New to mining, where to start

[Gehgeh1]

Spent a lot of time reading about old mining operations and finally decided to give small scale prospecting a try myself. Picked up some basic gear, studied up on safety, and even hiked out to a few old sites that are open to the public but what's the smart way to begin?

Do you just start chipping away at random spots, or is there a more methodical approach veterans follow?
I'm not expecting to strike it rich, but I'd like to do this with some sense of direction

 

[chobiii_]

Spent a lot of time reading about old mining operations and finally decided to give small scale prospecting a try myself. Picked up some basic gear, studied up on safety, and even hiked out to a few old sites that are open to the public but what's the smart way to begin?

Do you just start chipping away at random spots, or is there a more methodical approach veterans follow?
I'm not expecting to strike it rich, but I'd like to do this with some sense of direction

Basically, stick to the spots where the veterans have already had success. Your focus should be on uncovering what they overlooked or couldn't get to because it wasn't worth the cost back then.

 

[pecan_man]

Spent a lot of time reading about old mining operations and finally decided to give small scale prospecting a try myself. Picked up some basic gear, studied up on safety, and even hiked out to a few old sites that are open to the public but what's the smart way to begin?

Do you just start chipping away at random spots, or is there a more methodical approach veterans follow?
I'm not expecting to strike it rich, but I'd like to do this with some sense of direction

my dad said that the secret to finding gold isn't luck, it's understanding geology.
Gold is incredibly heavy, so it doesn't just sit on the surface. It settles in specific spots where the water slows down.
Focus on the inside bends of rivers and creeks, behind large boulders, or in cracks and crevices in the bedrock. These are natural traps where gold and other heavy materials collect over thousands of years. Find those spots, and you'll find the gold

 

[Smoky]

I'm a retiree, looking to buy a 2nd hand caravan and take my Minelab 4500 out to do some casual detecting around the gold fields of Australia.

My question is, is the Minelab 4500 good enough to detect the gold fields and how and where do I obtain any upgrades to the 4500 please.

 

[RICOCHETAZ]

Spent a lot of time reading about old mining operations and finally decided to give small scale prospecting a try myself. Picked up some basic gear, studied up on safety, and even hiked out to a few old sites that are open to the public but what's the smart way to begin?

Do you just start chipping away at random spots, or is there a more methodical approach veterans follow?
I'm not expecting to strike it rich, but I'd like to do this with some sense of direction

Hey Gehgeh, once it bites it never lets go, (gold fever) and some ex wives! lol.
Where are you roughly? I started out pretty much the same as you a long time ago still haven’t made much progress which isn’t saying much for my intellect I suppose.
You might check your local used bookstores for local mining reports, or surveys done by your nearby UNIVERSITY.
For my area, southeastern Arizona I picked up ARIZONA Bureau of MINES bulletins starting from the late 1800s to present. Also depends on what you’re primarily going for Placer gold deposits or load gold deposits but the mining bulletins are treasure trove of information for not only location but occasionally Procedures.you might look on Amazon for example under Placer gold deposits of the state that you live in or load gold deposits for your state. Another good way to get some good information and education join a local MINING claims club. One that comes to mind that’s pretty good is GPAA claims club. They have claims all over the United States. for a small fee They will give you descriptions and directions to locations of proven sites and claims owned by the club that will give you exclusive rights to find and keep GOLD! on any of those claims. If you are a member of the club . hope that helps you a little bit. Let me know how things go. Best of luck to you, R in Pantano, Arizona.