Gold Prospecting

Using a detector to find gold and other precious metals...

Treasure hunters of all levels are able to use metal detectors to find coins, relics, and gold. Most hobbyist metal detectors are able to detect and discriminate between different metals, including gold and silver. While many metal detectors are designed for a combination of uses, some metal detectors are designed for a specific use. If your interest is solely in gold prospecting, you may want to purchase a metal detector that specializes in detecting gold. The technology and features of these metal detectors are designed to maximize the detection of gold items. Whether you are searching for buried treasures of gold coins and gold bars, lost gold jewelry or gold nuggets, metal detectors specialized for gold prospecting can help you increase your finds.

Gold Prospecting With a Metal Detector

If you are focused about searching for gold and want to get the best results in your prospecting, one of the most effective tools you can purchase is a quality metal detector. Many metal detector manufacturers offer various models of metal detectors for gold hunting, in both VLF (Very Low Frequency) and PI (Pulse Induction) systems. While gold prospectors may differ on the type of technology they use, they all know the importance of choosing a high quality system.

There are several basic differences between VLF and PI metal detectors. VLF metal detectors are effective at discrimination (differentiating between gold and unwanted items) but they have difficulty in highly mineralized areas and soil containing highly conductive materials. In comparison to VLF systems, PI detectors work better in mineralized areas and for detecting metal at deeper depths, but they are not very effective at discrimination.

While some gold prospectors prefer VLF metal detectors with discrimination technology to help differentiate between the gold and other metals, many other gold seekers choose PI systems. Although the PI metal detectors lack in their discrimination capabilities and require manual ground balancing or ground tracking to get the best results, their operating frequencies are better suited for locating gold. The operating frequencies of they systems can locate gold in highly mineralized areas, can filter out the presence of magnetite or “black sand” and have an increased sensitivity to smaller and deeper nuggets.

If you want a system that you can use for both gold prospecting and coin hunting, you should look for a VLF metal detector with discrimination. Multi-use metal detectors and metal detectors using BFO technology are not the best choices if you are looking specifically for gold, especially in mineralized areas. If you are only interested in locating gold deposits or gold nuggets, you should consider a PI metal detector.

Where To Go Gold Prospecting

If you want to find gold, it is important to do your research and find an area that is known to have gold. Gold fields and gold claims are well documented and the internet makes it very easy to research this information. Other sources of information include books, old bulletins, publications, and geologic maps. Many prospectors and treasure hunters also belong to clubs and forums where members share metal detecting information.

Once you have located some potential sites to search for gold, you want to make sure you get permission and access to the land. You want to avoid marked claims and private property if you don’t have permission from the owner to gold prospect there, otherwise it is considered trespassing and stealing. If an area looks claimed, it probably is. Also, areas such as State Parks are off limits to gold prospecting and the use of metal detectors. One way to find out the status of the land that you want to prospect is to contact a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) office and see if they have land surface maps available (most do).

When you contact the owner or government agency with your request to use your metal detector to look for gold on their property, be honest with them about your intentions. Many times you will get permission to prospect freely, or sometimes you may be able to negotiate a fee based on your findings. And whenever you dig on public land or private property, make sure to fill in and cover up the holes you dig. The Forest Service, BLM, and other government agencies have gotten stricter on their rules and regulations over the years, so if you leave the area in the same condition as you found it, it helps make it possible for everyone to enjoy the hobby of metal detecting in the years to come.