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Gold Gallery
Examples of Placer Gold Found Over Years of Prospecting
These photographs show examples of placer gold recovered during fieldwork. The images follow the process from screened gravel to pan cleanup and final weigh-in.
Some of these images appear in my book, Gold Prospecting: A Practical Field Guide.
Chunky Gold Cleaned for Weigh-In
A mix of gold sizes, mostly nuggets and flakes dug from a creek in South Dakota.
20-mesh nuggets magnified at 20x
This group of nuggets was all dug from the same drop zone. Shown magnified at 20x.
12-mesh nugget with an interesting shape.
12-mesh nugget in the gravel during classifying. Then magnified to 20x to show its shape.
50-100-mesh fine gold
50-100-mesh fine gold being cleaned in finishing pan.
4-mesh flake caught in 1/4-inch screen
4-mesh flake caught in the 1/4-inch screen from a heavy mineralized pocket.
Measuring the 4-mesh flake.
Measuring the 4-mesh flake shows it is larger than 1/4 inch.
4-mesh flake on thumbnail for scale.
4-mesh flake on thumbnail for scale.
4-mesh flake weighs 0.3 grams
The 4-mesh flake weighs in at 0.3 grams.
8-mesh nugget caught in the screen
This 8-mesh nugget had a "fuzzy" texture.
12-mesh nuggets caught in the screen
Six 12-mesh nuggets caught together in the screen.
12-mesh chunky gold in the pan
12-mesh chunky gold cleaned in the pan.
More 12-mesh gold in the pan
Another pan with 12-mesh nuggets.
12-mesh flake caught in screen
A gold flake caught in the 12-mesh screen.
Two 12-mesh flakes on a penny
Two 12-mesh flakes on a penny for scale. 12-mesh = 1/12th-inch.
Three 12-mesh nuggets measured
Three 12-mesh nuggets measured with a tape. Less than 1/8th inch so they passed thru the 8-mesh screen.
20-mesh nugget is beat up
20-mesh nugget is beat up, indicating it has traveled far from its source.
20-mesh nugget in screen
20-mesh nugget in screen during sluice box cleanout.
0.5 gram nugget with flakes in pan
0.5 gram nugget with flakes in pan seemed heavier than most.
20-mesh nugget weighed 0.5 grams
20-mesh nugget weighed 0.5 grams
20-mesh gold nugget in screen
Gold nugget caught in the 20-mesh screen
0.4 gram nugget in vial
0.4 gram nugget in vial
0.4 gram nugget magnified 20x
0.4 gram nugget magnified 20x under a stereoscope.
20- 50- and 100-mesh gold in pan
20- 50- and 100-mesh gold in pan being cleaned.
1.0 gram fine gold weigh in
1.0 gram fine gold weigh in
20-mesh flake in screen
20-mesh flake in screen
20-mesh flake in sand
20-mesh flake in sand
20-mesh nuggets with penny
20-mesh nuggets with penny
20-mesh nuggets in pan
20-mesh nuggets in pan
20-mesh chunky gold
20-mesh chunky gold
20-mesh nugget in sand
20-mesh nugget in sand
50-mesh chunky gold
50-mesh chunky gold
50-mesh chunky with sand in pan
50-mesh chunky with sand in pan
50-mesh chunky gold with penny
50-mesh chunky gold with penny
50-mesh chunky gold with penny
50-mesh chunky gold with penny
50-mesh chunky gold with penny
50-mesh chunky gold with penny
50-mesh chunky gold in pan
50-mesh chunky gold in pan
50-mesh chunky gold in pan
50-mesh chunky gold in pan
50-mesh chunky gold in black sand
50-mesh chunky gold in black sand
50-mesh chunky gold in black sand
50-mesh chunky gold in black sand
50-mesh chunky gold in pan
50-mesh chunky gold in pan
50-mesh chunk cleaned in pan
50-mesh chunk cleaned in pan
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