The Graystone Company, Inc. (GYST)

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Alluvial gold is mixed with the sand and gravel of rivers, streams and lakes. Running water washes it from upstream and deposits it in the sand. The gold is usually in the form of fine grains or small nuggets. Gold can also be found in quartz and can be extracted after the rock is crushed. Over the years, miners have developed many methods for mining.


Panning



Panning is one of the simplest methods for finding alluvial gold. The prospector fills the pan with sand from the river or stream and then a process of "washing" it by swishing it around in the water. Gold is heavier than sand, so it settles to the bottom of the pan. By sloshing a pan of dirt around in the water, the lighter materials are washed away, leaving gold, if it's present.

Panning is a fairly slow process and, according to Bureau of Land Management, an experienced panner can process only about 10 pans an hour.


Sluicing



Another method for finding alluvial gold is to use a sluice box. A sluice box is a long, narrow trough made out of wood, metal or plastic. It's placed in running water, with a slight downhill tilt, so that water flows through the box. The prospector shovels gravel into the top of the box, where the water enters. As the water runs through the box, it washes away the lighter gravels and sediment, leaving any gold behind.

According to Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, a sluice box lets a prospector process five to 10 times the amount of material he can pan in a day. A variation of this method, called dry washing, uses a blast of forced air to blow away anything lighter than gold.


Dredging



Commercial dredges were floating factories that could move and process thousands of cubic yards of material per day. These dredges had a big set of buckets at one end, sediment sorters and sieves in the middle to process the sediment, and a crane at the other end to distribute waste material. Commercial dredges were used through the 1960s, but other methods have replaced them. Small-scale miners still use this method, using smaller machines.



Read more: Mining Methods for Alluvial Gold & Quartz | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7297777_mining-methods-alluvial-gold-quartz.html#ixzz1cpwgSJkT