
Gold and silver are always weighed in troy ounces. You can look up all the conversion factors on Google.
hi..tq sir....u are right...i on my way to be like what u have told...tqvm sir...u r the best person among the most best person to be...
So nice of you, Glad you are enjoying the videos
You shared that gold with your friend, right Chris?
I took him back with me and he found his own share of the gold.
Chris what would you metal detector for gold would you recommend that won't break the bank?
"break the bank" means different things to different people - for one its less than $100, others less than maybe $1,000. I don't know your budget, what you will use it for, etc. - You have to make that call for yourself. Take a look at this video about choosing a detector for yourself: th-cam.com/video/EF4oFvSHbJo/w-d-xo.html
Hello Sir.. I have a question for you.. Have you ever heard of a old ghost town named Campo Seco California? Could you share any thing you know about it please. Thank you. Have a good day. Respectfully Mr. James McGee
I am not familiar with Campo Seco.
@@ChrisRalph hey man thank you for getting back to me so quick just like you said you would in your video.. 🙂👍 next time I will try asking better questions... I live in Campo Seco.. it's a ghost town.. in between amador & calaveras county.. I have found 2.4 grams in little normally dry creaks.. also some specs in some mine tailings. For the Herculean effort i have invested in this "gold mining" operation of the last 2 months.. I will pretend I have found 2 ounces not 2 grams... I tried hard really hard.. the Golden State is truly still golden.. but I can't go on collecting a dollar or 2$ per 8hrs of unbelievable labor.. I think collecting cans on the side of the road would make more money for the effort... I salute you Good Sir ... 👋🙂 Thank you for your teachings.. they really helped me produce more.. especially the tips on what not to do . My favorite & most useful was to not just mine the first place.. to continue to hunt . Respectfully Mr. James McGee
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it
I am kind of in a rut ... I don't have any claims or in depth knowledge about old hydraulic pits or where to find old channels... I am pretty much stuck prospecting on the same river ... the south yuba. I have tried multiple times to head to the american river, and even went as far as the feather river down by paradise!
I have NEVER found anything better than the South Yuba... I would LOVE to find those spots you are talking about up in the gullies and the old channels... But i struggle to find ways to access good spots... i can't hike hours through vertical terrain, and if you look at the south yuba river, there are really only about 3 bridges over it... the rest is wild river and NO trails!
I want to find good spots ,but i feel like i am very limited by my access points... Any tips?
Keep trying. If at first you don't succeed in finding other places, keep trying. Join a prospecting club and get access to their claims.
I'm up in southern Maine and recently had a fairly large logging operation behind my dad's house. That area where he lives is on a ledgey Ridge and the logging operation exposed a lot of quartz veins and garnets, think it's worth checking out?
Metal detecting?
There is some gold in Maine - not a huge amount, but some. It wont hurt to test and see.
I'd be testing with a gold pan.
@@ChrisRalph I'm definitely going to do some testing with my pick hammer and goldpan when the snow melts
What road did you say that was on😅
That dirt road - you know the one.
Buy the book best book on gold prospecting out there helped me find fistfuls of gold . Going this weekend finally a good weekend without rain
Best of luck to you in your prospecting.
Your first story made me think of a question for you, specifically related to the bulldozed road cut through bedrock. Is asbestos exposure something you’re aware of and has it ever kept you away from a otherwise decent location?
The geology of Gold vs. Asbestos occurrences are such they they only rarely occur together. I stay aware of natural asbestos but its never stopped me because they are almost never together.
@@ChrisRalph El Dorado County
Not aprapo to this video, but would you consider doing a vid of minerals associated with gold look like after being exposed to weathering cause them to look differently than how you might expect them to look. I'm thinking of minerals like serpentine, schist, shale. Does that sound like a video you might like to do? Really enjoyed your stories of unexpected places to look for gold! ❤
An interesting thought - I will think about that as an idea for a video. But Its not a simple or easy thing. Its not like there are 10 or 12 minerals associated with gold - there are more than 100. and the "minerals" you cited - serpentine, schist, shale - are rocks. There are also dozens of different types of rocks that can be associated with gold. The geology of gold deposits is not a simple or easy thing.
I don't mean to ask you for a difficult to do video, just think it would be helpful to those of us who are new at prospecting to be able to recognize the most common rocks and minerals associated with gold ( maybe 15 ?) after they've weathered and look very different from those we see in handbooks on the subject. I was thinking of a photo I saw of weathered greenstone that I would never have recognized as such, but now I have a better idea of how it could look. Do these rocks and minerals associated with gold reveal their fresh side if broken open with a hammer, or do they tend to be weathered all the way through? Thanks for your help! I've enjoyed all your videos.
High banking in the desert is highly over looked. Old river rocks over top of rusted black sands are abundant in some areas. It's easy face diggings & often beautiful chunky finds. I've seen deposits at over 9 oz a ton of chunky nuggets from these ancient river beds. And they visibly stand out in the Strata layering of the rock faces. I've seen the black sands layers as thick as 4' to 5' thick.
But there's a lot of time consuming wandering & climbing involved in the desert1. Some of my best finds back in the 1970s was when gold was only $55 oz
With gold at about $2400 an ounce, plenty of reason to get out and find some more.
With gold at about $2,400 an ounce, all the more reason to go out and get some more.
Build road with mining operation gravels on an old high bench, with some gold moving downhill from the above slope. Multiple sources.
Are you saying you know a place like that?
@@ChrisRalph- Not specifically -- but I bet Gary Honan does. 😊
Was just thinking out loud about potential gold sources on roads in, for example, the Mother Lode Country -- alluvial gold missed in tailings used to construct access roads, some segments of which are no doubt on old benches, with some eluvial accumulations from weathering hard rock deposits uphill ... hmm, or placer gold weathering out of ancient channel conglomerates higher up.
Why are you telling people our secrets? I would like to see a video, on the cycles of Au, from deposition to erosion to eventual dissolution in sea water, subduction, and then redeposition. Thanks again Chris.
Bits and pieces of these ideas appear in a number of my videos.
Some of us already know where "your" spots are due to being well versed in earth sciences 🤣 time for another gold rush
Because the first country to work as a team for their advancement would win
@@johnedwards5738cool being a leech… rather go find my own or Bust. Other to leech off another work and knowledge like that is shitty but I knows there’s plenty of shitbags out there but that attitude will you get you much less than you think long term and that’s a Promise
Nice haul, soon as the snow melts……..
Just waiting for that warmer weather.....
Great job 👏👏👏👍👍👍
I want to join you guys on a hunt sometime this summer. Maybe with Gary and Jeff. We'll figure something out.
@@ChrisRalph sounds good to me
@@ChrisRalph it's tough going out with Gary...he always puts a whooping on me ... 😂 that guy knows his stuff when it comes to getting your coil over gold. Great job on video it will definitely help people find gold as long as they listen
Well, we will pit one old prospector against another. He'll probably whip me too, but it will be fun to get together.
Chris I live in Southern Arizona where there's a lot of history in silver and copper. Is there a chance some gold got overlooked because they were primarily looking for silver and copper?
There are a number of known gold deposits in southern Arizona. Take a look at my video on Arizona gold deposits. See: th-cam.com/video/3TRvKAF4vpI/w-d-xo.html
People ignore seasonal creeks that become waterfalls during a certain season only, then at other times of the year is no creek or waterfall at all. Lots of canyons I own gold mines have seasonal creeks that a person could never mine unless it’s winter and rainstorms have made this seasonal creeks. Can’t do manual labor without water nearby. Logic said so.
I'm sure you have taken gold from waterfalls all over the place.