Treasure Hunters

Joseph Foreman was once again our guide to finding geological treasures in the area near us.  We met up at the Hales’ home in Colfax for a short lesson on how the earth shifts, the result of which we had felt on Thursday night when our beds shook from an earthquake!  Our area is very rich in gold because of the faults below the surface.  Joseph explained how gold is a very heavy metal and sinks to the bottom.  This is why gold panning works.  The heavy gold settles to the bottom of the pan allowing the other rocks and soil to be washed away.  Iron is also heavy so you will usually find a black sand-like material at the bottom with the gold.

 

Joseph also expalined that gold is most often deposited on the inward bend of the river where the flow of water slows.

That is where he took us.

We made the short drive from the Hales’ house to the Bear River Campground off Placer Hills Rd.

We walked a short distance to a spot along the river just up from the parking lot.

We found a little spot tucked in the trees by the rivers edge to settle in.

We started with panning by taking scoops of sand and soil from the bank and swirling it with water in our pans.

All eyes out for gold!

Joseph came around assisting and giving tips.

The older boys were especailly interested in trying out the sluice box.

 They would take scoops of soil and strain it through the sieves into the buckets.

Then they poured the material into the sluice box and allowed the river water to wash over it.

The sluice box has ridges and the gold washes up under them.

After many buckets through the sluice box they rinsed its contents into a pan.

With Jospehs help they were able to all get several small pieces of gold.

The kids began dreaming of what they would do with their newly acquired riches! 🙂

Another thing the kids learned is that searching for gold takes patience and can be hard work.

Before leaving, Joseph also let the kids try out his metal detector on the shore.

They found a rusty old bottlecap!

Another great day learning while enjoying the beautiful area in which we live 🙂