I'm a retired geologist and mining engineer. Worked in the gold industry from the late 70's through the 80's in Alaska, British Columbia and Nevada, prospecting and underground mining. You hit on many good points that help the average person. Each mining district is distinct but there are some broad commonalities (and, of course, exceptions) - a heat source to drive groundwater and geologic structure like folding and faulting that opens up pathways for fluid flow. These pathways are, as you point out, recognizable by the presence of alteration and quartz veining. The old timers would pan their way up creeks to locate the source of placer gold. A gold pan is an inexpensive but essential tool if you are young enough to bend over. Great channel.
@vnvet2282 LOL you are a 12 year old on an anonymous account making up stories for attention. None of what you said is true, nor did it make any sense. What are you on about? You went from talking about paths, to exceptions to panning tools being essential. LMAO holy bullshit. You regurgitated the information in the video and passing it off as your own experience.
In the volcanics in Central Wyoming... we look basinward of the mountains for stratabound gold traps primarily in large gravel and in sand and gravel beds where some trap mechanism like shale or clay stops the downward migration of precious metals. Weekenders look at the top foot of a gravel bed for gold and we like to look at the bottom 2 feet of a gravel bed using a backhoe or trackhoe or drilling rig. So we are looking for redepositions and re-worked concentrations from weathering over thousands or millions of years that can be heap or vat leached. We watch the weekenders... just in case they know something or are doing something revolutionary. Like poking around in very large surface mineable multi-milion ounce gravel deposits. We started out shoveling sand and gravel into a highbanker at 9,000' in 1985 and about 3 scoops later... I was ready to quit. It took us awhile to figure out we didn't want to be up in the mountains mining gold anyways even though the gold is there.
@@ChrisRalph @ 32:00 "the Quartz with a good amount of gold": In the ore that the "Dutchman" had in his possession/under his bed, at the time of his failing health and just prior to death, that which he gave to those closest him. I'm interested in understanding this subject piece, what they are referred to in Geologic terms and layman/Jeweler name for these pieces. 🔹A number of these pieces were later sold to a San Francisco Jeweler and he left them insitu, sliced them and made jewelry pieces, and a match box container, among other things" These were so naturally beautiful. I would like to be educated on their details, and should I ever have an opportunity to purchase a piece, I want to be well advised. When you have time, if you could enlighten me, I'd be most appreciative. Thanks, Beth Bartlett Sociologist/Behavioralist and Historian Tennessee, USA
My dad was a miner and logger for 50 some years here in georgetown and he told me most of these same tips a few years before he passed. He knew what he was talking abwt and i know you do too. Love your videos. Just great usefull info for someone looking for some gold. Thank you.
MR. RALPH. I just wanted you to know that I have spent the last several hours ENTRANCED watching your amazing videos. You are very knowledgeable about gold and every other aspect of the geology that has anything to do with gold bearing areas. Thank you for your time and attention to producing this amazing series of videos...
This is got to be the best information for anyone that ever hunts that shinny available on youtube ! Thanks for your time and sharing your lifetime of knowledge with us .
I'm just now starting to try and learn how to prospect for Gold and I have been watching your videos and I think you are more thorough than most people I have been watching, thanks for being a professional and helping me get the knowledge to go out and do it myself 👍
I'm a true Ca. native, skater,surfer,bmx fan and a certified welder for structual steel. I have knowledge in many trades that I have aquired through many people and now a new one, thanks to you and your ability to share what you know and I thank you, this will be my first year that I will be applying your knowledge and with a little luck I believe I to will be able to consider myself a prospecter. Again Chris thank you so much for your willingness to share your knowledge you are one of two people that I truly listen to and watch their videos. But your videos and commentary are easily understood and write to the point and by the way I happen to see a program on the History channel that you are on and again that was also very informative so congratulations on your success I like successful people they tend to bring success. So today is my birthday I'm 58 years old and I believe that this is a new chapter in my life and I thanks again. From my heart a greenhorn prospector
I'm a fan!!! Im so happy to have FOUND you!!! Im a full time van dweller, always in diff places with time to explore.THANK YOU for helping me in my journey.
Now I know why you decided NOT to become a Geology Teacher. You have probably made much more as a prospector and you get to teach the willing as often as you like without the headaches. Sounds like you hit the "motherlode" in more ways than one. Fantastic information. Thank You So Much!
Thanks Chris! I'm in Michigan and I really enjoyed your video. A lot of these same deposits can be found both in the lower and of course the upper peninsula. My wife and I are celebrating our 40th at the end of the month and will spend a long weekend prospecting. :))). Thanks for the advice!
New to prospecting, bought the book. I am originally from the Wyoming side of the Black Hills. My late Irish father panned for gold in the area. Wintering down in Wickenburg/Stanton, AZ. Following the family heritage. Love the video. Learned tons of knowledge. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Chris, really appreciate your sharing of the knowledge on gold fossicking. Wife and I are about to go to western Australia in few weeks; my brother in law is there already at meekatharra and has been detecting there for a few weeks already but has found nothing although the ground looks good ie quartz and iron stone everywhere. I am asking if this a normal experience for new prospectors ie just keep at it and learn to be patient, or is it better to keep moving around until an area is found? Kind regards Mike.
I spent 6 weeks prospecting around WA and Meekatharra was our supply point for food, groceries, gasoline, etc. Sometimes it takes a long time to get the hang of it. Be very careful to listen for faint but repeatable targets. Too many new blokes dig only loud boomer targets - which are often trash. Quartz and ironstone are very common things - quartz is made of silicon and oxygen, the two most common elements in the earth's crust. Ironstone is the first and third most common elements - oxygen and iron. Gold on the other hand is very rare. Decades of prospectors armed with detectors have come before you. Learn some geology, learn where others have gone and learn to recognize good areas when you have some success. Maybe get a copy of my prospecting book. There is actually a diggings named "Ralph's diggings" near Meeka. I never made it there but apparently some family members found it originally.
Hi Ralph! I just realized who you remind me of! He was a Geology professor at Sonoma State University, Steve Norwick. Your voice and teaching style are similar. He was a well loved professor and friend. Also taught in the Environmental Studies program. Unfortunately, Steve was run over on Petaluma Hill Road riding his bicycle about ten years ago. Huge loss! I was a pre K through Adult teacher for many in years. I humbly feel qualified to relate that you are a great teacher. Ask Jeff Williams! He has nothing but compliments. I have watched your videos some many times. I often learn something new or that I missed. I thought geology was hard! Having dabbled for about ten years at TH-cam University, I must admit to a tinge of gold fever. Wondering why I never took an interest in prospecting... Have climbed most of the major peaks of the West. Skied down. Once I found a crystal and gave it to my brother. He was WA Science Teacher of the Year. Has a BS in Geophysics and a Master's in Science Teaching. Worked for NASA and wanted to go back to teaching. There was no job so he took his family to Taiwan. When Mount Saint Helens erupted he phoned from Gonzaga Univ. in Spokane, WA to tell us it was raining ash. Then he went there to work planting lupines and trees on the the volcano's flanks. Nick Zentner's recent video of how the Rockies were formed helped deepen my understanding that geology of North America is complicated! Lastly, my neighbor has about two tons of rocks! She asks me, "How do you keep finding gold?" "I have a good teacher!" So thank you Chris Ralph! Excellent job!
This video taught me more than anything else Google popped up with right off the bat. That being said I have a question. I live in Northern California Placerville area and potentially found gold in a large rock in my yard. Very much alike to rocks at 13:06. It's is insanely heavy unliftable at only 16 to 20 inches diameter. I'm lost what would you advise my first step to be
You answered a lot of questions I had especially about the desert. I live in NM never been prospecting, but now I know more or less what to look for. I usually look for Ancient Native American artifacts. Tools and And effigies. I’ve often wondered if you could find gold around here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Biggest problem in NM is land ownership. There is gold in NM but you just really have to research if the land you will be prospecting on is owned by someone. Unfortunately a lot of the most accessible places to prospect are on someone's land
G'day from Australia! Just watched 12 what not to do's! Thanks for the details, hoping your right about not spending (as cant afford), popular expensive detectors. I have purchased a couple of Kogan detectors,,,finding heaps of junk cleaning the bush, but no luck on yellow stuff! I'll keep swinging and hope for some shiny stuff. Cheers Paul
I said it was important to learn the skills of finding gold first, before you buy a detector. I did not say go out and by the cheapest detector you can find. Gold is hard to find and a lot of cheap detectors dont have the sensitivity to find anything but big targets (and big targets are mostly junk).
If you want to find gold you have to invest on a professional metal detector, Minelab is the best. If you can't afford a GPZ 7000, buy a SDC 2300, forget the rest, otherwise you will keep on cleaning the bush from the rubbish for all the serious prospectors.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise!! I'm just learning so I'm on snail time .....gonna watch this video several more times.....I'm thinking a metal detector couldn't hurt( the price of buying one might!!)
I've found quartz and (maybe / likely) serpentine rocks on the Canterbury foothill peaks in New Zealand but never any gold, yet. I often see rocks that split into thin slabs too. Obviously the West Coast is a good option to search. I was wondering whether mountain peaks are an area that others find interesting pieces, or gold? Cool video, thanks!
You’ll find Quarts all over New Zealand..there’s a beach by Bluff in Southland where the whole beach is made from Quartz stones and rocks..I was always told that 1ton of quartz crushed is equal to around 10grams of gold is that true
Dig the videos. I have a question about placer structure in year-round water streams. Curious about high-water or flood channels that cut across point bars. I'm not sure what to call them exactly -- cutoff chutes? I was checking out a local river known to have a little gold, doing some sampling, and got to examining one of those high-water channels. There was a good amount of vegetation encroaching down near to the bottom of this flood channel, so I'm thinking that it takes a fairly major high-water event to fill it up. There were some big root masses in the channel, with long, narrow sand/gravel deposits extending behind them -- very well defined. Dug down right behind the root masses and there was a level of about 6-inch cobbles a couple feet down. Question is, do these sorts of deposits in point bar cutoff channels have much potential for flood gold? Thanks again for the videos. They've been educational.
without actually seeing what you are describing, its way hard to say if something would be good or not only by your description. I'd suggest sampling those spots to see if they are good. Glad you enjoyed the video.
We discovered our best gold ever by far in an area which sounds almost exactly like you described. It gets richer going towards the center of the stream channel.
@@capslockbandit - Very interesting. Maybe to make it clearer, this graphic shows pretty well what I'm talking about: photos.app.goo.gl/NiJVapULB83fTuzY7 I went back up on that river a few days ago and brought home some classified material from those sand/gravel deposits I was talking about. They were sort of up on the flood channel's bank a bit -- I guess when the water gets _really_ high, it overflows the high water chute channel thing, at which time the water encounters some big root mass obstructions and lays down a line of material behind them. Panned out about a quarter of a bucket. Tons of black sands -- magnetite and something non- or not very magnetic, ilmenite? -- and lots and lots of sparkly sulfides. So that would seem promising. But not even a single tiny color that I could see with my jewlers loupe. Thought there might be some very fine stuff in there, but if there is, there's not much of it, and/or it's super, ultra-fine. Guess I'll pan the rest of it out. But reading you comment, definitely going to check out the bottom of the (currently) dry channel. There are good-sized cobbles on the bottom and they are really sort of cemented in there flat, like a cobblestone street. See if I can gouge my way through that and get some samples -- also, looks like the bedrock shouldn't be all that far down.
Thank you Ralph for sharing this video. I just received your book yesterday and already read the first 40 pages. So far I'm intrigued and I'm getting ready to build a bellow powered dry washer out of wood. Thank you again for taking the time to make these videos.
Very helpful! I would appreciate locale specific videos. I live in Shasta County, CA. I love the shale/serpentine info, and would be grateful for more details specific to my area. Thank you!
I get a number of requests for "tell me where I can find good gold in my own backyard" type videos. Problem is only you and the other folks who live in your backyard are interested. I've done a few and they end up as not very popular videos. As with your request, the folks in LA, San Diego, AZ, NV, MT and other locations are not interested in Shasta County. That is why I do more general stuff. I would encourage you to join a local prospecting club and also do some research on your own. There are lots of resources that can be found with Google. Start with Googling "Bulletin 193 Gold Districts of California". If you search carefully, you will find a version that can be downloaded for free as a PDF file. Do some reading in that book and you will learn a lot about the gold districts of Shasta and neighboring counties.
This guy Chris is well worth listening to. Someone who knows his shit and has a true joy of sharing it, for which I am grateful. If you wanna find gold, follow this guys lead. Get his book.
Hey Chris great video, I had a question about the possibility of rich gold deposits being found near or directly on rich gem claims. I found several valuable gems on site but it just seems like the claim could be extremely rich in gold from a geological perspective. Also rich gold mines surround the wilderness within ten miles of the gem claim but my rock hound buddy’s think I’m crazy for the curiosity of rich gold being on the gem claims. Any ideas or thoughts on this Chris? Thank you for your time if you read this.
Hi Chris. Thank you. Very informative video. I am from South Africa and will be going out and putting your knowledge to the test. Will also buy your book. Thanks o ce again. Mike
Chris, the camera isn't close enough to your face to read your lips so when you mention an unusual mineral, I sometimes have to repeat that portion a few times to pick up its name. For example, at 7:26/35:26 you mention "glassen", I think. Would you please add a text word at those spots, to make it clear? Thanks. Love your videos. Everyone needs to understand these indicator points. Keep up the good work!
@@ChrisRalph Mr Ralph, Richard is correct, I was puzzling out the same spots, especially gossan. Thank you for your work here, by the way. It is a good video.
Nice!! My father and I had a place we prospected for 3 yrs with some decent gold from, lots of pickers. there was quartz and blue slate there, along with tons of oxidized iron pyrite squares in your pan. I went further upstream the gold was almost in a crystalline state. Some pieces were like a bright gun bluing color, some pieces looked like they had a reddish or chartreus color to them, so, I sampled further up creek and I got nothing. Thats as far as I got. My Dad passed away later, and I moved far away. I was young then, I didn't give it a 2nd thought... 5 yrs ago I was thinking about that...all I had to do was stop where the gold stopped and go on each mountainside to find the motherload.
Very interesting and very informative... Next time, im going to take a much closer look on the sides of an old creek that is part of the farm land that I inherited..
Love your videos. Very informative and professional. Although I was born and raised in N. CA I currently live in W. NC, in The Blue Ridge Mountains. I know this area is known for both gold and gems, maybe more gems than gold, but both have been found and mined here historically. I am certain some if not all the information you provided in this video would also apply here. I know you are out West, and that's your area of expertise. You also say in the video find out the geologic conditions for your area. If you don't feel knowledgeable enough, or inclined, to do a video on finding gold and gems in Appalachia, could you recommend a good source of information for prospecting gold and gems in this area? Thanks again for the generous sharing of your deep knowledge on this subject.
Often Gems and Gold are in separate books rather than together in one. Check with Google - there is a book on fee digging spots in the east - you can find a copy. that will likely have both gold and gems. Part of the issue in the East is that there is so little public land, and this leads to difficult access. Also John Sinkankas's Gemstones of North America - volumes 1-3 - check you local library. I helped John and I'm referenced in volume 3.
Look around for some usgs maps and overlay the nc gold map and also a super super rich area is around, gold hill, Mint hill, midlands nc, and north of charlotte but so many really nice places, let’s go get that gold 🎉❤
I Think These Are Excellent Video's Chris. You Put Alot Into Them Dear. You Really Love Your Field. It's Heartfelt, And You Love It, And It Does Show. You Really Put Your Heart Into It. Thankyou For Bringing These Things To Us. I am More NEWER Too Your Channel. I Enjoy Listening To You. Well, I Have Alot On My Plate, Dealing With Alot Of Medical, Sooh, I Have to Go For Now, Sooh, Too-ta-Loo, Until The Next Time, I Will Be Seeing You. Enjoy. Miss CoCo
Hi Chris really love this video, please do more like this because it really helps me with my work here at a contact near a pluton in upper South Carolina
I already have several like it - check out: th-cam.com/video/MQFfj1lPtzE/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/eN4s0FdeEc0/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/GgIEQUz3pbY/w-d-xo.html
Excellent, informative video! I notice a lot of rock transition zones here in Tuolumne County and over in Calaveras County. There are several distinct rock contact zones, or transition zones on Camp 9 Rd. in Calaveras County. Some are vertical transitions and others have one layer of rock with at least one other layer laying over the top of the lowest visible layer. All that in about 6 miles.
I was bitten by the Gold Bug back in 86 living in a Trailer Park at the base of the "Superstition Mountain". What really caught my eye was visiting the Gift Shop at Barringers Crater and seeing the Variety of Rocks and Minerals along with the Amethyst Coffin that was life sized. Well, I was hooked to the gills and have been a slight Rock Hound since because I didn't think their was Anything to Hound out here in Mlssouri. I would still like to Decipher the "Lost Dutchman's" mine. I believe there are MANY more Viens like the Dutchman's in the same general area where they say it's been found already. There is Much more there, I can Feel It.
what works in one place may not work in another. There are no universal rules of gold such that gold deposits always look like one thing. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph Looking forward to it! So far you're just about the only resource I can find that gives advice more precise than "go where gold has been found before." As a beginner, I truly didn't know whether that meant a 50 meter radius or a 50 mile radius. Your videos have been invaluable in the pursuit of bringing that vague truism into focus. Quick question for you, if you have a sec. I've been putting some of what I'm learning into practice by doing some "recon" on Google Earth. I've found a few spots that meet most of the geological, topographical, and historical criteria for finding gold. There's one spot in particular that I'd love to visit. It appears to be a drainage zone (and by that I mean that topographically it resembles a stream; it is a crease that winds through the lowest elevation between mountains.) It is at the bottom of a "bowl" that is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. It is not a creek or stream, but if you follow the path of the drainage, it eventually becomes one (one that has yielded gold in the past.) Can dry drainage areas like this at the bottom of a "bowl" in the mountains be productive areas? Based on what I've learned so far (which isn't much,) I would think it'd be a good place for alluvial gold to concentrate, much like it would in a river or stream, but I have never seen such areas spoken of in the very few resources on prospecting I can find. Can you think of reasons such areas wouldn't make for good prospecting? Bedrock likely to be too deep for instance? Any insight would be much appreciated. Cheers
I'm a retired geologist and mining engineer. Worked in the gold industry from the late 70's through the 80's in Alaska, British Columbia and Nevada, prospecting and underground mining. You hit on many good points that help the average person. Each mining district is distinct but there are some broad commonalities (and, of course, exceptions) - a heat source to drive groundwater and geologic structure like folding and faulting that opens up pathways for fluid flow. These pathways are, as you point out, recognizable by the presence of alteration and quartz veining. The old timers would pan their way up creeks to locate the source of placer gold. A gold pan is an inexpensive but essential tool if you are young enough to bend over. Great channel.
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the video.
@vnvet2282 LOL you are a 12 year old on an anonymous account making up stories for attention. None of what you said is true, nor did it make any sense. What are you on about? You went from talking about paths, to exceptions to panning tools being essential. LMAO holy bullshit. You regurgitated the information in the video and passing it off as your own experience.
In the volcanics in Central Wyoming... we look basinward of the mountains for stratabound gold traps primarily in large gravel and in sand and gravel beds where some trap mechanism like shale or clay stops the downward migration of precious metals.
Weekenders look at the top foot of a gravel bed for gold and we like to look at the bottom 2 feet of a gravel bed using a backhoe or trackhoe or drilling rig.
So we are looking for redepositions and re-worked concentrations from weathering over thousands or millions of years that can be heap or vat leached.
We watch the weekenders... just in case they know something or are doing something revolutionary. Like poking around in very large surface mineable multi-milion ounce gravel deposits.
We started out shoveling sand and gravel into a highbanker at 9,000' in 1985 and about 3 scoops later... I was ready to quit.
It took us awhile to figure out we didn't want to be up in the mountains mining gold anyways even though the gold is there.
Hii
You’re about the most professional, thorough prospector utuber I have encountered. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Wow, thanks for the kind words. Lots more great videos to come.
@@ChrisRalph 🤩🤩
@@ChrisRalph 🤩🤩
@@ChrisRalph
@ 32:00 "the Quartz with a good amount of gold": In the ore that the "Dutchman" had in his possession/under his bed, at the time of his failing health and just prior to death, that which he gave to those closest him. I'm interested in understanding this subject piece, what they are referred to in Geologic terms and layman/Jeweler name for these pieces.
🔹A number of these pieces were later sold to a San Francisco Jeweler and he left them insitu, sliced them and made jewelry pieces, and a match box container, among other things"
These were so naturally beautiful. I would like to be educated on their details, and should I ever have an opportunity to purchase a piece, I want to be well advised.
When you have time, if you could enlighten me, I'd be most appreciative.
Thanks,
Beth Bartlett
Sociologist/Behavioralist
and Historian
Tennessee, USA
My dad was a miner and logger for 50 some years here in georgetown and he told me most of these same tips a few years before he passed. He knew what he was talking abwt and i know you do too. Love your videos. Just great usefull info for someone looking for some gold. Thank you.
Glad you enjoy the videos.
Canadian Prospector here with +20 years experience. Very well done! Definitely very professionally and educationally done! Well done sir!
Thanks much 👍 Hope it is helpful
MR. RALPH. I just wanted you to know that I have spent the last several hours ENTRANCED watching your amazing videos. You are very knowledgeable about gold and every other aspect of the geology that has anything to do with gold bearing areas. Thank you for your time and attention to producing this amazing series of videos...
Wow, thanks for the kind words.
This is got to be the best information for anyone that ever hunts that shinny available on youtube ! Thanks for your time and sharing your lifetime of knowledge with us .
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Yes 8n va panning my creek
Been prospecting for quite awhile, found gold in GA, SD, AZ and WY. This video is SUPER informative, learned quite a bit. Thanks Ralph.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the kind words.
I'm just now starting to try and learn how to prospect for Gold and I have been watching your videos and I think you are more thorough than most people I have been watching, thanks for being a professional and helping me get the knowledge to go out and do it myself 👍
Thanks for the kind words and I am glad to help.
I just ❤ all the correct information you provide in all your videos. Clean and easy to follow. Thank you so much, keep the videos coming.
Lots of videos coming up. Glad you liked them. 👍
I bought the book. Fists Full Of Gold, is my favorite book on finding GOLD. Thank you for this book.
I'm glad you enjoy it!
I'm a true Ca. native, skater,surfer,bmx fan and a certified welder for structual steel. I have knowledge in many trades that I have aquired through many people and now a new one, thanks to you and your ability to share what you know and I thank you, this will be my first year that I will be applying your knowledge and with a little luck I believe I to will be able to consider myself a prospecter. Again Chris thank you so much for your willingness to share your knowledge you are one of two people that I truly listen to and watch their videos. But your videos and commentary are easily understood and write to the point and by the way I happen to see a program on the History channel that you are on and again that was also very informative so congratulations on your success I like successful people they tend to bring success. So today is my birthday I'm 58 years old and I believe that this is a new chapter in my life and I thanks again. From my heart a greenhorn prospector
Best of luck to you my friend. Stay safe and dry in this big storm.
I'm a fan!!! Im so happy to have FOUND you!!! Im a full time van dweller, always in diff places with time to explore.THANK YOU for helping me in my journey.
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching.
Finally someone who knows what he's talking about on this subject. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the kind words.
Big thanks for putting these videos together. Invaluable info.
Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph how about the vegetations or trees that grows on the area indicators? Maybe there's some hacks. Anyway ..thanks!
Now I know why you decided NOT to become a Geology Teacher. You have probably made much more as a prospector and you get to teach the willing as often as you like without the headaches. Sounds like you hit the "motherlode" in more ways than one.
Fantastic information.
Thank You So Much!
I enjoy what I am doing.
Thank you very much. I have been struggling to find gold locations without using any expensive out of reach equipment. Thank you
Glad I could help
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING YOU & PASSING ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU!💚
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Great
ok
I bought this book and it has a lot of good information. Thank you for all the hard work.
Glad you enjoyed it! Lots more videos to come.
Thanks Chris! I'm in Michigan and I really enjoyed your video. A lot of these same deposits can be found both in the lower and of course the upper peninsula. My wife and I are celebrating our 40th at the end of the month and will spend a long weekend prospecting. :))). Thanks for the advice!
Best of luck to you in your efforts.
New to prospecting, bought the book. I am originally from the Wyoming side of the Black Hills. My late Irish father panned for gold in the area. Wintering down in Wickenburg/Stanton, AZ. Following the family heritage. Love the video. Learned tons of knowledge. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Hi Chris, really appreciate your sharing of the knowledge on gold fossicking. Wife and I are about to go to western Australia in few weeks; my brother in law is there already at meekatharra and has been detecting there for a few weeks already but has found nothing although the ground looks good ie quartz and iron stone everywhere. I am asking if this a normal experience for new prospectors ie just keep at it and learn to be patient, or is it better to keep moving around until an area is found? Kind regards Mike.
I spent 6 weeks prospecting around WA and Meekatharra was our supply point for food, groceries, gasoline, etc. Sometimes it takes a long time to get the hang of it. Be very careful to listen for faint but repeatable targets. Too many new blokes dig only loud boomer targets - which are often trash. Quartz and ironstone are very common things - quartz is made of silicon and oxygen, the two most common elements in the earth's crust. Ironstone is the first and third most common elements - oxygen and iron. Gold on the other hand is very rare. Decades of prospectors armed with detectors have come before you. Learn some geology, learn where others have gone and learn to recognize good areas when you have some success. Maybe get a copy of my prospecting book. There is actually a diggings named "Ralph's diggings" near Meeka. I never made it there but apparently some family members found it originally.
I haven't seen your video all the way yet and I already appreciate you sharing knowledge. It's way more valuable then gold!
Glad you think so!
I come across your videos on TH-cam recommendation, I'm glad it's very very educating.. 👌
Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph thank you Sir
Si il est traduit en arabe il va avoir des millions des abonnés, il est très bien
You are a great guy for teaching people about finding gold
thanks for the kind words.
some of the best tips I have seen.
Thanks for the kind words.
Hi Ralph! I just realized who you remind me of! He was a Geology professor at Sonoma State University, Steve Norwick. Your voice and teaching style are similar. He was a well loved professor and friend. Also taught in the Environmental Studies program. Unfortunately, Steve was run over on Petaluma Hill Road riding his bicycle about ten years ago. Huge loss!
I was a pre K through Adult teacher for many in years. I humbly feel qualified to relate that you are a great teacher. Ask Jeff Williams! He has nothing but compliments. I have watched your videos some many times. I often learn something new or that I missed. I thought geology was hard! Having dabbled for about ten years at TH-cam University, I must admit to a tinge of gold fever. Wondering why I never took an interest in prospecting... Have climbed most of the major peaks of the West. Skied down. Once I found a crystal and gave it to my brother. He was WA Science Teacher of the Year. Has a BS in Geophysics and a Master's in Science Teaching. Worked for NASA and wanted to go back to teaching. There was no job so he took his family to Taiwan. When Mount Saint Helens erupted he phoned from Gonzaga Univ. in Spokane, WA to tell us it was raining ash. Then he went there to work planting lupines and trees on the the volcano's flanks.
Nick Zentner's recent video of how the Rockies were formed helped deepen my understanding that geology of North America is complicated!
Lastly, my neighbor has about two tons of rocks! She asks me, "How do you keep finding gold?"
"I have a good teacher!" So thank you Chris Ralph! Excellent job!
Thanks for the very kind words.
Excellent video! Educational and inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I can't wait for my "Fists Full of Gold" book to arrive.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You are very articulate teacher. I like your style and presentation.
I appreciate that!
I would love to try being a gold prospector. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Ok u
glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph hi deos this green rocks contains gold please answer me
This video taught me more than anything else Google popped up with right off the bat. That being said I have a question. I live in Northern California Placerville area and potentially found gold in a large rock in my yard. Very much alike to rocks at 13:06. It's is insanely heavy unliftable at only 16 to 20 inches diameter. I'm lost what would you advise my first step to be
Break some pieces off until you can clearly see gold. Quartz is very common, and other minerals (like iron minerals) can make a rock heavy.
You answered a lot of questions I had especially about the desert. I live in NM never been prospecting, but now I know more or less what to look for. I usually look for Ancient Native American artifacts. Tools and And effigies. I’ve often wondered if you could find gold around here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Glad it was helpful!
Biggest problem in NM is land ownership. There is gold in NM but you just really have to research if the land you will be prospecting on is owned by someone. Unfortunately a lot of the most accessible places to prospect are on someone's land
@@PerpetuallyTiiiiiired Can you pan in the streams up north? It would be the Forest Service. Like Kit Carson Nat’l Forest.
This video is like a heart of gold to me.
Simple priceless!!!
Looking forward to read your book.
Thanks!
Thanks, Chris. This was very educational. I read all your columns in the Journal.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Glad you enjoy the magazine too.
Im watching this from Kenya I want to start hunting for gold useful information
I wish you the best of luck in your efforts.
G'day from Australia!
Just watched 12 what not to do's!
Thanks for the details, hoping your right about not spending (as cant afford), popular expensive detectors. I have purchased a couple of Kogan detectors,,,finding heaps of junk cleaning the bush, but no luck on yellow stuff!
I'll keep swinging and hope for some shiny stuff.
Cheers Paul
I said it was important to learn the skills of finding gold first, before you buy a detector. I did not say go out and by the cheapest detector you can find. Gold is hard to find and a lot of cheap detectors dont have the sensitivity to find anything but big targets (and big targets are mostly junk).
@@ChrisRalph what is the best metal detector & how much ?
From South Sudan
If you want to find gold you have to invest on a professional metal detector, Minelab is the best. If you can't afford a GPZ 7000, buy a SDC 2300, forget the rest, otherwise you will keep on cleaning the bush from the rubbish for all the serious prospectors.
Your videos are pure gold . I learned so much. Now if I can put it to use around Reno .
Best of luck to you in your efforts.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise!! I'm just learning so I'm on snail time .....gonna watch this video several more times.....I'm thinking a metal detector couldn't hurt( the price of buying one might!!)
Glad it was helpful!
You can get stuff cheaper from auction sites you can though.
I'm grand new at this and you are very helpful. Glad I found your channel...
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph oops just noticed my typos. 😊
I've found quartz and (maybe / likely) serpentine rocks on the Canterbury foothill peaks in New Zealand but never any gold, yet. I often see rocks that split into thin slabs too. Obviously the West Coast is a good option to search. I was wondering whether mountain peaks are an area that others find interesting pieces, or gold?
Cool video, thanks!
Mountain peaks are not a special area where gold is likely to be found.
I always thought gold would be at the bottom of things not the top..generally speaking..
You’ll find Quarts all over New Zealand..there’s a beach by Bluff in Southland where the whole beach is made from Quartz stones and rocks..I was always told that 1ton of quartz crushed is equal to around 10grams of gold is that true
Slam teacher tomorrow i am applying license after racive license use your all ideas. I am so happy my teacher is so genius 💞💞💞
All the best of good luck to you in your efforts.
Dig the videos.
I have a question about placer structure in year-round water streams.
Curious about high-water or flood channels that cut across point bars. I'm not sure what to call them exactly -- cutoff chutes? I was checking out a local river known to have a little gold, doing some sampling, and got to examining one of those high-water channels. There was a good amount of vegetation encroaching down near to the bottom of this flood channel, so I'm thinking that it takes a fairly major high-water event to fill it up. There were some big root masses in the channel, with long, narrow sand/gravel deposits extending behind them -- very well defined. Dug down right behind the root masses and there was a level of about 6-inch cobbles a couple feet down. Question is, do these sorts of deposits in point bar cutoff channels have much potential for flood gold?
Thanks again for the videos. They've been educational.
without actually seeing what you are describing, its way hard to say if something would be good or not only by your description. I'd suggest sampling those spots to see if they are good. Glad you enjoyed the video.
We discovered our best gold ever by far in an area which sounds almost exactly like you described. It gets richer going towards the center of the stream channel.
@@capslockbandit - Very interesting.
Maybe to make it clearer, this graphic shows pretty well what I'm talking about:
photos.app.goo.gl/NiJVapULB83fTuzY7
I went back up on that river a few days ago and brought home some classified material from those sand/gravel deposits I was talking about. They were sort of up on the flood channel's bank a bit -- I guess when the water gets _really_ high, it overflows the high water chute channel thing, at which time the water encounters some big root mass obstructions and lays down a line of material behind them.
Panned out about a quarter of a bucket. Tons of black sands -- magnetite and something non- or not very magnetic, ilmenite? -- and lots and lots of sparkly sulfides. So that would seem promising. But not even a single tiny color that I could see with my jewlers loupe. Thought there might be some very fine stuff in there, but if there is, there's not much of it, and/or it's super, ultra-fine. Guess I'll pan the rest of it out.
But reading you comment, definitely going to check out the bottom of the (currently) dry channel. There are good-sized cobbles on the bottom and they are really sort of cemented in there flat, like a cobblestone street. See if I can gouge my way through that and get some samples -- also, looks like the bedrock shouldn't be all that far down.
I’m a newbie into this field your experience means a lot to me I’m now in process of acquiring my mining field any tips will help
I have a huge number of past videos with loads of tips and information. Go through my past videos and pick out ones that sound interesting to you.
Third time I've watched this video - VERY informative, thanks for all you do, Chris...!
I am glad you enjoyed the video.
Very informative
Hello Chris , thankyou for the video , a lot of good interesting information , about were gold is found , and the rocks that are found near gold .
Glad it was helpful.
Thank you Ralph for sharing this video. I just received your book yesterday and already read the first 40 pages. So far I'm intrigued and I'm getting ready to build a bellow powered dry washer out of wood. Thank you again for taking the time to make these videos.
You are very welcome
Morning Chris, Thanks for the great info on hacks to find gold...I never lose interest in your knowledge...
My pleasure!
Thanks Chris I'm watching from Australia so am enjoying to see the place where you have been in Aussie land. 🐨
I hope to return to the Lucky Country some day, but no plans to do so real soon. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Hi, Chris is my first time watching your videos, your steps is very understandable. Thanks , Tina
Glad it was helpful!
Very helpful! I would appreciate locale specific videos. I live in Shasta County, CA. I love the shale/serpentine info, and would be grateful for more details specific to my area. Thank you!
I get a number of requests for "tell me where I can find good gold in my own backyard" type videos. Problem is only you and the other folks who live in your backyard are interested. I've done a few and they end up as not very popular videos. As with your request, the folks in LA, San Diego, AZ, NV, MT and other locations are not interested in Shasta County. That is why I do more general stuff. I would encourage you to join a local prospecting club and also do some research on your own. There are lots of resources that can be found with Google. Start with Googling "Bulletin 193 Gold Districts of California". If you search carefully, you will find a version that can be downloaded for free as a PDF file. Do some reading in that book and you will learn a lot about the gold districts of Shasta and neighboring counties.
Up close shots of the rocks would be a big help for a novice like myself. Love the info.
There are so many different types of rocks that can be associated with gold deposits, it would need be 50 to 75 pictures and a whole video on its own.
@@ChrisRalph Thanks Chris.
Thank you for the explanation on how quartz gets into the desert pavement! I just ordered your book, can’t wait!
Thanks and I am I'm sure you will enjoy it!
This guy Chris is well worth listening to.
Someone who knows his shit and has a true joy of sharing it, for which I am grateful.
If you wanna find gold, follow this guys lead.
Get his book.
Thanks much for the kind words.
Hey Chris great video, I had a question about the possibility of rich gold deposits being found near or directly on rich gem claims. I found several valuable gems on site but it just seems like the claim could be extremely rich in gold from a geological perspective. Also rich gold mines surround the wilderness within ten miles of the gem claim but my rock hound buddy’s think I’m crazy for the curiosity of rich gold being on the gem claims. Any ideas or thoughts on this Chris? Thank you for your time if you read this.
Without knowing anything of the geology, impossible to say....
I will order the book.. Appreciate the content. Am in an island that has plenty of gold and will be investing to get started..
Best of luck to you in your efforts.
Great content! My wife and I live in Wyoming and just start prospecting for gold. Keep the great videos coming! Thanks
many more on the way. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Great at explaining the facts so you can understand it all
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Thanks Chris that's very informative! May Allah bless you for doing these explanations!
You are very welcome.
Hi Chris. Thank you. Very informative video. I am from South Africa and will be going out and putting your knowledge to the test. Will also buy your book. Thanks o ce again. Mike
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Thank you looking forward to getting involved
Any time! Thanks for the kind words.
Somewhere in East Africa lies our village, lots of Quartz Vein I never thought they are indicating goodies around me. Thanks mate
Quartz is common, but gold is rare. Not all quartz veins have gold.
Chris, the camera isn't close enough to your face to read your lips so when you mention an unusual mineral, I sometimes have to repeat that portion a few times to pick up its name. For example, at 7:26/35:26 you mention "glassen", I think. Would you please add a text word at those spots, to make it clear? Thanks. Love your videos. Everyone needs to understand these indicator points. Keep up the good work!
Its Gossan. For more info, google "Gossan ore" - you will get gobs of more info. Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph Mr Ralph, Richard is correct, I was puzzling out the same spots, especially gossan. Thank you for your work here, by the way. It is a good video.
ps I think the video will send traffic to your site and sell some books. Best of luck, and good day to you!
Thank you, am a newbie. Learned a bunch. Will be in touch. Thanks again
Glad it was helpful!
I have acquired a lot of information from this video. Thanks man, great work👍. Can you share another video teaching on geobotany
Glad it was helpful.
Thanks for your information my friend, greetings from Indonesia Gold Prospector 🇲🇨
Best of luck to you.
Nice!! My father and I had a place we prospected for 3 yrs with some decent gold from, lots of pickers. there was quartz and blue slate there, along with tons of oxidized iron pyrite squares in your pan. I went further upstream the gold was almost in a crystalline state. Some pieces were like a bright gun bluing color, some pieces looked like they had a reddish or chartreus color to them, so, I sampled further up creek and I got nothing. Thats as far as I got. My Dad passed away later, and I moved far away. I was young then, I didn't give it a 2nd thought... 5 yrs ago I was thinking about that...all I had to do was stop where the gold stopped and go on each mountainside to find the motherload.
Can you remember well enough to go back and find it?
Very interesting and very informative... Next time, im going to take a much closer look on the sides of an old creek that is part of the farm land that I inherited..
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Love your videos. Very informative and professional. Although I was born and raised in N. CA I currently live in W. NC, in The Blue Ridge Mountains. I know this area is known for both gold and gems, maybe more gems than gold, but both have been found and mined here historically. I am certain some if not all the information you provided in this video would also apply here. I know you are out West, and that's your area of expertise. You also say in the video find out the geologic conditions for your area. If you don't feel knowledgeable enough, or inclined, to do a video on finding gold and gems in Appalachia, could you recommend a good source of information for prospecting gold and gems in this area? Thanks again for the generous sharing of your deep knowledge on this subject.
Often Gems and Gold are in separate books rather than together in one. Check with Google - there is a book on fee digging spots in the east - you can find a copy. that will likely have both gold and gems. Part of the issue in the East is that there is so little public land, and this leads to difficult access. Also John Sinkankas's Gemstones of North America - volumes 1-3 - check you local library. I helped John and I'm referenced in volume 3.
Look around for some usgs maps and overlay the nc gold map and also a super super rich area is around, gold hill, Mint hill, midlands nc, and north of charlotte but so many really nice places, let’s go get that gold 🎉❤
Really enjoyed this video with the geologic examples...a picture is worth a thousand words at times!
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Much appreciate the geology hack lesson Chris.
Glad to hear it was helpful.
I really enjoyed every thing you talk about. Thank you 😊❤️
Glad you enjoyed it!
This video is pure gold!
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I Think These Are Excellent Video's Chris. You Put Alot Into Them Dear. You Really Love Your Field. It's Heartfelt, And You Love It, And It Does Show. You Really Put Your Heart Into It. Thankyou For Bringing These Things To Us. I am More NEWER Too Your Channel. I Enjoy Listening To You. Well, I Have Alot On My Plate, Dealing With Alot Of Medical, Sooh, I Have to Go For Now, Sooh, Too-ta-Loo, Until The Next Time, I Will Be Seeing You. Enjoy. Miss CoCo
Hope you get to feeling better and all your medical issues work out.
Hi Chris really love this video, please do more like this because it really helps me with my work here at a contact near a pluton in upper South Carolina
I already have several like it - check out: th-cam.com/video/MQFfj1lPtzE/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/eN4s0FdeEc0/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/GgIEQUz3pbY/w-d-xo.html
Excellent, informative video!
I notice a lot of rock transition zones here in Tuolumne County and over in Calaveras County. There are several distinct rock contact zones, or transition zones on Camp 9 Rd. in Calaveras County. Some are vertical transitions and others have one layer of rock with at least one other layer laying over the top of the lowest visible layer. All that in about 6 miles.
Interesting! I am not really familiar with that particular part of the mother lode country.
Thank You for sharing your knowledge very very helpful
You are very welcome
I have a copy of your book and it is excellent. Thank you.
Awesome, thank you! Hope it helps you find a Fist full of gold.
Very informative and interesting; thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I find alot of understanding of where gems are mostly. Great expert man
Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph i dont have borex when i m melting what should i mix it rocks and sands? Thanks Mr
OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION, VERY INFORMATIVE AND SCIENCE BASED.
YOU ARE A REAL
PROFESSOR OF PROSPECTING !
🇺🇸👍⭐
I appreciate that! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I followed the Amazon link and bought your book. Looking forward to the read.
I think you will enjoy it! Glad you enjoyed the video.
I’m new here, 3rd video- I’m watching this one now. So thorough how you explain things. Thanks, Chris 🤓💫☄️💥🔥
Glad it was helpful!
I was bitten by the Gold Bug back in 86 living in a Trailer Park at the base of the "Superstition Mountain". What really caught my eye was visiting the Gift Shop at Barringers Crater and seeing the Variety of Rocks and Minerals along with the Amethyst Coffin that was life sized. Well, I was hooked to the gills and have been a slight Rock Hound since because I didn't think their was Anything to Hound out here in Mlssouri. I would still like to Decipher the "Lost Dutchman's" mine. I believe there are MANY more Viens like the Dutchman's in the same general area where they say it's been found already. There is Much more there, I can Feel It.
OK.
thanks I enjoy your videos they clear up a lot of what I thought I knew
Glad you enjoyed it!
I passed by this guy so many times because he is funny looking ... but then when I gave him a chance ... he proved to be a great knowledge mine.
Just shows you're not a good judge of appearances.
Just Bought your Book ! Thank you ! Just started reading it !!
I'm sure you will enjoy it!
great video, thank you so much for sharing your vast knowledge!
Glad it was helpful!
Your videos are in fact, gold. 🖖🏽
Glad you like them!
Thanks Chris! very informative! will get your book and watch more videos!
bruce tucson
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you very much, this video was very informative unlike most videos on this platform 🤣. Keep it up.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this vid. So what your saying is slate with pyrite could be a good thing. Slate with quartz veins through it.
Yes, but quartz veins are common and many have no gold. If you have a quartz vein with good gold, that would be worthwhile.
Amazing Information, thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Would you dig out of the wall that you removed the specimen of slate from? If I saw a bank like that somewhere should I prospect there?
what works in one place may not work in another. There are no universal rules of gold such that gold deposits always look like one thing. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Another Sub, thanks for sharing this information Chris!
Thanks for the sub! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Thank you so much for these videos. I feel like I should be paying you tuition. Just ordered your book.
Awesome, thank you! I think you will enjoy the book.
@@ChrisRalph Looking forward to it! So far you're just about the only resource I can find that gives advice more precise than "go where gold has been found before." As a beginner, I truly didn't know whether that meant a 50 meter radius or a 50 mile radius. Your videos have been invaluable in the pursuit of bringing that vague truism into focus.
Quick question for you, if you have a sec. I've been putting some of what I'm learning into practice by doing some "recon" on Google Earth. I've found a few spots that meet most of the geological, topographical, and historical criteria for finding gold. There's one spot in particular that I'd love to visit.
It appears to be a drainage zone (and by that I mean that topographically it resembles a stream; it is a crease that winds through the lowest elevation between mountains.) It is at the bottom of a "bowl" that is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. It is not a creek or stream, but if you follow the path of the drainage, it eventually becomes one (one that has yielded gold in the past.)
Can dry drainage areas like this at the bottom of a "bowl" in the mountains be productive areas? Based on what I've learned so far (which isn't much,) I would think it'd be a good place for alluvial gold to concentrate, much like it would in a river or stream, but I have never seen such areas spoken of in the very few resources on prospecting I can find. Can you think of reasons such areas wouldn't make for good prospecting? Bedrock likely to be too deep for instance?
Any insight would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Just ordered your book! Thanks, I dig your videos.
I'm sure you will enjoy it!
Bought a copy of your book. Thanks for the info!
I am sure you will enjoy it!
Hi...Sir...I am Indonesia. I am new to see your videos. I am interst it for learning to mine the gold. I fans you Sir. Thanks.
Best of luck to you!
This was a really nice video, very informative and well explained, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge!! Greetings from Europe
Glad it was helpful! More videos to come.
Good Morning, thanks for the good content. What type of metal detector do you use?
Many types..... Not just one or two.
appreciate the effort you put in
thanks
Glad you like them!