The Gold n Pawn

Placer Nuggets

With the price of gold currently running so high, number of folks are becoming interested in recreational prospecting. Unfortunately, one of the problems is finding a place where they can get their hands wet and really find some real gold. Here’s an opportunity that is near to millions of California who homes where anyone can go and pan their own free gold. Not far from sunny Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Range, the San Gabriel River has yielded a significant amount of placer gold, including some good sized nuggets. The San Gabriel Mountains are located in a part of the Transverse Range geologic province of Southern California, just a short drive north of Los Angeles. This location has become a very popular spot for local prospectors – much of the placer area is designated for recreation and anyone is welcome to prospect here for free.

It is not unusual to see a large number of folks out here on weekends, although not all of them are prospectors. A dozen folks here and perhaps a half a dozen there are spread along the San Gabriel River engaged in the quest for gold. The main placer area is located about 30 miles north of Azusa and deep in the Angeles national Forest, from the Camp Williams trailer park upstream for some distance. The San Gabriel River is not terribly rich, but it does consistently yield some nice small nuggets, flakes and colors of gold to the hard-working prospector.

Placer gold was discovered in the San Gabriel range in the 1840s in the area has had several productive periods since that time. Nuggets and flakes of placer gold have been obtained from both the stream gravels as well as older terrace bench gravels. Some good sized nuggets more than an ounce in size have been produced from these deposits. The bench gravels were mined by hydraulic mining as well as tunneling along the bedrock. While a number of streams in the region west of Mt. San Antonio (also known as Mount Baldy) have been productive, the East Fork of the San Gabriel River has produced most placer gold.

In 1874, it was reported that more than $2 million in gold had been produced from this area. In addition to the productive placer deposits, there are also several hard rock mines located near here. Lode gold mining was most productive during the period from 1903 to 1908, however there was some activity again in the 1930s. The estimated total output of the lode mines here is about 50,000 ounces.

The gold quartz veins occur in schist and gneiss, both of which are metamorphic rocks. While the values are spotty, the ore deposits are rich in places. The veins are usually less than 3 feet thick and do not extend to any great depth. The oxidized zones near the surface yielded the richest ore. The erosion of the veins in these hard rock deposits are the source of the placer gold nuggets found in the gravels.

The East Fork of the San Gabriel River is a popular spot for both picnic goers and prospectors from southern California, and still yields small amounts of gold. The East Fork was actually the second spot where I was able to find some placer gold of my own when I first started prospecting. While the bed of the River does contain gold, the gravels are very deep and getting down to bedrock is about impossible in most places. I always did my best at this location when I was digging in the bench gravels above the modern stream. I would dig the material from the bank, then haul it down to the river where I processed it in my sluice box. Small garnets are common in the concentrates from this location.

For more information and maps of the San Gabriel River area, check out the authorÂ’s web site at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/prospecting_info/calif/san_gabriel.htm

For basic instructions and information about how you can learn to prospect for gold, take a look at the authorÂ’s website at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/basic_prospecting/Basic_placer.htm

Chris Ralph writes on small scale mining and prospecting for the ICMJ Mining Journal. He has a degree in Mining Engineering from the Mackay School of Mines in Reno. He has continued his interest in mining as an individual prospector. His information encyclopedia on prospecting for gold can be viewed at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/prospect/chris_prospect.htm

Mini Trommel Placer Gold Mining for Nuggets

HUGE 106 gram placer gold nugget from Maine’s famous East Branch (Swift River) $3,500.00

35.1 grams Natural Australian Gold Nugget Specimen Placer Bullion Mining $3,395.00

gold nugget: 50.6 grams (1.63 troy ounces) of approx. 95% pure placer gold $3,250.00

HUGE 79 gram placer gold nugget from Maine’s famous East Branch (Swift River) $3,000.00

Placer Gold nugget from Venezuela $1,800.00

Placer Gold nugget from Venezuela $1,350.00

12.4 grams 10 pieces Solid Gold Placer Nuggets Bale attached for charm pendant $1,299.00

13.3 GRAM PLACER GOLD NUGGET/ GREAT CHARACTER $739.00

Natural Placer Idaho Gold small nuggets-pickers 15.6 Grams Metal detector $627.77

NATURAL ALASKAN GOLD PLACER NUGGET WEIGHS 7.7 GRAMS $625.00

Big Placer Gold Nugget Pendant on Big 14K Gold Bale No Chain $599.00

California Placer Natural Gold Nugget Pendant 8.6 Grams +1/4 Troy Oz 22k Bullion $499.99

10 grams real solid gold, placer fines-nuggets+scrap REFINED! for investment $485.00

5.59 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGET PENDANT Jewelry Bullion Placer Gold Rush P51 $425.00

5Lb 49ER’S RICH PAYDIRT PLATINUM SILVER NUGGET COIN BAR DUST PLACER DREDGE FLAKE $399.99

5dwt 1/4ozt Natural Alaska Yukon Bullion Placer Gold nuggets 14/16 screen sto3 $399.00

5dwt 1/4ozt Natural Alaska Yukon Bullion Placer Gold nuggets 18/20 screen sto1 $399.00

5dwt 1/4ozt Natural Alaska Yukon Bullion Placer Gold nuggets 16/18 screen sto2 $399.00

1/4 ozt Natural Alaska Yukon Bullion Placer Gold nuggets 12/14 size LC $399.00

1/4 ozt Natural Alaska Yukon Bullion Placer Gold nuggets 20/25 Sto 4 $399.00

1/4 ozt Natural Alaska Yukon Bullion Placer Gold nuggets 25/30 LC $369.00

Great Quality, Bright, High Purity 4.984 Gram Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget $359.00

5.20 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGET Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R18 $348.00

ALASKAN NUTURAL GOLD PLACER/NUGGET $343.01

6.32 GRAM PLACER GOLD NUGGET $334.99

5.04 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush R4 $325.00

5.96 GRAM PLACER GOLD NUGGET $324.99

New Mexico Land 40ac placer gold mining claim-Hillsboro-NO RESERVE-nuggets $316.00

4.78 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush P99 $305.00

4.62 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush P95 $299.75

14 KARAT 14K RING NATURAL CALIFORNIA PLACER NATIVE GOLD NUGGET 4.1 G SIZE 5.25 $295.00

4.55 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush R9 $295.00

4.52 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush P97 $290.00

4.00 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R19 $260.00

7 grams of placer gold nuggets in small dram vial, from Swift River, Maine $260.00

Great Quality, 3.634 Gram Dawson, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget! High Purity $259.00

5.1 grams NATURAL REAL GOLD NUGGET RING,PLACER,MINING,22 KT KARAT,LOT,JEWELRY $259.00

4.03 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush R2 $255.00

Great Quality, 3.526 Gram High Purity, Dawson, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget $253.00

4.01 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Mining Gold Rush P91 $252.00

3.92 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Mining Gold Rush P68 $252.00

4.00 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R20 $252.00

4.00 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R21 $252.00

4.00 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R22 $252.00

3.65 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush P96 $235.00

3.64 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Mining Gold Rush P86 $230.00

Alaska Placer Gold Nuggets 2.9 grams $229.00

Great Quality 3.167 Gram, High Purity, Dawson, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget $228.00

3.51 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Alaska Placer Mining Gold Rush P61 $226.00

3.50 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Mining Gold Rush P67 $225.00

Alaska Placer Gold Nuggets 2.8 grams $225.00

3.50 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R10 $220.00

3.38 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Alaska Placer Mining Gold Rush P69 $217.50

3.44 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Alaska Placer Mining Gold Rush P57 $215.00

2.77 Gram Natural Alaskan Gold Nugget Picker Flake Placer Dredge Mining Bullion $209.95

Great Quality, Bright, High Purity, 2.862 Gram Natural Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $206.00

Great Quality, Bright, 2.825 Gram High Purity, Natural Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $202.00

LARGE 6 gram placer gold nugget from Maine’s famous East Branch (Swift River) ME $200.00

3.00 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Flakes Bullion Panning Placer Gold Rush P41 $199.75

Great Quality, Bright, 2.712 Gram High Purity, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget $195.00

Gold Fever? 2.703 Gram High Purity, Dawson, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget! $194.00

2.98 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush R1 $192.50

3.00 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Mining Gold Rush P92 $192.00

2.98 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Alaska Placer Mining Gold Rush P59 $192.00

Gold Fever? 2.642 Gram High Purity, Natural Dawson, Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $189.00

GOLD IN QUARTZ SPECIMEN 3.24 GRAMS PLACER NUGGET NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADAS $187.74

Great Quality, High Purity, Chunky, 2.600 Gram Natural Alaska Placer Nugget $187.00

Gold Fever? 2.607 Gram High Purity, Natural Dawson, Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $187.00

Gold Fever? 2.599 Gram High Purity, Dawson, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget! $187.00

Large, High Purity 2.588 Gram Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget! $185.00

Great Quality, High Purity, 2.705 Gram Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget! $185.00

Great Quality, Bright 2.605 Gram High Purity, Natural Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $185.00

Great Quality, 2.558 Gram High Purity, Alaska Natural Placer Gold Nugget! $184.00

GOLD IN QUARTZ SPECIMEN 3.17 GRAMS PLACER NUGGET NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADAS $183.47

2.90 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush R3 $182.50

2.77 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGET Bullion Placer Panning Mining Gold Rush R13 $180.00

2.22g Natural Placer “Cut” Gold Nugget – Australian specimen slab/slice bullion $180.00

GOLD RUSH TV SHOW-ALASKAN MINING PLACER GOLD NUGGETS-1 PENNYWEIGHT $174.95

2.422 Gram, Great Quality, High Purity Natural Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $174.00

2.69 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Alaska Placer Mining Gold Rush P64 $174.00

Large, Unique, 2.402 Gram High Purity Natural Alaska Placer Gold Nugget! $173.00

2.72 GRAM Natural GOLD NUGGETS Bullion Placer Minerals Mining Gold Rush P93 $172.50

Gold Fever? Own 1 large 2.377 Gram High Purity Natural Alaska Placer Gold Nugget $171.00

2.16 Gram Natural Alaskan Gold Nugget Picker Flake Placer Dredge Mining Bullion $169.95

High Quality, 2.348 Gram High Purity, Natural Dawson, Alaska Placer Gold Nugget! $169.00

Gold Placer Deposits of Arizona Gold Placer Deposits of Arizona contains takes much of its information from “Placer Gold Deposits Of Arizona by Maureen G. Johnson but has been modified extensively by Richard L. Lampright to include maps, GPS WGS 84 coordinates and the addition of many new gold placer locations from other sources. It has also been reorganized to make it easier to use and understand. This book contains an inventor…

Gold Placer Deposits of New Mexico Gold Placer Deposits of New Mexico contains an inventory of gold placer mines, prospects and deposits located within New Mexico. It contains all of the information in Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona by Maureen G. Johnson which is out of production. In addition, Iron Fire Publications added many new locations with WGS 84 coordinates for all locations….

Gold Nugget-Teering and Prospecting in Nevada: Book 1 $18.95 A book for gold nugget searching in Nevada is long over-due….Precise information along with maps to the gold sites and gold areas…..Placer gold areas listed with geological info. and generous maps accompanying each text…..A waybill for Nevada’s rich’s…..No other book like it nor can any other book compare with it’s information….Money well spent for this interesting Nevada book is a gold …