Researching an area

Recently we have been getting quite a few posts on - what is this area like, what is that area like.

Now we dont mind assisting members, but it is obvious that a lot of new guys need assistance in going to an area and in research. There are many experienced members here, so what guidance can you give?

Lets just say Acme goldfields is a very productive goldfield in Central Victoria or was that WA. How would you go about checking it out?

Acme? ask the coyote!
Good subject Jef
I always start here
www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/mapping/index.jsp
Click on launch interactive mapping.
Then it varies from state to state .

Cheers Brett

Thought I would start off answering my own question.

My initial search would be the internet and on Google. Ie lets have a look at Beaufort Vic. Checking the interent for Beaufort would give us the touristy info, and maybe give us a map on where it is and how to get there. However if I searched for Beaufort gold, it would give me references for any articles etc on gold which is what I want to read.

Now if the area is a Park, National or State, there are always notes and maps in a Government Dept somewhere. In most cases from the tourist info you have already obtained, search for the Park name you have and it should give you the park notes, and the detecting area etc.

Also contact your local Detector dealer like Miners Den etc, and see if there is a map available and get one. If you are going to the triangle, try Coiltek or Trackline and speak to the people there as well.

Browse this and other forums on goldfields, look at the links and see what areas they are linked to. A lot of members can give you their impressions but that is what they are, their opinions. Gold is in every goldfield, but the way we look for it and what we want are often quite different to others.

Well - thats a start.

Jeff

Hi all,
As much as some people poo-hoo them, I have found that the Doug Stone goldfield maps are a damn good start. At least they will get you to areas that have produced in the past, and show the crown land. Some of them are a little out of date in some of the crown land areas, but they are a good start. I have found lots of gold in Vic using these maps, and then putting in the hard yards from there.
Cheers,
Rick

Hi

I like to ask an additional question, please.

While I have no problem researching an area on the internet or on paper, once I am physically there I am scratching my head. For example, this weekend I have been in Dunolly for a few days and of course found a lot of old Gold areas. But how do I read what I see, e.g. if there are deep shafts, do I only try to find missed Gold on the Mullock heaps or is there also a good chance to find Gold in the surrounding areas. (So far I did not have any luck in those areas and I thought the Gold might be too deep for a metal detector.) Is it also worthwhile venturing off into the surround hills when the diggings are in a gully or was the gold only washed down from one source and will only be found in the deeper areas?

Since I am only into prospecting for a short time I more or less give everything a shot and had even a bit of luck so far - but not enough to establish a pattern. Also I try to attend any possibility to hook up with experienced hands there is a lot to be learnt from them.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers
Ralph

What a great subject, Jeff, thanks for bringing it up.
Hopefully some new members read, comprehend and learn from here.
It is always a good idea to "research" on the Internet. Should not be too difficult to type in "Daylesford+Gold".
One gets a large menu to chose from. Investigate further, do your homework.

But of course, nothing beats local knowledge. Maybe there is a guide who will take you (for a consideration of course) and show you the ropes. One needs to learn where one is "allowed" to dig. You need maps, you need the right equipment and you need to understand your detector.

In addition, it also helps tremendously if one asks sensible question in a civil manner. A news group is like a proverbial forest. Whatever one hollers into it, it comes back as an echo.

See you up them thar hills.
Frank

Hi All,
I like to visit an area first and walk around b4 I even think about detecting...while looking around I look for evidence of old timers diggings and work done in the past... my thinking is that if there was no gold there then the old timers would not have put the effort in. I tend to dismiss random holes as just exploratory and am attracted to areas where there is alot of old activity especially from the reef to the gullies... I like to work out the lay of the land and make inquiries if the old timers were chasing reef or fine gold.

Looking at old maps says alot. Areas such as 'Nuggetty Creek/Gully' or Specimen Reef/Hill to 'Mother of Gold Reef' certainly have my interest.... telling me the gold there can be detected and is not fine gold.

After that its then to the location and work the slopes, the heaps, ridges, reefs in an attempt to intersect what was feeding the area. I also use more then one coil if u use a 14 X 9 eliptical and dont do any good then try a bigger coil 18/20 inch in case the gold is deep. If u have a 4000/4500 and dont do any good try taking it off smooth/enhance and get the extra depth in normal timings before moving on.

Before u write an area off try it a number of times with different coil combination (Mono/DD) and detector settings (normal as opposed to smooth/enhance)... remember Murphy's Law.. once u walk away someone will come over that same groumd and pull a nice nugget out. There is no easy way to finding gold... sure u may be lucky and just randomly pull up somewhere and find a piece but to do that continually without any research is near impossible... for me it is anyway.

Thats my two bobs bit anyway...

Ray

Gday Jeff, Frank and All
I do a fair bit of research before I actually hit the ground.
Over here in WA, Tengraph, the Dept of Industry and Resources mine mapping site, offers brilliant data, although the way the actual software operates is a bit archaic.
Most times my first port of call is the old "1954 List of Cancelled Gold Mining Leases", an old Mines Dept publication. This gives you the old GML no's, their names, years of operation and production figures which include volumes of ore processed.
I then take those numbers to Tengraph, have a look on there at the land tenure details and get coordinates of sites I want to visit. I generally print off a sheet or two of their plans (all free) and then head over to Google Earth and have a look at the area. It's dead simple to then pick up old shafts and likely flow patters for alluvial.
Last but not least, probably most importantly, I plug the coords into my handheld GPS and awaaay ya go (after contacting the relevant mining co's and pastoralists).
The actual process of then prospecting those areas would take pages to explain here. I think everyone does that a fair bit differently, so I'll leave that alone for now.
I had to edit this post as I completely forgot to mention the legacy D.W. De Havelland has given the electronic prospector. When I first read Gold and Ghosts I was spewing. A heap of those supposedly secret spots I knew, were there in black and white for everyone to see. I'm over the fact that those secrets are now out and I doubt there is any better info around to help the modern prospector, than that contained in those volumes.
cheers
Brett

Gold & ghosts reminded me that after a period of time we get set in our ways and as was said, we look at a gully then where the gold came from and detect in likely areas. In every gully you see workings, then there is always gold left, you just have to find it.

Sometimes it is worth recharging our batteries and re reading some of the books we have in the library. One that came to mind was "Prospecting for Gold" by Ion Idriess which has been reprinted. He was a brilliant prospector and this book was printed in 1931 so readers can get an idea of how the original prospectors found the gold.

What also comes to mind is the DVDs we get. It is worth look at the the SETA DVD several times if you use a 4500, but dont forget JP also gave tips in his earlier DVDs as well.

Also Doug Stone and other publishers of DVDs and books always give their opinions as well which is based on years of experience, so no matter how old it is, make sure you read these as well.

Jeff

hi all.
for a quick look at an area i log on to tengraph, put the area i want to go to hit selections, click on mark out screen and all the original tenements come up, and has gypsy said a bit of research looking thru gold and ghosts resulted in a $25,000 or more find, may be a $500 for these books is worth it -- gim.

Since I've been here I have worked out there are a lot of new chums including myself that needs help in some form or another, and I can appreciate the fact that all the seasoned operators don't want to give away any good spots and why should they, it's proberly taken a long time to find them.

I am currently in the process of aranging some training and so will pay for it, and will still not know where to go hunting as almost all new chums since the first old rush have had the same problem.

I have checked out the tag along's but they seem a bit expensive

I have a few maps by Doug Stone I bought with my new Extreme but found when I got to the field I still didn't know my arse from my elbow as far as where I was, and hopeing not to intrude on a claim.

Can I suggest a "newby page" for us lost souls to comunicate and possibly form a group and hire a trainer then meet at a location on a weekend or other times for basic instruction and discussion on where the new chums can share a camp and detect in the same area for a while and learn from each other.

If any one (including new chums) thinks this would be of value I would like to get some feedback.

I am also on the lookout for some private property to rent (cash money) in the triangle or close to it for a while to set up a camp for a large mobile home (fully self contained) it must have power if any one knows of a nice quiet spot available give me a holler.

Gday Nomad

Sorry to tell you there are no short cuts to being an experienced prospector and the only real way to learn is get out on the ground and put in the time.

First step is to read anything that you can lay your hands on, then ask about anything you dont understand, the one advantage that newer blokes these days have over us who have been about for awhile is access to the internet for research and groups like this, these are invaluable tools that can help to fast track you in the right direction.

If you have it in your mind that you are going to make your fortune fast, then get that thought out of your head, it can be a slow and painful process for some, so you have to be prepared to perservere and do the hard slog, if you are not committed then your chances of success are limited.

If you can afford to do a tag along trip, or get personal help then DO IT you will learn a very lot, very quickly, some of those things you can only learn on your own by the mistakes that you make yourself along the way, an experienced operator will show you a lot of short cuts, and the do's and dont's.

cheers

stayyerAU

Thanks Stayyer.

The response to my post has been great, and I have made some good contacts also got some good tips
I'll post a thanks to all.
Regards.
Jim.

Hi Jim

Your suggestion for a Newbies page is interesting, but when does a Newbie become experienced.

If I moved up to another detector, am I now a newbie, or if I try a new goldfield I am new to that area. So it wouldnt work. There is a lot of info on the forum for all types of members from experienced to new chums, all they have to do is look for it. There is a search function on the top right corner for this reason. Thanks for the suggestion

Jeff

[quote="Jefgold"]Hi Jim

Your suggestion for a Newbies page is interesting, but when does a Newbie become experienced.

If I moved up to another detector, am I now a newbie, or if I try a new goldfield I am new to that area. So it wouldnt work. There is a lot of info on the forum for all types of members from experienced to new chums, all they have to do is look for it. There is a search function on the top right corner for this reason. Thanks for the suggestion

Jeff

You may be right Jeff, as there has not been any newbie's respond to the suggestion, this tells me that it's possible that "some" newby's may not want to help them selfs but prefere to have others help them for free, I don't expect anything for nothing, because I never recieved anthing for nothing.

As a trainer/ assessor in the mining and constructin industrys I charged a fee for my service and so expect to pay for my education no matter what it is, no matter what we undertake in this life we have the choice of going it alone and possibily getting it wrong wasting time and money or pay for proffesional training and and get off to a good start.

This why I tried to suggest people who are asking for advice to orginize a training day with one or more trainers from this site for a field trip and help each other by pooling resorces, that way it's cost effective, meet new people and possibily have agood time.

I've had some private messages from people on this forum and I thank them for their help (they know who they are) and at some stage I will try to help others (thats my nature) but if someone tells me something in confidence thats the way it stays, so to those that gave me some good tips thanks again.

Hi nomad,
Ive have only been detecting a bit over 12 months, i got an extreme cheaply, got the bug and upgraded to a 4000, which i havent found any gold with,, (shoulda kept the extreme) and i have found heaps of info about my machine and detecting, just by reading posts written in here on diferent topics, have found out heaps , often i,ll say to myself , mmmmm okay thats why that happens or it does this etc to the people that have helped me knowingly or by posts i have read,,, a big thanks, what i can offer in advice is get the biggest pick you can find, the wieght of it will help you dig your hole easier then a little one, dont get into a dick waving contest with your coil,, get or stay with a small coil, remember if you have a 18'' coil you have to dig a 20'' hole after 50 of these and nouyght but nails and sinkers you,ll agree,, get a camel back with plenty of pocket for your detecting gear and battery and h2o,, and bring your sense of humour with ya

cheers spider

Thanks Spider.

I hear ya and take it all in, as I've had a go in a few spots and found a lot of junk real easy, I think I need to learn how to tune the thing and also how to use the other functions but I've ot heaps of time, I think.

I don't know if this has been posted in the past but found this site years ago and is a good source of info. http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/Archaeology/Gold-Mining/historic-gold-mining-plots.aspx
http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/Archaeology/Gold-Mining/sites.aspx

Cheers
Mat.

Thanks Mat

At least they found it and told us it is there, now its up to us.

Jeff

This is such a important topic and needs to have an injection again!

Although historical information is valuable when doing research, I found that most of it is quite freely available. So much so, that, when you get to an area, it normally is very much depleted. Yes, it does still deliver its treasures, but you just need to work a bit harder.

Now, to find "new" areas, you undoubtedly has to start at the geology map and as most of us are not geology experts, how do you interpret a geology map? What do you look for on a geology map?


If the above statement is correct, what will be the answers?

Cheers

Kudu

Good on ya Gypsy, always ready to answer! Much appreciated! This is what I was after.

However, interpreting geology maps seems to be the next step. The maps usually looks like it comes out of a candy factory - lots of colours! Is there any information on the colours and possible "association" with gold? I think the basic question is what to look for when you open a geology map in front of you? Yes, all the maps does contain a "chart", normally on the right hand side of the map where is shows the representation of the colours, but not all of these have a "association" with the metal we're after.

Any suggestions? (The example of "Czl's" in previous posts elsewhere on this forum is a typical example)

keep on swinging!

Best

Kudu

A couple suggestions that have worked for me,spend some time experimenting with the various setting on your detector,place an assortment of targets down at different depths and listen so you will be well prepared.Go to any well known gold areas and stay close to town,real close.Ask the locals if you are unsure they are usually very helpful.Have a walk around first,pick an area and plan how you are going to work this area.Keep it small and dig every target.You will be rewarded if you are determined.

Thanks Kudu
i had written a article on my favourite CZL's
just got to find it.when i do ill post it up.
here is a litle bit about CZl's and other important rock codes on geo maps

Czl = Laterites
The discovery of gold, whether from rich veins, nuggets or tiny specks has always created excitement.
And now modern science and technology is finding gold in areas previously overlooked.
Over this type of terrain, rocks called laterites, are often found.
They contain small fragments of gold and other mineral traces.
Previously it was thought that laterites came from elsewhere, or were so extremely
weathered that they didn't necessarily indicate what was below the surface.
But CSIRO's Dr. Raymond Smith and Dr. Ravi Anand have shown that these laterites
were formed through the deep weathering of the local rock over tens of millions of years,
and could indeed indicate a fortune below.
"By applying exacting sample preparation and low level chemical analysis,
we were able to demonstrate that the gold at trace levels in the rocks did indicate
the presence of large deposits of gold under the surface."


Ao = Metamorphosed mafic and ultra mafic intrusive rocks
Au = Ultramafic shist
Agbl = Coarse porphyritic biotite monzogranite
Abm = Metamorphosed high-Mg basalt
Czg = Quartzo-feldspathic sands
Czs = limonitic pisoliths

hi all,
still going through looking for my research files,
will post them up as i find them

hi, sorry for the information overload,
but ive just found some of my old reasearch files
and wanted to share with you.

As always Gypsy, you are doing a fine job!

Take care!

Thank you again Gypsy.

I do reckognise some of the above information from your previous posts. This makes better sense because you can read it all toghether as a whole!

I will defenitely make a study of these notes to see how I can use them to my advantage.

Your'e a star Gypsy!

Cheers

Kudu

Hallo everybody out there.

Gypsy's posts is quite interesting but some clarrification/explanation of some of the notes are needed to make sense for the non-geologists. Can someone shed some light on the following:

Refering to the post of "What makes an area prospective for prospecting":

4. "laterite caps or pisolitic debris being shed from dolerite areas"

What does laterite caps or pisolitic debris look like? How do you identify it on a map or on the ground?
The same applies to point 11 -13. Some explanation on these will also be appreciated.

7. "soil geochemistry data maps"

Where will you be able to find these?


If somebody can assist on the above to help not only me but the rest of the forum members as well.
I also will try to get some answers from our local Mines dept and will share it on the forum.

Best

Kudu

This is a really useful topic and for me as a newbe a great resource. My thanks to all of those experienced people who are contributing to the thread.

Dave

Hi Gypsy

I am truly amazed by the wealth of information that you have. Your recent success proof just that!

Thanking you again!

Kudu