Saturday, May 28, 2011

Metal Detecting for Gold

Here's a very good article by Greg Strayhorn on metal detecting for gold. With the current astronomical gold prices, hunting for gold has seen a tremendous resurgence. A feature on the local news this week detailed two local gentlemen who are panning a local creek here in upstate South Carolina. They are finding gold, and had the vials of gold to prove it. Detecting for gold requires a different mindset and technique from detecting for coins. Read on to see how one veteran detectorist does it... 

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There are basically three kinds of metal detecting for gold: nugget hunting, metal detecting for gold rings, and detecting for gold coins. There are many different types and levels of metal detectors, so it is difficult to know which metal detector would be the best metal detector for you if you are hunting for gold.

For eons mineralized quartz arteries and unexposed ore bodies have been shedding pure gold for nugget hunters to find. The best spots for nugget hunting are the desert areas in Midwestern states like Arizona and California. Although many gold nuggets have been uncovered, geologists agree that 95% of the gold in our western states has yet to be found. Most of this gold is in the form of nuggets that are in reach of a good gold metal detector.

Remember that gold prospectors during the gold rush did not have a metal detector and could not see the gold. Therefore, many of these nugget rich spots have been left un-molested. For this type of hunting for gold the best metal detectors would have the correct frequency for gold detection. Metal detectors that operate at higher frequencies are good for detecting gold nuggets. This is difficult because most detectors operate at a low frequency to be able to ignore iron and to go deeper in the ground.

A good solution to this problem is the Treasure Hunter XJ9-3050 with its dual frequency technology. The problem is that gold has the same magnetic field as iron so many gold detectors will also get a lot of false signals. Pulse induction metal detectors are great for nugget hunting as they have a special technology and operate at extremely low frequencies and can find gold nuggets deep in the ground. The Minelab GPX-4500 is a favorite among gold nugget hunters but these are also not great at tuning out trash items. You should always consider a gold nugget find as a good indicator that there are more nuggets in the area. Gold nuggets are very rarely found by themselves. The best all around metal detector for gold nugget hunting is probably the Treasure Hunter XJ9-3050.

Hunting for gold rings is another type of gold hunting. Gold rings are different than gold nuggets because they are often alloyed with other types of metal. They are usually close to the surface and sometimes cannot be tuned out or selected for with a notch filter even with the best metal detector. By far the best place to look for gold rings is at the beach. Particularly in the shallows of a dropping tide at a popular resort location. The reason is because many vacationers do not realize that the colder water can make their fingers shrink and unsuspectingly lose their highly valuable ring jewelry.

Also, the shallow water is the most recent area that was occupied by vacationers. Miami's south beach is notorious for one of the most lucrative metal detecting spots on the planet and many of the local metal detectorists are very secretive and territorial about their spots. Because you will find many other types of jewelry besides gold, it is best to have an all purpose type of metal detector for ring and jewelry hunting. A great metal detector for beach hunting is the fully waterproof Treasure Hunter Poseiden detector.

It really helps to have a metal detector that can work well in the water fully submersed as well as being very capable in dry sand. Of-course dry sand metal detecting in popular resort areas is also highly recoverable detecting. Another great detector for these conditions is the Garrett GTP 1350 or the Treasure Hunter 3019. Both detectors have many different modes for different target selection or rejection and can detect small targets at large depths. Don't forget your sand scoop when detecting at the beach!

Metal detecting for gold coins is an entirely different animal and different strategies must be applied. This type of find is the most rare and valuable among treasure hunters. The best areas to find gold coins would be shipwrecks. The best and most valuable type of find and the fantasy of every treasure hunter is to find a new shipwreck with gold bullion coins and similar gold treasure. This type of find is extremely rare, but there are undiscovered shipwrecks with treasure to be found. The best place to look is along the shipping routes in the Caribbean where tons of treasure was taken from the Americas to Europe and of-course there is the notorious Pirate booty to be found.

For these spots you would need one of the more highly advanced underwater metal detectors like the Treasure Hunter Poseidon underwater metal detector. Also, rare gold coins have been found washed up at all the beaches of the East Coast, and indicates that there is much more treasure hidden out there. Overall the best metal detector for gold hunting would probably be the Treasure Hunter XJ9-3050 because of the dual frequency allows it to detect gold at great depths. Just remember that treasure is where you find it and you must be out there hunting it with your metal detector to find it!

Metal Detector Town is a website for all things metal detectors. Whether you are metal detecting for gold nuggets, rings, or coins, we have the best metal detector to suit your needs.
http://www.metal-detector-town.com/index.php

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