Digging

[urbangold95]

When digging for some material to classify...how deep down should you dig to get to what your wanting to find? Any information would be appreciated thank you.

[Au Seeker]

It will all depend on how the gold is deposited in the stream, you can find fine gold in the flood sands, or you may need to hit a clay deposit, If you can find bedrock without a very deep hole in Indiana and there's gold in the stream you will find any gold that has migrated down through the sediments, look in the cracks and crevices and get as much material out that you can even if you have to break open the cracks, the deeper you go into a crack the better your chances of getting the gold that maybe in them.

Basically most gold will migrate down into the sediments until it hits an impenetrable layer, i.e. bedrock or clay, the exception to this will be flood gold that is still working it's way down through the sediments.

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[urbangold95]

Ok that helps a lot. I was wandering how you would find clay in a stream/creek and also is it above bedrock or where is located in a stream/creek? thanks

[Bedrock Bob]

Dig until you are looking the devil in the belly button. Then dig some more. Don't stop digging until sparks fly and the blood drips from your elbows. That will be the depth that the gold is the richest.

[Au Seeker]

Clay can found anywhere in the layers as you dig down in the stream bed.

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[GlennM]

You'll know the clay layer(s) when you hit them. In Indiana, you'll most often be in a wet stream, so look for the harder to dig, sticky,gooey stuff and you've hit clay.

Clay will clump together and erode slowly compared to other stream bed materials and it is typically very fine grained.

Look for outcrops of bedrock that cross the stream and make natural riffles, even if not straight across. These areas require less digging to the bottom and you need to clean out any cracks you find as good as you can as gold will get in those and wedge it.