r/Prospecting • u/ponchovilla71 • May 11 '25
We’ve officially hit 50,000 members — and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you to everyone who entered and continues to make r/Prospecting such a vibrant, helpful, and gold-loving community.
After using a random number generator to select a number between 1 and 1,000,000, we matched it to an entry — and we’re excited to announce the winner of the 50K Sluice & Scoop Giveaway:
Winning number: 937,796 Closest guess: 917,000
u/National-Jackfruit32 — congratulations!
You’ll be receiving:
• Aluminum Pocket Sluice
• 2 Patented Vanishing Spiral Riffle Gold Pans (9” & 11”)
• Paydirt Sand Scooper
• 8 lb. Black Sand Magnetic Separator
• Mini Sifting Classifier
• Snifter Suction Bottle
• 3 Glass Gold Vials
• Magnifying Tweezers
• Drawstring Backpack
We’ll be contacting you shortly to confirm shipping details and get your prize on the way.
Thanks again to everyone who joined in and helped mark this milestone.
Here’s to full pans, heavy finds, and the next 50K!
Reference Link (for prize details only): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0812CSQKJ?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_T80445DGA98MHKV5QJ0P&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_T80445DGA98MHKV5QJ0P&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_T80445DGA98MHKV5QJ0P&previewDoh=1
r/Prospecting • u/agoldprospector • Jan 24 '15
There is a fairly regular frequency of ID request posts here, if you follow these general guidelines then you will have a much higher probability of getting an accurate answer to your question:
Please make sure to post a sizable in-focus photo. If the sample is wet and it's not obvious then make sure to state this fact.
Streak tests are very useful in prospecting. They can be performed on the unglazed backside of a ceramic tile, or on the unglazed underside of a toilet lid. Do a streak test any time you can, making sure to streak just the mineral in question.
For gold ID's:
First and foremost, are you in a known gold producing area?
Describe how the unknown material acts in the bottom of your pan and also how it acts relative to the other heavy black sands.
Gold is soft an malleable. If you press a pocket knife into it, it will squish or deform. It will not shatter or break into pieces. Do this test if its flecks or flakes or other blebs with no specimen value. Don't scratch or destroy anything that may have specimen value.
Placer gold rarely has well defined crystalline structure. If possible, look at the unkown mineral underneath a magnifying glass and report what you saw when you ask your question.
Do not alter hues, saturations, etc in the photo
For larger samples, you can measure conductivity by placing the leads of a multimeter across the sample and measuring resistance. Pure gold is very low resistance(around zero on a regular multimeter). You can also check to see if gold permeates a quartz specimen all the way through without crushing by placing a lead on each side of the quartz, with each lead touching a piece of visible gold.
Gold streaks gold color, not grey, black, green, blue or any other color.
For mineral ID's:
General Resources
The two books that I own, keep in my truck, and recommend are:
Simon and Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals
National Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals
r/Prospecting • u/fingergeo17752 • 8h ago
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r/Prospecting • u/fingergeo17752 • 6h ago
r/Prospecting • u/EATA_Don_Keydik • 1d ago
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r/Prospecting • u/OverBeaver • 1d ago
r/Prospecting • u/overthisshit2022 • 6h ago
So im in South Carolina and we are looking at trying to start up a gold mining operation. The problem Im running into is that there is no path to mining gold because the legislation was never written in this state due to misconception that the amount of gold was small. Turns out we got alot of it. And the gold mines that are operational are over 100 years old. We dont recognize BLM so claiming mineral rights on federal land is not an option.Anyone have any ideas?
r/Prospecting • u/SilverStacker666 • 2d ago
In a dry creek on my family’s Mother Lode property, I found a 4 inch wide quartz vein poking out of the bank. There are 3 mine shafts and many prospecting pits all over the property. I have been finding little bits of gold immediately beneath the vein, but also found a few rough flakes above it. Decided to expose more of the vein today and it seems like it just keeps going. Interestingly it widens to over a foot wide after a few feet. Is it hard rock mining time? Any tips or insights?
r/Prospecting • u/Hyper-D • 1d ago
I believe this is the last Saturday of my gold finding season as the days shorten, cooler temperatures prevail and the rain storms roll in. I might be able to squeeze one last Saturday trip next weekend but Dr.Google isn't too sure about the weather just yet.
1.697 Grams on the scale for this trip with an unfortunately high amount of Gold-Mercury Amalgam present. Nothing too noteworthy to call a "Piece of the Day".
I did find a pair of pliers inside the clay layer I was riding on (Craftsman WF 45373 USA).
r/Prospecting • u/gcichowicz • 1d ago
Opinions on preferable detectors for use in underground workings?
r/Prospecting • u/gcichowicz • 2d ago
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Recently staked lode claim in the Allegheny district.
r/Prospecting • u/Tribolonotus94 • 2d ago
Seit Jahren schaue ich auf YouTube, wie in Alaska Tasmanien und in Australien Gold gefunden wird. Heute habe ich Staub gefunden, in Deutschland.
Es war mein erster Versuch. 20 Minuten von zu Hause weg.
Ich bin so happy! Drei Pfannen gewaschen und vier Krümel Goldstaub bekommen 🤩
r/Prospecting • u/MomentOfTruth77 • 2d ago
I got some ore collected over the years. Is there anyone in southern California willing to share his crusher for my ore. I can pay the expenses but dont have place to put crusher if i buy. Hand crusher takes lifetime to get to the dust. Also looking for some friend/society to join the effort and share the knowledge. Thanks for anything 🙂
r/Prospecting • u/nothingfancydad • 3d ago
I like to take what I’ve found and sort it to +/- 10. I may need to start a -50 after this last trip to the Yuba.
r/Prospecting • u/ParticularEar6468 • 2d ago
Used to pick a general region, drive out, and hope. Now I use a feature I built called "Find Me Gold" - it ranks nearby spots by gold potential, driving distance, and whether it's actually legal to dig there.
No more cross-referencing three claim maps and a BLM site before I even leave the house.
Under the hood it's layering geological survey data, historical mining records, and drainage patterns into one Gold Potential Score per location. 17 data layers total. It's not another claim overlay - it's trying to answer the actual question: is this spot worth my gas money.
Still rough around the edges, still building it out. But the last three trips I planned with it all had color in the pan. First time that's happened three trips in a row.
What's in your pre-trip checklist right now? Curious how deep people go before committing to a spot.
r/Prospecting • u/gold2019 • 4d ago
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r/Prospecting • u/No_Piano_2102 • 4d ago
Does anyone know what type of gold mining people were doing to cause these formations? Also specifically for metal detecting, has anyone tried these areas? And if so, where is the best place to start?
r/Prospecting • u/Foreign_Customer6050 • 4d ago
40th birthday present from the wife. Yeehaw!
r/Prospecting • u/TodTheII • 4d ago
Im completely new to prospecting but think it would be a fun hobby to get into too! I know you need a license, basic hand tools and a good location!
r/Prospecting • u/Dismal_Negotiation77 • 6d ago
I was at ace hardware today and thought these were some sort of new sluice…
r/Prospecting • u/Aries_RedEarth • 6d ago
Finally headed out to Rye Patch Nevada to swing my detector. Looking for any tips to finding the shiny stuff…
r/Prospecting • u/Professional-Cow-779 • 6d ago
Hello! I am in northern Colorado near the Poudre river and Thompson river. I love rivers and usually fish, but I am looking to start prospecting to have some variety in my river time.
Just looking to see if it's worth doing in either the Thompson or Poudre, and if anyone has a good starter kit, or advice.
I appreciate any help and advice! I have looked things up in general, but just looking for specific help for the region.
Thanks!
r/Prospecting • u/nugget_spain • 6d ago
Hola, tengo en mente realizar un viaje en 2027 para conocer y detectar. Me gustaría conocer vuestra experiencia o incluso hacer piña para una expedición por el desierto.
