How do you know where gold is in the ground?

Lighter Colored Rocks: If you notice out-of-place colors in a group of rock formations, it can be a gold indicator. Acidic mineral solutions in gold areas can bleach the rocks to a lighter color. Presence of Quartz: Quartz is a common indicator that gold MAY be nearby.
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Where is gold most likely to be found?

Gold is primarily found as the pure, native metal. Sylvanite and calaverite are gold-bearing minerals. Gold is usually found embedded in quartz veins, or placer stream gravel. It is mined in South Africa, the USA (Nevada, Alaska), Russia, Australia and Canada.
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How do you know that there is a gold in the soil?

Changes in the color of soil can be another indicator of nearby gold. Iron staining is another excellent indicator that gold may be present. The iron stains are in yellow or reddish soil. Soil which contains iron may also be black, provided it has not oxidized.
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How do you know if gold is in your yard?

Gold is an extremely dense element and will most generally be found on bedrock or in stream beds where it was deposited by the current. If your yard has no exposed bedrock, you will probably have to dig down to it. Another tip to find gold is to look for quartz.
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How far down is gold found?

Other gold mines use underground mining, where the ore is extracted through tunnels or shafts. South Africa has the world's deepest hard rock gold mine up to 3,900 metres (12,800 ft) underground. At such depths, the heat is unbearable for humans, and air conditioning is required for the safety of the workers.
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How To Find Gold: Ten Natural Geologic Indicator Hacks



How can you tell if you found gold?

Perform a simple test of the material in the pan to assess whether it is real gold. Raw gold appears brassy yellow and bright. If you think it is gold, place your hand between it and the sun to create shade over the gold. If it still appears bright in the pan, chances are that it is real gold.
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Where is the easiest place to find gold?

10 Best Places for Gold Prospecting Or Mine Tours
  • Eldorado Canyon, Nevada. ...
  • Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, California. ...
  • Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, Colorado. ...
  • Queen Mine in Bisbee, Arizona. ...
  • Liarsville Gold Rush Camp, Alaska. ...
  • Lackawanna Coal Mine, Pennsylvania. ...
  • Cracker Creek Mining Camp in Sumpter, Oregon.
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How can you tell if a rock has gold in it?

You're looking for a scratch on the glass. If the glass gets scratched from the 'gold', it's not actually gold. Since glass has a hardness of around 5.5 it will only be scratched by harder minerals like pyrite and quartz. If the glass doesn't scratch then that's a great sign – you likely have gold in your rock!
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Is gold everywhere in the ground?

Gold is everywhere on Earth, it's just not commonly found in significant concentrations. The Earth's crust contains approximately 0.004 grams of gold per ton, and there is even a lot of gold in saltwater - but concentrating the trace amounts just doesn't make economical sense.
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What should I look for when prospecting gold?

Geological Factors to Look Out for When Prospecting for Gold
  • Rocks with Different Colours. ...
  • Rocks Containing Iron Stains. ...
  • Rocks That Have Quartz Veins. ...
  • Rocks in Fault Zones. ...
  • Rocks in Other Surfaces. ...
  • Rocks in Familiar Geological Places. ...
  • Conclusion.
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What plants contain gold?

The flowering perennial plant alfafa, for example, has been cultivated by scientists to contain pure gold in its plant tissue. Now researchers from the Sun Yat-sen University in China have identified and investigated the characteristics of gold nanoparticles in two plant species growing in their natural environments.
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What rocks contain gold?

Gold is also found at times in chalcopyrite, galena and arsenopyrite and stibnite, but not as a rule in such large amounts as may be found in pyrite. Other minerals, like sphalerite, pyrrhotite, magnetite and hematite sometimes carry small amounts of gold as well. Gold also occurs as tellurides such as calaverite.
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What determines where gold is found in nature?

The erosion process of water over time reveals the places in which large gold deposits can be found. Streams that cut through the rocks carry the smaller elements of gold down with them.
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Can you find gold in any river?

Gold exists in extremely diluted concentrations in both freshwater and seawater, and is thus technically present in all rivers. However, the concentration is very small, difficult to detect and its extraction is not currently feasible or economically profitable.
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Do metal detectors find gold?

Modern prospecting detectors can discover gold as small as a half a grain. As the size of the target becomes larger, gold nuggets can be located at significantly greater depths. A single grain nugget can be unearthed at a depth of 1-2 inches. A match head size nugget can be located at a depth of 3-5 inches.
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What does vinegar do to gold?

Gold is unaffected by vinegar because it is a stable metal and will not react with oxygen. That means it will not change color, develop crystals, or disintegrate. If the sample is iron pyrite (Fool's Gold) or chalcopyrite, it may remain the color of gold, but will begin to form crystals while it is submerged.
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What state has the most gold?

Nevada. Nevada is the leading gold-producing state in the nation, in 2018 producing 5,581,160 troy ounces (173.6 tonnes), representing 78% of US gold and 5.0% of the world's production. Much of the gold in Nevada comes from large open pit mining and with heap leaching recovery.
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Where can I mine gold for free?

10 Free Gold Panning Areas in California
  • Auburn State Recreation Area. ...
  • Butte Recreation Area. ...
  • Columbia State Historic Park. ...
  • Keyesville Recreational Mining Area. ...
  • Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. ...
  • Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. ...
  • Merced River. ...
  • South Yuba River State Park.
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How much is a gold rock worth?

That would make the gold in a one pound ore sample worth approximately 75 cents, and this is assuming that the ore is extremely rich. Many mines can run profitably on much lower grade ores, which might easily reduce the average value of ore down to 25 cents or less per pound.
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How do you find gold in a creek?

Mapping Gold in Creeks
  1. Check where the shallow parts of the creek are. ...
  2. Search in between crevices and cracks of bedrock. ...
  3. ​Search along river bends or around objects like boulders that obstruct river flow. ...
  4. See if the river leads to an intersection or confluence. ...
  5. Check if the creek or river leads to a waterfall.
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What does pure gold feel like?

Pure gold is very soft and malleable, and has an intense yellow color.
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Does black sand indicate gold?

Black sands (mostly iron) can be and usually is an indicator of gold, but not always. Rule of thumb is you will generally find black sand with gold, but not always gold with black sand. However if you are finding gold and getting black sands with it, it would be worthwhile to try some and see what happens.
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