Rocks That Contain Gold
Many people hunt for gold rocks for a myriad of reasons. T
he monetary and ornamental value of gold minerals surpasses others.
The process of the rocks formation affects the location of the stones.
In this article, we shall learn about the characteristics and chemical components of the rocks containing gold.
How Do You Remove Gold From Rocks
Put the rock in a metal container then swing a sledgehammer down onto it. Continue to strike the rock with your sledgehammer until its broken up into small pebble-sized pieces. You dont need to grind your pebbles into a powder when youre using mercury sulfide to extract the gold. See also what is the pacific plate
Has Granite Have Gold In It
Accordingly to a recent paper by Prof. George P. Merrill, Curator of the Department of Geology of the U. S. National Museum, Washington, upon An Occurrence of Free Gold in Granite, describes an interesting instance of the dissemination of this noble metal in the substance of granite of normal composition believed to be from Sonora, Mexico.
Professor George P. Merril submitted a number of thin sections of the rock to examination and with the aid of the microscope gave confirmatory evidence.
The goelogist, found the gold in small scales, rarely exceeding a millimeter in diameter, distributed through the scales of mica and apparently enclosed in both the feldspar and quartz granules.
Don’t Miss: What Is The Best 1 Oz Gold Coin To Buy
Where Are Utahs Gold Placers
Utahs placers are usually associated with areas of igneous rocks. Gold-bearing solutions deposited gold within the surrounding rock formations . As these gold-bearing rocks are eroded, the free gold is deposited and concentrated into placer deposits. Finding gold is possible in any stream or river that crosses a gold-mineralized area. However, since the known placer deposits have been worked and reworked for over 100 years, the chance of finding large concentrations of gold in Utahs streams is small.
Utah placers have been reported in the following areas:
Fools Gold
Pyrite crystals commonly form pyritohedrons with striations on the crystal faces.
What Is Known As Fools Gold

Fools gold is the name given to pyrite. It got the name because it is equal to nothing in value even though it has a look that makes it look like gold to foolish people. There are a few ways you can use to decipher if it is pyrite or gold. There are a few tests that can help you ascertain if you are dealing with fools gold or not. The first test of difference is the presence of tarnish on pyrite. This is because most of the specimens of pyrite from nature will always have some measure of tarnish on its surface, small flakes or Nuggets of gold are often untarnished and bright.
In the aspect of color, pyrite comes in a brassy color while gold has a yellow to golden color. A number of the native gold around usually comes in an alloy of silver. If the silver content is quite high, the specimen is bound to have a whitish-yellow coloration. In terms of shape, Pyrite is generally gotten in angular pieces and they tend to have faces of the cube. Golden particles found in streams for instance always come in rounded edges. There is however some crystalline gold that shows traits of pyrite as well.
The third destructive test has to do with its ductility. Gold is known to be very ductile and this means that a small piece of gold will dent with a small pressure from a pin. Pyrites, on the other hand, will resist or even break the pressure. The final test is sectility. Gold can be cut using a sharp pocket knife while particles cant be cut.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Gold Bars
What Is Placer Gold
Placer Gold
Placer gold or natural nuggets are large gold deposits often found in dry streambeds or riverbeds. These nuggets are usually found many miles away from their place of origin. Therefore, finding placer gold does not necessarily mean that you just found the gold mine.
You can find placer gold by using a metal detector and panning techniques. The metal detector helps to identify the location of the placer gold in the dry creek bed. However, sometimes the gold nugget is of small size and mixed with dry soil or sand. Therefore, you can try the panning method to extract gold from the mixture.
Moreover, you should know that the panning technique is the same globally. For instance, gold panning in Arizona is the same method as used for gold panning in Colorado.
Break Them With A Sledgehammer
This is where your sledgehammer comes in. Lift it and bring it down on the rocks. Hit them really hard. Keep hitting them in this manner until they become tiny pebbles.
If you can get a power hammer, you will have an easier and faster job of breaking the rocks.
I would like you to know of the option of lifting a very heavy object over them and letting go. But this is not efficient.
However, if you are a serious prospector of gold, consider buying a crushing machine. It will save you time and effort.
Don’t Miss: Rose Gold Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
How Do I Identify Gold When Buying
One thing about genuine gold jewelry is that it comes stamped with a hallmark indicating its authenticity. This is however not a foolproof strategy to determine the authenticity of the gold. Also, we cannot easily identify jewelry stamps or what they mean. There are however different ways to confirm if your jewelry is real gold or not. These signs may not be easily seen by an untrained eye, but the following steps should help you out.
First, ensure that you carry out a visual inspection. You will need to see if it has any discoloration or if it is a base metal that is shining via the coat. If this is the case you may be looking at jewelry that is simply gold plated. There is also nothing wrong with purchasing gold plated jewelry but the thing is that it is not usually solid gold and as such, it should be labeled rightly. Real gold will also not discolor. The last thing you should look out for is weight. The reason for this is that solid gold is often quite dense and heavier than fake gold. You may ask a jeweler to inspect a professional opinion.
The second thing to do is to look out for the Gold Hallmark. The hallmark is simply a stamp that exists on the piece of jewelry which informs the buyer of what it is that they are purchasing. In several countries, jewelers must indicate when gold is genuine. They also make it compulsory to state the karat of the gold. If this is not enforced, it will be quite difficult to determine the karat of the gold.
Is There Gold In Every River
Every river in the world contains gold. However some rivers contain so little gold that one could pan and sieve for years and not find even one small flake. After rigorous chemical analyses rocks that are found to contain gold in levels where only one part in one million is gold can be professionally mined.
Read Also: How To Refine Scrap Gold
How Do You Extract Gold From Rocks At Home
How Does Gold Get Into Rivers
Answer 1: Gold is concentrated in certain geothermal solution formed when magma is injected into water bearing rocks. Then because of its large density gold gets transported by streams and concentrated into what are called placer deposits. These are fluvial sediments that occur along the banks of streams and rivers.
Recommended Reading: How To Purchase Gold Coins
The Best Way To Find Gold In Rocks
Gold is a precious metal that humans have coveted for centuries. It can be found in its pure form, or it can be mixed with other minerals. If youre lucky enough to find gold, you could be sitting on a fortune!
This article will teach you how to find gold in rocks. Well discuss the different methods that people use to find gold and give you some tips on getting started. So put on your prospectors hat, and lets get started!
How Can You Tell If A Rock Has Gold In It

Real gold also leaves a gold streak when scratched against a small bit of unglazed ceramic like the back of a piece of bathroom tile but iron pyrite leaves a greenish-black colored streak. In your gold hunting kit a small magnet piece of glass and a bit of unglazed tile can help you identify real gold in a flash.
Recommended Reading: Is Platinum Worth More Than Gold
Not Just Rocks But Minerals Can Contain Gold
Calaverite and sylvanite are minerals that contain gold. There chemical formula makeup includes the element Au. Sylvanite will contain around 34% gold, calaverite will contain around 43%.
These two minerals are almost the same in chemical composition. What separates them as two different minerals is the content of silver. If there is less than a little over 13% of silver, replaced by gold, then it is considered calaverite.
Many other minerals can contain amounts of gold in them. Though they may not be part of the chemical makeup of the mineral, they may present in the mineral as an impurity.
Pyrite is a good example of this. Though pyrite is often called fools gold, it can actually contain gold. At times, if the contents of gold is high enough in pyrite, it will be extracted. Keep in mind the ratio of gold to current price of gold, as your cost to extract may exceed your profit!
Pyrite is a wonderful mineral that many people especially kids love to collect. I have written a great article on pyrite All About Pyrite including information and pictures.
How Do You Know That A Rock Has Gold In It
How Do You Know That A Rock Has Gold In It?
You can scratch a rock against a piece of unglazed ceramic like the back of a kitchen tile to see if it has gold in it. Genuine gold leaves a gold streak while fools gold leaves a greenish-black one.
Gold isnt attracted by a magnet, while fools gold is because it has a high iron content. If you put a rare earth magnet next to the rock and nothing happens, chances are it contains gold.
Also, close inspection of the rock with a jewelers loupe will show a distinct yellow color and non-crystalline structure in the case of genuine gold. Iron pyrite or fools gold has a pronounced crystalline structure.
TIP:Natural pyrite is usually known as fools gold but even pyrite fakes can be sometimes spotted. Check out the main differences between real and fake pyrite in the article below:Real vs. Fake Pyrite: Focus on These 7 Differences
Don’t Miss: When To Buy Gold Stocks
What Types Of Rocks And Minerals Are Associated With Gold
There are a number of different rocks and minerals that are found near gold or are part of gold deposits. By starting your search for these rocks and minerals, you are essentially looking for a broader footprint of where the gold might be.
Three Rocks That Contain Gold
For thousands of years people have been chasing after gold. Finding gold has been a part of life for many civilizations for centuries. Rocks are obviously where you find gold, but many do not know much about rocks to know which rocks might contain gold.
Gold is contained within the three main rock types Sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, and igneous rock. All three rock types are known to contain some amounts of gold. Sedimentary rocks are often thought of containing the most gold.
In many cases gold will end up in rocks by the hydrothermal process. Cracks and openings in rocks were filled with heated ground water. This hot liquid was pushed from below into these cracks filling them with its contents, including gold.
Read Also: What Is The Market Price For An Ounce Of Gold
Rocks You Need To Look For When Gold Prospecting
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases with no additional costs for you.
You need to know something about how gold deposits occur to understand which rocks to look for when prospecting. Alluvial deposits are made by water running over rocks in rivers and streams, while gold veins or reefs are deposits of gold left by geological processes in large bodies of rock. The former are secondary deposits, while the latter veins and reefs are primary.
Five rocks to look for when gold prospecting are quartz, granite, basalt, schist, and slate. Gold is deposited in them through volcanic hydrothermal activity or rainwater solutions containing minerals and heavy metals like gold. Gold drops out of the solution and is deposited in cracks and crevices.
Its hard to find gold in significant quantities, but you can improve your chances by knowing where to look and what to look for. Panning for gold in a mountain creek or on a sandbar in a river can be exciting when you catch that first bright glint in the sunlight.
This article explains what to look for in rocks when prospecting for gold, the five kinds of rocks commonly associated with gold, and how to tell if a rock has gold in it.
What Rocks To Look For When Gold Prospecting
If you are interested in checking out the best tools and equipment for gold prospecting you can find them by clicking here .
How Do You Test Gold With Vinegar
Vinegar can be used to test gold and it is one of the best methods for testing gold available at home. You simply place the gold in the vinegar and see if the gold keeps shining or changes color. Real gold will not change color or shine when exposed to vinegar. See also what is the southern oscillation quizlet
Recommended Reading: How To Apply For Gold Card In Texas
Recreational Gold Panning And Dredging Regulations
Recreational Panning* using non-mechanized equipment such as a pan, sluice box, or pick and shovel that does not disturb the earth above the water line or outside a dry stream bed.
Recreational Dredging* using a vacuum or suction dredge with an intake diameter of up to four inches and having a rating of up to twelve horse power or using hand-operated sluice equipment and related tools. Dredging must occur beneath the existing water surface or upon non-vegetated sand and gravel bars within the active stream channel for a period not to exceed 45 days annually.
*from U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Utah Division of Water Rights information.
Regulations differ depending on which federal or state agency administers the land on which you wish to pan or dredge. These agencies have maps showing the land under their jurisdiction, and land-ownership maps for the entire state can be obtained at U.S. Bureau of Land Management offices.
School & Institutional Trust Lands : You need a lease for recreational gold panning and dredging. Contact the School & Institutional Trust Lands Administration for lease information
Do Geodes Contain Gold
![[Style Swap] Rock material with pure gold veins â Quixel [Style Swap] Rock material with pure gold veins â Quixel](https://www.goldtalkclub.com/wp-content/uploads/style-swap-rock-material-with-pure-gold-veins-a-quixel.jpeg)
Typically geodes do not have gold or diamonds in them. Geodes are known to contain gems called Herkimer diamonds Bristol Diamonds as well as Gold aura quartz but they are not real gold or diamonds. Although certain quartz rock deposits have gold it is different from the quartz crystals commonly found inside geodes.
Also Check: What’s The Cost Of Gold Per Gram