I am so appreciative you made this video. I am currently working an old bench 3/4 of the way up at the top of the mountain. I made many trenches and samples. I flagged each place I got gold in each sample. Call me crazy but I connected the flags and it seemed to make straight lines. I dug down and followed those flags and every single time it made a pay streak easy to find. There is gold everywhere in there. I just focused on those samples that gave the most gold and flagged it then dug down and dug out from flag to flag. Worked like a charm 😊 I'm not sure if there is a name for what I did but I hadn't ever done it before. It just made sense and after 4 years of prospecting this place I have learned the hard way of what doesn't work and now my eyes are starting to see and understand how and what works. I failed a million times before I have one success and those times I succeeded are starting to add up and make more sense of it . I learned something new all the time. Most of all I'm having fun and the gold is more of a perk of being out in the great outdoors. You know there are a lot of disabled people who love prospecting and these videos sincerely allow them to follow along and be a part of what they are interested in. Thank you for all you do Chris ❤

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

I wish you the best of success in your prospecting. Go find that gold!

@shanelocke237

6 ай бұрын

Very Very well said mate,greetings from Bathurst Australia 🇦🇺

@patchrat1

29 күн бұрын

Good going being outdoors is priceless by itself self best of luck and good health to you

Many thanks Chris, an education as always, yes Victoria, Oz really does have some amazing geology and is excellent fun looking for that shiny stuff. Keep it up mate this subject hasn’t even begun to be studied yet !!!!!

@ChrisRalph

Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Willamette valley Oregon takes gold from several districts in the western cascades to the Columbia. The old course of the river used to go west to the sea by Salem, but the gold was deposited after it changed, fairly recently 30-10 mya. But even more recently the Missoula ice dam floods covered the entire valley in thousands of feet of glacial silt, destroying the bottom of the valley, which sits in sandstone from an ancient ocean bottom. Where did all the gold eroded before that go? Just outside the valley in the foothills are some old river benches 50-100’ above the tributaries…

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Hard to say, perhaps there was no gold being eroded out before that.

@MerchantMarineGuy

7 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph entirely possible. Though dams on the rivers have largely stopped the migration of gold downstream, you can still find some on the gravel bars in the Willamette.

@shanelocke237

7 ай бұрын

Very Very well said mate,I've been thinking the same train of thought, I'd rather detect between 50-100 as it keeps me away from the venomous snakes near water here in Australia.but yeah you are right in your comment

@Stand.Your.Ground.

6 ай бұрын

I live right there :)

@sativahead420

3 ай бұрын

Here in idaho!

Awesome Video Chris. Im always learning from these instructional videos. Almost done with reading the book. Taking lots of notes. Keep'm coming!

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Great to hear! and I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

Your knowledge is awsome thank you for the content from Idaho

@ChrisRalph

3 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for another informative post I’ve been following you for a while I just ordered your book and am looking forward to reading it I’m getting close to retirement and prospecting is on my bucket list

@ChrisRalph

28 күн бұрын

Sounds great. Prospecting is a very enjoyable pastime.

Thanks Chris 👍

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

No problem 👍 I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

I love your book. I’ve read many many times. I was injured most of this last gold season in Oregon but hope to get back out 2024

@ChrisRalph

6 ай бұрын

Best of luck to you, I hope you find the greatest success.

You da man Ralph I’d love to go prospecting sometime with ya Hopefully we see you at the north yuba nugget hunt dig this next year in July Look forward to sharing a pan someday

@ChrisRalph

6 ай бұрын

I’d love to go prospecting sometime with ya - I'd like that also. I didn't make the Yuba get together this year as I was down in southern California with family on vacation. Because of school schedules and a family wedding, it had to be that time frame, so I could not make it. Hopefully this next year for sure.

One of your best Video's !!!!!!!!!

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Thank you. Hope you are doing well.

@Smithsgold

7 ай бұрын

All good here !!!!!@@ChrisRalph

Great topic, Chris. It isn't enough to limit yourself to the active streams and rivers, as Darcy Cooper would say, think outside of the stream... Excellent, my friend!

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Absolutely. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

A relative to the Ancient River is the Ancient Delta and Beach placers. Down here we used to debate about the Ricardo Formation near Last Chance, and Bonanza Gulch. Its classic tertiary basalt covered , dry quartzite cobbles to small well rounded but tabular( skipping stones) up to 600 feet thick and 20 miles wide not nearly as rich as the Sierran blue Lead , but curiously the gold is distributed from top to bottom , and large nuggets are found there. These are well preserved being in a desert so are without bedrock exposure, and Black Mountains basalt cover most of it.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

The Ricardo formation is gold bearing over a wide area.

Thanks Chris, im in Ohio and planning my retirement. One thing ive always been interested in is metal detecting. My first machine at 11 was a compass i bought with my paper route money. So needless to say it was quite an investment. But by the end of my first summer it paid for itself. And ive never looked back. Im upwards of a dozen now. I have the goldbug 2 that i purchased years ago and have practiced in my test bed for years. I have also been following Jeff Williams and Jess the Prospector. And now ive found your channel. And i have to say im happy i did. You combine the textbook knowledge with the actual field work. And that really ties it together for us outside observers. To actually see what a deposit might look like is a huge help for me once im out that way and physically looking. And A Fist Full of Gold will be in my pack. Along with some maps and notebooks. Ive already begun researching the deposits id like to prospect. Your insights will really help me narrow down the areas i will be prospecting. Thanks for so many detailed videos. Ive got a lot of material to catch up on.

@ChrisRalph

6 ай бұрын

Thanks! I'm glad to hear you are enjoying the videos and that they are helpful. .

Man, I'm glad I found your channel 🤌🤘

@ChrisRalph

Ай бұрын

Welcome aboard! I've got loads of past videos you may be interested in.

@defn0s

10 күн бұрын

@@ChrisRalph I am very interested. Been binging, It seems you need to discover knowledge before you discover any gold. I appreciate you My friend 🤘

In Arizona near wickenburg hwy 60 is cut through the most amazing ancient river channel it's about a hundred feet tall for about a mile it is a fascinating example if you ever get out that way check it out it really tells a story millions of years old.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Does it have gold in it?

@damxgopak457

7 ай бұрын

​@@ChrisRalphit does down in the washes below there have been up to 7 oz nuggets rare but verified have been found people still finding nugs today I have 2 claims on the west side of the wash system just started to prosper them by the way love your book it has been helpful.

@garyCauser

3 ай бұрын

Hassayampa river

Hi Chris, I'm just entering into the world of prospecting/metal detecting, and i really enjoying your videos, and will soon be buying your book. I live in Raleigh, NC and have the blessing of being in between the beach and mountains. I'm definitely looking forward to searching for gold in the mountains as well as searching on the beach and in local parks. I have been looking at detectors, but I'm not really sure what to look for. With a top budget of $1000, is there a metal detector you would recommend?

@ChrisRalph

6 ай бұрын

what detector is best for you is a complex question and I've done videos on it. take a look at: kzread.info/dash/bejne/d3po0aivg6vIetI.html

Outstanding video. The biggest nuggets I’ve found are in Gold Basin Arizona and are always at the top of ridgelines and I’m wondering if this explains why due to erosion.

@ChrisRalph

6 ай бұрын

Its possible,but without knowing anything else about your spots, its impossible to say for sure.

What should I be looking at in the congress mine area just outside of Pahrump,cemented Gravel for placer gold, the old streambeds? Thanks for sharing 🍸.

@ChrisRalph

5 ай бұрын

Do you have claims there? The area is pretty heavily claimed up.

Not always eroded sometimes its uplifted

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Uplifted and then eroded. Erosion does the work. Uplift accelerates the process, but erosion does the work.

I watch many gold content videos Ralph's is the best for real field knowledge hands on. Its like hiring aman to rebuild your engine do you want the guy that read how to rebuild it or the man that has rebuilt a few in his day.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

I've always figured that there has to be a anchant lake somewhere that has gold in it. Stream and river feed lakes and get covered up. Like to find one or two of them also. Then I would really, really be a happy miser. 😁

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Best of luck to you in your searching.

Where can I find info on the Mariposa , Merced river, is there a ancient river for the Merced river?

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Search on Google for a free download for "Bulletin 193, Gold Districts of California" then read about the districts in the area. There are only a few spots of ancient river channels scattered here and there, but plenty of bench gravels along the streams.

Hi Chris I live in Central Coast of California on a volcano" ancient" just wondering if maybe what are the chances of finding gold

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Unlikely that a volcano will cause gold (I have a video on that) but there are are beach placers here and there along the California coast from north of Santa Barbara to the Oregon state line. there are also some hard rock districts inland from the central coast. Download "Bulletin 193, Gold districts of California" and read about it.

At 11:19 in the video, i have seen those before. You were alluding to hydraulic mining, but how much of that is natural erosion vs hydraulic mining? Reason I ask is I thought the hydraulic mining was them blasting water on the cliff side and then forcing the erosion through the sluices. Wouldn't the runoff be further away from the hillside? That is where I am confused with the explanation.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

The hydraulic mining I showed left near vertical faces, and erosion since mining stopped has buried the lower part of the steep face of the old mining.

@blakiniknorguild142

7 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph - Thanks! Makes total sense. No idea why i didn't think of that.

I have a question I just can't seem to find an answer for. I have a cut on my land (bottom Land) with a full time creek that runs through it, The cut is where the county put a culvert across the Hwy in the 50's so it eroded a lot 8ft deep, as it runs to the river you can see a thick layer of Clay just above the bedrock and I have found gold in it, a decent amount, how do I extract the gold from the clay just had a hell of a time I know there is a Trick to it but just haven't found it.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

First, test to see of the gold is coming just from the upper surface of the clay. The only answer is to mix the clay up with water until it flows easily and can be put in a sluice.

@shadowcrusader2283

7 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph thank you I will do that

Hi Chris, how would you define the difference between a "tertiary channel" and a "preglacial channel"? And, is a thalweg the same as a PGC?

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

A talweg is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Tertiary is of a certain age, per-glacial is a relative age, just meaning before the glaciers. so no, not the same.

@rexhavoc5643

7 ай бұрын

Would thalwegs be interesting targets to prospect?@@ChrisRalph

Hi chris .is must to chenge Gpz 7000 setting in different area or all area need same settings .can someone set one settings throughout ?

@ChrisRalph

5 ай бұрын

Is it required, no. Is it stupid not to change them - yes. You pay for a very powerful detector, with out adjustments, you have an average detector.

@aliabdihaj001

5 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph so it's required to chenge it's setting just in simple terms .please make me understand you well .with respect

@ChrisRalph

5 ай бұрын

For details, please discuss with the dealer from which you will purchase your detectors.

I assume the reason why the bedrock is richest is because the largest volume of material transfer occurs during bed scour, during which time an impermeable layer amenable to concentration is exposed. It also happens multiple times because that's the limit for bed scour. Not that it helps a lot, just pondering why.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Because of its high density, gold resists movement.The sands and rocks move by and the gold moves down. When it hits bedrock, it can move no further.

@SandhillCrane42

7 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph In your book I believe you emphasized that the gold on bedrock is laid down in the primary aggradation, and does not travel downwards with intermittent flood events. Perhaps to some significant degree it does, but experience would suggest particles in surfical imbrications and the like are moved over to more resistant gravel deposits at those times (the flood gold). The pay layers will of course be there to fall onto bedrock during the next scouring, but not just sinking down? The clay and what not gets ploughed through and they fall elsewhere. Eh. Gold go down because heavy. Not to be contradictory, you literally wrote the book on it sir. Many thanks for all the info and engagement. You're a "rock" star.

This is the video I've been waiting for. Doesn't all seem to pertain to me in northern British Columbia. Anyway I turn, it looks like a old bench with nice river rocks and gravel. I fear glaciers have made a mess of it.

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Many benches, some of gigantic size exist in BC

@bcbradley2359

7 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph Thanks for this video. I will be watching it many times over.

The price of gold has more to do with governments tgen how hard it is to find

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Governments have something to do with it, but rarity means its expensive to produce.

Hi Chris, I know you probably don’t have time but this nugget we found on our lease is completely different to all the other nuggets we found, and it’s the only one we have found encased in rusty conglomerate. I wonder if this is an old steam bed. Short clip here. Gold Nugget Deep in Rock kzread.info/dash/bejne/e4WKlbKrnq-nhdo.html

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Its possible - hard to tell from just one sample.

Ow, Ow. I would, I'd really, really like to find a anchant river of gold. 😁 like Daffy duck would say. I would be a happy miser. 😁😂😁

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Keep your eyes open for the possibility.

I dont even prospect for gold. I dont think I'll ever prospect for gold. But dangnabit if I wont learn everything about prospecting gold, just to know.

@ChrisRalph

6 ай бұрын

I'm glad to know you are enjoying the videos.

Makes me think of alaska gold mining

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

some parts of Alaska, Yes

@russtgrower750

7 ай бұрын

@@ChrisRalph interior was my thought. Grew up in ak and seems like all the gold we found was high banking and beach gold

Not always eroded sometimes its uplifted

@ChrisRalph

7 ай бұрын

Uplifted and then eroded. Erosion does the work. Uplift accelerates the process, but erosion does the work.