panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

I was at a campsite this week up in northwestern maine right near the new hampshire border and I couldnt help but notice a nice stream by the campsite which had silt and I could perceive some dull yellowish glittering specks in there. it made me wonder what the possibility was that there was actually some gold to be panned from the streams of the local area and sparked some curiosity.

now, I never panned for gold before and I didnt have the time to begin trying it there so i cant report on any results but my plan is to go back there some time and spend almost the whole day panning to try my luck

would you guys think thats a waste of time? is it possible this part of the country has gold that may be trickling into the streams? I always think of the west as being the place to pan for gold.

also, just how do you pan for gold? what is the proper techique? and is it an effective way of getting anything?

thanks for your input

if anything it would be fun, not looking to come out a millionaire or anything lol

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

http://miningold.com/intro.html

Nice primer....

M.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

RenoChris has a great website for basics. Chances are if you could see yellowish specks on the top, then it wasn't gold. Gold is always at the bottom.

http://nevada-outback-gems.com/prosp...s_prospect.htm

Also, to check the probability of gold in various locations check out the BLM's mining claims map:

http://www.geocommunicator.gov/GeoComm/index.shtm

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Most likely you were seeing pyrite or mica......but that doesn't mean it isn't worth time to pan a little.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Gold can be found in many areas of Maine and New Hampshire.
In New Hampshire: Prospect the following waterways and their tributaries: Carroll County: Ellis and Swift Rivers; Cheshire County Ashuelot River, Coos County: Dead Diamond and Swift Diamond Rivers, and Clear, Indian, and Perry Streams; Grafton County: Ammonoosuc, Wild Ammonoosuc, Mad, Upper Mad, Salmon, Baker, Gale, and Bebee Rivers; Sullivan: Cold River. Also be sure to sample along the Connecticut River and its tributaries. Many stream and bench gravels are good panning prospects, particularly in the northern and western parts of the state, and waterways that drain eastern slopes.

In Maine, stream and bench gravels are good panning prospects, particularly in the waterways that drain the eastern slopes. Sample streams in Aroostook, Cumberland, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebeck, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Somerset, Waldo, and Washington Counties.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Lots of mica in Maine. There are still active mines, last time we were there, we brought home some nice pieces. Whoever said that if you see it on top, it probably is not gold is, in my experience, correct. That being said, I ran into an old fella while at a GPPA claim that said he spends his summers up there prospecting for gold and does have good results. Location, location, loc.....

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

It seems that every state has some gold, but if you can see flashes it's very unlikely to be gold. Lots of things make yellow flashes. Gold doesn't flash, it gleams, and it's very rare to find pieces on the surface big enough to see at a glance. People who know what they are doing find about $1,000 to $3,000 a month, so you need to combine your panning with a vacation to justify the expense.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

"...It seems that every state has some gold..."

Over the years I've been repeatedly told by long-time prospectors that Kentucky and Hawaii are the only two states in which gold hasn't been found.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Very true - most likely you saw mica, a very common mineral in granite rocks.

mmmm - I' add to the no gold list Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Rhode Island. Many of the states that have produced some gold - more than zero - have produced very, very little. I am doing up a set of web pages that will have some info on the gold deposits of the states that are not known for gold but have produced a little, with info on where that "little bit of gold" came from.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

I found this website doing a google search,all the state are listed you can click on the links to each state and it will show place gold was found
Gold Prospecting Areas

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

"...Gold is always at the bottom..."

True of heavier colors, but fine and flour colors will float like corks. This is where all the "flood" gold comes from.

And that's why people who don't know this normally loose virtually all of their fine and flour colors...and never know it.

The loss is a bad deal because the smaller the colors the more of them there are.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

There has been some gold found in NE. Maine and NH, a little in Ma as well. You wont ever find a mother load but there is some around. Mostly brought down and left behind by the glaciers.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Plenty of gold to still be found in Northern Georgia and California along the American River and tributaries. Dahlonega in north Georgia along streams, especially at elbows in the course, are hot spots for gold seekers.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Cool site.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

You could find a mother load in Maine.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

"...I' add to the no gold list Louisiana, Florida..."

I've found fine and flour colors in the waterways in the panhandle that drain from north of the state line.

In Rhode Island gold has reportedly been found in Providence County, and in Mississippi colors have reportedly been found Silver, Bear, Clear, and Cedar Creeks in Warren Country.

Re: panning for gold in new hampshire/maine
 

Is there any gold in Illinois?