Prospecting and Rockhounding
Events and Happenings
Under Construction
The Prospecting Glossary
dredging - the use of a vacuum type under water device to suck up sand and gravels to be processed through a sluice box
sluice - a box type device that uses water and riffles (metal flaps) to trap the gold as it goes through the sluice.
color - very small particles in the sand or pan.
free gold - gold that does not need to be separated from it's parent rock.
lode - a deposit of a mineral in rock such as quartz.
placer - a deposit of gold in sand or gravel as opposed to gold contained in rock.
ore - a mineral of sufficient value and quanity to be mined at a profit
jaw crusher - A machine used to crush rock to free the gold or other minerals
dry washer - a machine for extracting gold from gravel and sand without water.
poop tube - A device made of 4" drain tile that works in a similar fashion as a slucie box.
Mining Tips
Metal Detecting in Tailing Piles
How often do you pass an ore dump on your way to the streams were you do your normal prospecting. Many people overlook these possible bonanzas. With a little research you may be able to locate an old tailing pile that still contains gold. The old timers, who developed some of these small mines, were only after the high grade gold thus dumping this lower grade ore into tailing piles. These tailing piles contain pieces of quartz which hold the intrapped gold. By using a metal detector people have been known to recover from a few grams to a few ounces of gold. Before using this tip check the land status and obtain the proper permits.
May your pan be filled with gold.
AOJ
How To Identify Gold
Pyrite breaks when hit, gold is malleable when hit
Mica flakes will crush easily
Cubic shapes indicate pyrite
Gold is golden not brassy
Pyrite will glitter, gold will not
Gold when swirled in a pan will not move easily
How to identify gold - obtained from the Arizona Mineral Museum
Rockhounding
Places to go rockhounding
Lynx Creek panning site
E-mail or call (602) 435-9669 for the above map and directions
Descriptions and Pictures of Arizona Minerals
Gold
Geode
Copper
(native)