When you hear the phrase “Gold is where you find it”, what does it mean to you? Leave a comment, or your personal gold prospecting story better yet.
After the last email I sent out I noticed several folks commenting on the blog and on our Facebook page that old miner’s proverb “Gold is where you find it.” This adage sounds really wise, except that it only tells you half the story…
You see; Gold is also where you don’t find it too. Just because someone hasn’t found it doesn’t mean you can’t.
In fact that’s your real problem with gold prospecting because if you use an old timer’s random adage based approach to gold location you’ll quickly get the idea there’s no gold out there. In reality there’s a lot more gold out there than was ever recovered. Something like 80 to 90% is still out there, but it has one big drawback.
The remaining gold is not sitting there, glowing within easy reach of the surface (unless a big flood dislodged a pocket recently.) So, to get at this gold you’re going to have to become a good deal more creative in your prospecting and mining efforts than the sourdough miner’s ever were. Let me explain what I mean by that…
To find gold you must stay the course when the samples are lean. The ability to determine where gold is to be found depends on your ability to know a little hydro-dynamics and a bit of geology to plot out what makes a good place to sample. Then your samples will direct you to good and away from not so good mining locations. Step, by step searching for richer pay dirt (or a richer vein.) Make a map!
Remember your X marks the spot!
Of course you can always drive a random stake in the ground and if you find it, well there it is!
With that random stake for your prospecting process your only ‘gold is where you find it!”
Or you can begin a process of detailing the not so random clues around your claim and assemble a picture or map showing you the likely places where the Gold is where you didn’t find it (Yet.)
That’s one for your notebook; plan to stay the course mapping your claim regardless of your finds or lack of finds. Each clue tells part of the story. Avoid getting interrupted in the latest finds, news or fads. Step by step, you’re hunting for that gold they didn’t find.
Good Prospecting!
Prospector Jess
