B4—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 28,1984
Gold panners
(Continued from Page B 2)
Although gold has definitely
been found in the small creek that
bubbles through Spring Valley
Park, Jeri Jones emphasizes that
panning is not allowed on public,
government-owned, lands,
because taking gold from these
streams would be considered
removing a natural resource, an
illegal act.
Special wide, shallow plastic
pans are sold for panning
minerals, and can be purchased at
local rock shops, mineral shows, or
through hobbyist mail-order
supply catalog. These experts
prefer black or dark green pans,
because the shiny yellow of the
gold is more visible against the
flat, dark background.
Aluminum Piepans, used by
many attending the seminar,
aren’t recommended for serious
panning because the silvery
surface does not offer enough
contrast to the color of the gold
flakes.
Gold is a very heavy mineral and
will sink to the bottom of wherever
it is deposited, including a piece of
panning equipment.
When a likely spot is found, a
shovelful of gravel should be
placed in the pan, which is then
swirled around in the water while
being vigorously shaken to settle
any flakes to the bottom.
Large rocks and pebbles can be
removed by hand periodically, and
the lessening volume of gravel
material continuously swirled out
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by the creek waters, until only a
heavy blackish sandy material
remains in the bottom.
“If you can find that black sand,
a magnetite material, then you’re
probably in the ‘ball park’, “Jones
told rookies standing ankle deep in
water at the seminar, eagerly
searching through miscellaneous
creekbed materials in their
piepans.
Mica, also a shiny mineral that
might be found, is a brighter
yellow color, while gold is a duller
blue
“Don’t spend too much time in
silted creeks,” Schmerling
suggests. “Pick a stream with
some flow to it. Look for a place
with gravel deposits of one to three
feet, with bedrock under that, so
any possible gold deposits would
have to be contained.”
“You can have two creeks side
by side; one will have it and the
other won’t. It’s best to work up a
creek, maybe at a dozen or spots,
where some barrier such as a
vertical slate across the bottom,
would catch deposits as they wash
downstream. Natural riffles trap
gold.”
Panning enthsiasts like Sch
merling aren’t discouraged by cold
weather, and might be found knee
deep in streams edged with slivers
of ice. But in that weather, he’ll
probably be using a “sluice,”
because the panning method
causes hands to grow numb
quickly in icy water.
A sluice is a trough, about ten
inches wide by three to four feet
long, with half-to three-quarter
inch high cross pieces at intervals
along the bottom to create a riffle
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effect. Gravel is shoveled in, and
the creek water left to naturally
flow through the trough, with the
riffle pieces catching and holding
any gold flakes. These can be hand
made, or purchased from mineral
hobby suppliers, at about the cost
of $25 to $5O for a plastic or
aluminum model.
Thus far, the most prolific local
gold flake area is at an undisclosed
southern Lancaster County
location, although geologist Jones
anticipates that the northern part
of Lancaster County could likely
have gold-bearing areas.
“Someone has to get out and
look, and no one has really hunted
there that we know of,” he adds.
Northern York County, toward the
Dillsburg area, is worked by some
panners, and potential gold
bearing rock formations make up
both the Pigeon and Hallam Hills
in York County.
Jones estimates that perhaps 15
percent of York County’s streams
bear bits of the precious, elusive
metal, while many in southern
Lancaster County could yield
panning finds.
Sliver is often found in rock
formations related to gold-finding,
but so far that metal has not turned
up locally, yet.
“There should be some around,”
insists the geologist. “Some silver
has been found in the same type
rocks in Maryland. But again, no
one has really looked. And you
must fcnow what you are looking
for.”
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“Ask first” heads the mineral
experts’ list of things to do when
setting out to pan for minerals, if
the search leads to private
property.
“Most people are pretty
cooperative if you tell them you’d
like to look for gold in their
streams, says Schmerling.
However, if a few flakes of gold are
found, some property owners may
occasionally become a bit
protective.
Panners do turn up things that
have been lost sometimes due to
high water. Schmerling recalls
working a creek one day after high
water and coming across part of an
A-frame section from a farmer’s
tractor that had been washed a
considerable distance down
stream.
In the past, another Penn
sylvania mineral generated some
interest among area farmers.
Rutile, - a titanium, is a rusty
reddish-brown to almost black
colored crystal-like rock. When
crushed, it turns white, and once
was an important whitening agent
used in paint and even in false
teeth. Farmers picked rutile from
their fields and sold it to earn a few
extra dollars.
Such field harvesting of the
mineral has faded into history, and
most rutile used today is obtained
from Maryland’s beach sands.
Numerous rock and mineral
clubs are organized throughout
Pennsylvania, with several m the
southcentral and eastern parts of
the state. Persons interested m
further information on potential
gold-bearing locations, or on
panning for gold, may contact Jen
Jones at the York County Board of
Parks and Recreation, R 22, Box 33,
York, 17042, or by calling 717-757-
5653.
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