Someone once told me that finding gold is like shooting a ghost.
Knowing some basics about geology is a way of evening out the game. If you want to find the noble metal, it’s important to be able to identify the types of rocks and other indicators that gold may be present.
Luckily for me, our property is a microcosm of the geology often associated with gold so I don’t have to go far to study.
We have a fault running through the middle of our land, springs, quartz formations, loads of iron (gold rides the iron horse), magnetite, garnet and other “heavies” associated with gold, bedrock for easy access, contact zones (where two different rock types meet), and past volcanic activity.
It’s all there – but is the gold? If you want better odds at finding it, learn as much as you can about gold-related geology but it that doesn’t “pan” out, do like I did: try divining with rods.
I’m not convinced dowsing works but since I learned that magnetite is heavily associated with gold, I wonder if there are deposits the could be influencing the metal rods?
Besides, it’s fun to wander around outside holding two metal rods out in front of me at two in the morning. I wonder what the neighbors think? I’m known to keep very odd hours.
Once I find a promising rock, I crush it and pan it out to check for particles of gold.
I haven’t found any yet but I’ve been told that like ghosts – it exists. 🙂
Stories From Off The Grid. 
All that glitters is indeed gold.
I prefer silver, but that’s me.
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Gold’s father is dirt, yet it regards itself as noble.
“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” – J. R. Tolkien
“Praise, like gold and diamonds, owes its value only to its scarcity”
– Samuel Johnson
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That first one may explain my kid’s attitudes. 🙂 Here’s a less eloquent take on dirt: https://storiesfromoffthegrid.com/2018/10/23/dirt-again/.
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