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Recreational gold panning can be accomplished wherever there is a gold vein that can be easily accessed. When a person prospects for gold, it is called gold panning. Gold panning gets it name from the pan that is used to find the gold.

Gold panning can be done on a recreational basis or a person could be more serious about their efforts at gold prospecting. For the recreational gold panner, it is possible to find and sell natural nuggets and panning concentrates from your gold panning efforts.

It Is All In The Swirl

Simple panning instructions are to go to a known gold bearing stream and scoop gravel from the bottom of the water so that your pan is about three quarters full. Then with a gentle side-to-side motion, swirl the contents so that the dirt and clay leaves the pan and you have a finer concentrate of sand and gravel left in the pan.

Swirl the pan just under the water so that the rest of the gravel will leave the pan and so that you are left with the heavier material at the bottom. There should be a few cups of material in your pan. Take the pan out of the water when all that is left in your pan is a black material. You can begin to check for gold in the pan and then you can wash it gently again in the swirling water. You can use a magnet to pull out any gold sediment and pieces.

The Prospecting Pan

The pan used for gold panning can be made from any material that is strong enough for the job including wood, steel, plastic and metal. The plastic pans are preferred because of their lightweight and immunity to rust and corrosion. Plastic can also be painted black so that gold specks can be seen against its surface. Plastic also lends itself well to being given texture as a method of holding the gold to the surface so it can be checked.

You can find maps for prospecting that will lead you to known gold veins that you can then pan. Many people enjoy gold panning whenever they find themselves outdoors in a suitable area. It is easy to turn fishing, hunting and camping trips into gold panning trips. You could even find a gold bearing stream in a local area that will mean you can take up this hobby without having to travel very far. There are many areas where major gold veins cross through.

Gold panning allows you to enjoy the great outdoors and feel like you could strike it rich at the same time. Many people love to pan for gold everywhere because there is gold in “them there hills”.