Gold Prospecting in the Mother Lode

‪@mineoperator‬ Harry is invited to experience the thrill of gold prospecting in an intermittent stream in the Mother Lode of California. The Creek may have dried up for the year, but the gravel is still muddy, holding the promise of hidden treasures. Harry's buddy, a seasoned prospector, shows him where he got some decent gold and tries to repeat the same success. We used a recirculating sluice instead of panning all that overburden. Harry, a novice in this type of ground, is in for a unique experience.
Thanks for watching. We would also like to thank Rimrock Water Company for donating the water jugs for our little trip.
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#goldpanning #goldprospecting #motherlode #sluicebox

[@trevorwhat]

Hey, Harry. It’s a millipede, not a centipede. And it’s slate, not shale. In the Sierra motherlode (where I live), it’s the most common basement rock. Black slate usually decomposes to light blue-gray clay, and the richest pay is in the rusty gravels overlaying it. In Tertiary rivers, this oxygen-poor layer was blue (the fabled “blue lead) and well-cemented into sheets of quartz conglomerate. Once exposed to air, it oxidized into a rust-color. It’s found many places in the motherlode belt, but especially in the old hydraulic pits.

[@michaelburns9172]

Mining in cemented gravuls . I have done some of that in Lital Creek California. Friend of mine had a mine right on the entrance of to canyon . It was an old Hydolic mine . Someone had come in the back side. After they were through the hard Rock it was all high iron cemented gravel . The rocks were so impregnated whit minerals you could not pop rocks out . Had to walk 50 foot of chest deep water on entering the mine . We would strip down and put out clothes in a bucket go inside dry off get dressed and dig buckets and wash it out in a old rocker box we found in the Mine . We got big flacks and match head size nuggets.

[@OGRocker1]

Hey Y'all, thanks for the share. ...⛏⚒⛏ One of the worst wrong turns I ever made in the big truck; was when I turned right on Hwy 49 just short of Placerville. With a 300" wheelbase tractor, pulling a 48' flatbed, ... ended up in Cool, California. Not a cool drive, not a straight section of Road, not meant for semi's. The lady that was at the general store in Cool, said I was only the second semi she had ever seen in Cool, and she was not a young woman. Too bad I didn't have a gold pan with me. .... 😆 Take care Y'all, stay safe, cool and free.

[@John-ir2zf]

I've always liked the 5 gal bucket, wet classifying method. I do question why, after doing all the classification, the repetitive back and forth turning of the bucket, why most guys don't discard the top 2/3 rds of the material in the bucket. It would make hauling out easier, or add the ability to add more to the bucket, because all of the gold would have stratified down to the very bottom of the bucket. It's basically like a big gold pan, all the heavies will settle, and the top material will be waste.

[@AEVMU]

Always wondered this myself. If you shake the bucket or even hand mix everything the gold will drop very quickly.

[@mineoperator]

@@John-ir2zf I get placer pickers from cons in first few scoops too. Especially in desert drywash cons.

[@BigMikeAudits]

That little bugs actually called the North American millipede not a centipede and they're 100% completely harmless so you don't have to be afraid of them and you can handle them all you want they're kind of like a Rollie Pollie just longer with a lot more legs lol

[@bentationfunkiloglio]

Not much gold but at least you got to enjoy some quality time mother nature. I’d call that a success.

[@me5768]

Looks like you have some potential to find some good stuff in that area. Good Luck hope you find more.

[@au_gmentedreality]

Ca native! You really need a late spring flow to optimize dig efficiency. Dry sift is so difficult sometimes its just fun to dig

[@markissboi3583]

That Sluth setup is so basically good for my Nepew in Ozstraya returns water to pump with a mesh filter flyscreen type cylinder easy to carry down to a creek as he digs along walls he's found a few small bits gold but love for him to find a big rock gold or 2

[@lundysden6781]

I love what your doing but man it seems like not enough gold for your equipment and effort? Are you doing this for more fun than anything?

[@mineoperator]

@@lundysden6781 my buddy invited me out to prospect when I passed through. I will never say no to prospecting the Motherload. Good fellowship and sometimes you get lucky.

[@Rockymountainprospector]

Hey it was awesome meeting you at Downeyville days thanks for sharing heavy pans brother

[@donaldfitzgerald8950]

Sample, sample, sample...... regardless if it's just fun or looking for a hot spot to work later, you only get out what you put into it... keep it happening 👍⚒️⛏️⚖️🤠

[@semoneg2826]

Beautiful place❤

[@MrJoshinabox]

Must be close to Placerville. The mention of rim rock water is a give away

[@geraldbrunckhorst8291]

Hey guys! Seek out those super hard packed crevices and pockets to find the nuggets and more gold. Looks like a fun day! At two mile creek with course gold? I have to wonder where the vein is that’s lending the gold to the creek??

[@brodrick3164]

I am not surprised that you found a tick. I kept thinking about all the tick busses 🚌 on the property with my skin crawling. Between the 6 point tick bus and the two little short tick buses I would not be surprised to hear that you found a few that latched on. Maybe some B12 to make you unappealing to bugs and insects.

[@TheRedWingMine-pm3lz]

Looks like you were right in my back yard.

[@TRAITORS-EXPOSED]

Sweet 💰

[@mparavagna]

A union break. I get it.

[@drumscholar42]

No little adapted whisk brooms? Would make some cleaning and gravel moving easier. Light, not a heavy tool to carry!

[@IBRAKEFORBEDROCK]

Man, you guys sure get around ! ⛏⛏👍

[@danduzenski3597]

Gold looks safe.

[@Stalkerrob20]

Well you know what they say... Gold is where you find it lol

[@UncleBildo]

Sweet spot to poke around! I've been snooping around looking for a spot to pan for gold with my grandson this summer, think I finally found it. Turns out friends up Republic, WA way have a couple good panning creeks that run thru their ranch.

[@douglasbrown4775]

try GoldPhenoms gravity panning give it a view move yardage

[@RICDirector]

Want serpentine? Come up to Butte County CA, place called Pulga...

[@down2earthparanormal145]

well jet dry works

[@strizza]

Thanks for the video.. What size classifier are you using?

[@mineoperator]

@@strizza our pleasure. I think all we had was a very broken 1/8” and a plastic 1/8”

[@down2earthparanormal145]

if u can get a mini cat with a bucket might b worth ur while

[@mrkus-nc7od]

Scraps 😂 iam in old Chinese diggins ,1884 they dit not leave much , 😊 all tiny stuff they left 🎉

[@down2earthparanormal145]

not bad though for goofing around

[@BillMulholland1]

👍

[@JonStein-mu5eb]

Millepede not a centipede.

[@Ethan-xm4fv]

Wow you have hardly went looking for gold in creeks . Don't worry you can have a day or two like you did. Then find a good crack and find so much you will want to quit your day job. And I hate ticks.

[@jeffsanders6649]

painful to watch for some reason

[@user-dz8zk4bf2i]

You look tired and thin, you've been working a lot?

[@user-qv1qk7qi5t]

Waste of way to much time of 20 bucks worth of gold 😂lol hey but the idea is being out there in God's country amen

[@JCommycrusher]

MUDDY WATERS BAD DEAL

[@efo1358]

It’s fun to watch the prospects, don’t tell us whereabouts!, you don’t want Gold Fever! 👍🤙. Gold never Left California! 🤙Time! I’ll catch a rainbow trout faster! 🦍🤙🦅🧻?