Am I suppose to detect ridges or gullies?

[Xadz]

Hey guys,

Back to prospecting season for me as the business slows down in the colder months. I've spent the last 6 or so months researching and trying to gain as much knowledge as possible.

I managed to score 0.8g of gold in my first year last year with a GM1000. I'm super stocked I found a bit!

Went out to Bendigo today - which by the way is very difficult with a GM1000. The ground is atrociously hot. Dug about 50 hot rocks. Maybe I've got some settings wrong but not even ground balancing works there.

After coming home defeated with no gold I decided to do some more research on what I was doing wrong. I came across a couple of youtubers who always head to a ridge and look around and see where water would go if it rained.

It got me thinking, I always spend 90% of my time in gullies trying to find where the gold has "ended up" but never really where it's come from. Am I missing something? Should I be taking a more broad approach and working my way up a hill from where I think the gold could of come from?

I'd love some advice and insights as to whether I'm approaching detecting wrong and maybe I'm thinking like a "planner".

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nightjar]

Xadz,
One method I have applied with success. If and when you find "old" workings in a valley always work your way down towards and into the inevitable creek running through the valley. Search in down stream direction and pay particular attention to the upside of any natural crossbars across the Creek. Generally there is a build up of sand against bar. Shovel the sand aside until you reach bed rock and detect.
One creek I remember removing about half a meter of sand the width of the creek (about 3 metres) Was worth the effort, over an ounce of gold with my Minelab SD2100. Returned the next day with my dry blower and retrieved over half an ounce of very fine gold.

 

[XLOOX]

The answer is YES...

Ridges AND Gullies

Gullies, as that is where the gold ends up concentrated as it washes down so they are the obvious 1st choice but because they are obvious and very well defined - often only a metre or 3 wide and easy to walk up as there are generally less vegetated they most likely have been flogged. Doesnt mean you cant find anything in a gully any more but the harder to access it is the more chance you have.

Ridges, as they are the "harder" ground/rock which probably was the original host for the gold ( unless the gully gold came from re distribution of paleostreams etc). The dirt is often shallower on a ridge which helps. Also being a less well defined more expansive area ridges probably havent had as much focus as gullies.

So what about the Hillsides - sure why not - often neglected as need one leg longer than the other and any gold there should be in geologically "rapid" transit to the gully but hey if it is a good area and everywhere else has been flogged then its your last hope Obiwan.

 

[Grey Panner]

Hey guys,

Back to prospecting season for me as the business slows down in the colder months. I've spent the last 6 or so months researching and trying to gain as much knowledge as possible.

I managed to score 0.8g of gold in my first year last year with a GM1000. I'm super stocked I found a bit!

Went out to Bendigo today - which by the way is very difficult with a GM1000. The ground is atrociously hot. Dug about 50 hot rocks. Maybe I've got some settings wrong but not even ground balancing works there.

After coming home defeated with no gold I decided to do some more research on what I was doing wrong. I came across a couple of youtubers who always head to a ridge and look around and see where water would go if it rained.

It got me thinking, I always spend 90% of my time in gullies trying to find where the gold has "ended up" but never really where it's come from. Am I missing something? Should I be taking a more broad approach and working my way up a hill from where I think the gold could of come from?

I'd love some advice and insights as to whether I'm approaching detecting wrong and maybe I'm thinking like a "planner".

Thanks in advance.

Being a panner, I generally concentrate on creeks and gullies but quite often, when I find a reasonably good patch, experienced detector equipped fossickers will immediately start working uphill to see where the gold came from.
What it comes down to is gold is where you find it.