Howdy, I went searching for gold up in the local hills with "Fifty Cents". We metal detected and found a few coins then put on the gold mode alot of iron & gold targets. We panned our targets and come up with small flakes,black sand and gold dust. We want to know how to tell the difference between 'fools gold' and real gold! We were down the river from where there was about a half a dozen people dredgeing, We would like some imput in the right direction to search.
Thanks Cowboy.

Tom, Im sure some one else will give ya some more idea but truthfully if it is gold you will know it!When you look at a peice of gold by a peice of pyrite there really is no question,pyrite doesnt even look like gold.The only time I have a hard time differing gold from something else is when it has mercury on it and then it is silver gray.Pyrite will also crumble when pressure is applied it is some what brittle gold will NOT shatter or crumble just flatten as it is soft.

I agree with Kuger. Pyrite tends to form in a cubic or isometric shapes. And gold is globular, except for flakes and flour gold. Pyrite is brittle and crumbles when you exert enough pressure on it. Gold is very malliable (I think I spelled that right) and in nature can be disfigured from the shape you find it in. It's obviously not like a Tootsie Roll, but if you take a piece that's big enough, a pocket knive can score it. With pyrite you end up with a mess of little cube pieces when you hammer it. Since pyrite is iron sulfide, I would think that a metal detector with the ability to discriminate between alloys (like VDI on a White's MXT) would probably register iron. I won't swear to that cause I've never tried. I might pull a piece of pyrite out of my rock box and try it. Wikipedia has some good info on pyrite. Here's a link


Pyrite

Hope this helps.

Gary

Thanks Kuger and Bentfork,
Your right about the difference of the two. I was out shopping today and came across a mineral store and picked up some pyrite. It will help to compare the gold to. I was using my Mxt and had alot of gold target readings along with iron ones. I've been pannig small gold flakes just wasn't sure about the pyrite? You know freinds they have to say that its 'fools gold' not knowing, thought I would ask the forum. I did look online about the two minerals and found alot of info. Thanks again for the information,next time I'm up in the hills I would like to visit with the guys dredgeing to see if I'm on the right track. B)
Cowboy

Cowboy Tom, Careful on that "I would like to visit with the guys dredgeing" idea. If you do, don't be carrying your detector. Some of those prospectors can be very protective of their claims! Be sure they can see you coming from a distance, like don't walk up on em from their blind side! Just friendly advice here. GaryC/SanBdno.

Cowboy_tom
First off you panned your finds. Pyrite is so light it would have been panned off with the first sands. Unless in the sun, pyrite doesn't have a shine like gold. If you get a piece of suspected pyrite, take a knife blade and push on it. If it is pyrite it will just crumble, if it is a gold flake it will bend. Now go and find some more of that yeller stuff.

A simple Google search gave out this:

http://geology.utah.gov/online_html/pi/pi-50/pi50pyrt.htm

Thanks for the tips guys! Gary your right about walking up to the miners, I wasn't planning on carrying my dedector with me, just my vile of finds to compare notes sort of speaking. As for sneaking up on them,well their right out in the open plane view from the road about 50 to 100 ft away they can see you as well as you can see them.
Nitro 54 I think am finding gold flakes, we brought home a few buckets and shifted it down before we panned, also borrowed a sluice box from a friend and ran the material through that then panned it out we get small flakes that looks like gold.
Ace thanks for the information it helps out alot! I've looked on line about the minerals but your info has a good comprision that I was looking for.
Thanks again you Guys for your help!
Cowboy Tom and "Fifty Cents" HH

Tom if those guys are dredging this time of year chances are pretty good they are into something.I dredge heavily from May to Oct.(and do pretty well)partially because of the dredge seasons but more that the water is WAY TOO COLD!!I even have a wet suit heater!!

Kuger, yeah your right about the water being cold. Only saw one guy wearing a wet suit. I would like to talk with them and show'em what were finding. East fork is that where you were dredgeing too? thats where we went to a few weeks ago.
Cowboy Tom

Once you have seen the real thing you probably won't get fooled again!

goldhart, thats cool! now thats what I wanted to see. I'm pretty sure these gold flakes are the real thing, also get real fine gold too! just can't get the fine stuff. Still learning stage for me.
Thanks and Have a Merry Christmas you and all the others that gave me all this information.
HH
Cowboy Tom

Cowboy, I use a blue bowl to get the fine gold out of my concentrates. It works best if you classify down to 20 mesh or smaller. All sand larger than that I pan.
good luck

Nitro 54,
Thanks for the tip! I look for the blue bowl and mesh.
Cowboy Tom