Glossary of Terms

FIELD TERMS

Concentrates - the material left after it has been classified through our sluiceboxes. Filled with heavier materials like iron, GOLD, dense rocks, and black sands, concentrates (cons) are concentrated down to rid of useless material, making a better gold panning experience.

Dredginggold dredge is a placer mining machine that extracts gold from sand, gravel, and dirt using water and mechanical methods. The original gold dredges were large, multi-story machines built in the first half of the 1900s.

Miningthe extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth.

Panning - a simple method of separating particles of greater specific gravity (especially GOLD) from soil or gravels by washing in a pan with water. Panning is one of the principal techniques of the individual prospector for recovering gold.

Paystreak - the concentration of gold in a placer deposit.

Placer Deposit - an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by gravity separation from a specific source rock during sedimentary processes.

Prospecting - the first stage of the geological analysis of a territory. It is the physical search for minerals, precious metals or mineral specimens. Sampling different areas with knowledge of the topography, geology, and mineral resources will lead you to the gold!

 

Screening(Classifying) - processing materials through a screen into a specific size. This method can be used for panning gold - classifying your dirt to a smaller size makes panning easier. This method is also used for gem-screening, ridding of the smaller rocks and sand - exposing gemstones!

 

EQUIPMENT TERMS

Black Sand MagnetGold magnets are an invaluable tool for the final stage of gold panning. Removing those pesky iron based black sands or magnetite from your concentrates can be a real chore. Make your fine gold recovery much easier by using a black sand magnet after your gold has been dried. 

Classifer/Sieve - Used for screening. A classifier (or sieve) keeps the larger rocks on top of the screen while allowing smaller rocks and dirt fall through. Shake the classifier from side to side to agitate your material.

Gold Pan - Used to pan for gold. Our gold pans feature shallow & deep riffles, allowing you to extract even the finest gold by washing off the lighter material using water.

Glass Vial - typically a gold miner's choice for storing raw gold in - made of glass with a plastic, screw-on cap.

Prospector's Scoop - A sturdy, plastic scoop that will not interfere during metal detecting, yet durable enough to dig without bending or snapping.

Snifter Bottle -  a must-have in the final stages of gold panning. Suck up the gold with this vacuum bottle once you have panned out as much of the dirt as possible without losing any gold. Squeeze the snifter bottle to create a vacuum inside so the submerged gold can easily be sucked up through the tube.