Prospecting: » 1 » 2 » 3 » 4 » 5       » Image Gallery Scoping Southern Oregon for Gold by W. Good The finding of gold bearing ground is made easy with the Electroscope®. Last winter I scoped an old mine near Gold Hill, Oregon, and received a strong line from 500 feet, took dirt samples below the target, and panned 15 colors. This spring I returned to find the hot spot in the same place behind a large pine tree. I dropped down below the prospect and dug a five foot cross cut to find the gold bearing quartz ledge. I've tested parallel to the vertical vein, it was richer right under the spot where I had scoped last winter. Now I am panning a nicer point of gold per hand full of dirt. The ore taken from the outside edge of the vein assays .562 ounces per ton (Shasta Analytical Geochemistry Laboratory, Redding, California). I am also panning/scoping gold all the way across the hill on both sides of a lime intrusion, this could be a massive deposit. I credit this find to three main reasons: 1. The Electroscope® for finding the new deposit on worked ground. 2. A good lead. 3. Some prospecting knowledge on my part. The more I used my Electroscope® the faster I get on top of a new gold or silver target. Some of the ways that I have achieved this is by my technique. When you have a nice smooth sweep, it is like picking up a magnetic field. You need to be level, however, or above the deposit to pick it up. The corona of a target is up and out, the longer it has been there and the larger the target, the stronger your hit will be depending on the depth, approximately 1000 feet. I know this from walking the ridge above the Sylvanite Mine in Gold Hill. By searching with my Electroscope® with the discrimination knob set just above the null point (approximately 4, past Iron, Aluminum or other unwanted metals) to pick up a gold or silver prospect. With your unit tuned, add full discrimination to get a good line and mark it. Then move 10 to 100 feet to one side or the other and get another good line to triangulate. Approach your prospect on wither line and stop to check the strength of your new target by pulling in the antennas. I like to add my interface from 50 feet away, and if the hit is just as strong, box it in and get your shovel. Try to realize the antennas are just as important in controlling your instrument as the tuning and discrimination settings. All three work together to obtain your objective. This is the fastest way to accurately get on top of your target and I am sharing this information with you, I am happy to say that I trained a gentleman on the Electroscope® a few weeks ago and he already found a 1922 silver dollar, a gold ring, a large silver spoon and some small coins near a park in Springfield, Oregon. He has also found many placer paystreaks for dredging. I am one of the successful scopers because, as a dealer, I have had the opportunity to spend some time to gain experience and understanding. With today's confidence and knowledge, I would have dug one foot deeper last winter and had the gold in my pocket a lot sooner. I have also found several gold bearing quartz veins which I verify with a mortar and pestle, gold pan or assay report. Although some gold veins are more valuable, or easier to get to than others, I think it is also important to be able to identify your discovery. Watch for gold, quartz, contact rocks, color changes, etc. Occasionally I look for paystreaks in streams and check my findings with panning, snipping, or dredging. I hope to get good enough through the use of the antennas and testing the strength of my hit with the interface to determine the amount of ounces at any particular placer deposit.