Gold mining is typically the process of extracting gold from its natural environment. Some people do it for recreation while others do it for business. Whether you mine gold as a hobby or for business, this guide will be very resourceful as it covers what the process entails and the metal detectors for gold you can use.
How is it mined?
There are four different methods used in gold mining. They include hard rock mining, placer mining, processing gold ore, and byproduct mining.
Placer mining
Placer mining is the extraction of gold that has accumulated and collected in a placer deposit. Placer deposits contain loose material, which means tunneling that material is tricky. That means most of the extraction techniques here will involve dredging or water.
Sluicing
Sluicing has been a typical process for small-scale and prospecting mining. Here the miners use a sluice box to get the gold from the deposits. A sluice box is a typical artificial channel bearing riffles at the end. These rifles create dead zones for the gold to emerge. The box is placed where there is water flow, and at the top is the gold-bearing material. Water transports the material via the volt for gold to settle behind the riffles, among other dense materials. The less-dense material typically flows out of the box like tailings.
Panning
Panning is like manual gold separation from other materials. Shallow and quite large pans are filled with sand and gravel containing gold. The pan is then shaken after being submerged in water to sort gravel gold from other materials. The gravel gold will settle at the bottom since gold is heavier than rock. The panning material is acquired from stream beds at the inside turn or from the bedrock shelf. That is where gold deposits will be more because of their density.
Dredging
Even though modern technology has mainly replaced the dredging method, small-scale miners still use the method. Suction dredges have been used that float on water, and two or even one person operates them. The tiny machines consist of a pontoon-supported sluice box that is attached to a suction hose. An underwater miner typically operates this suction hose. Some states have specific areas where miners can dredge to protect aquatic life. Beware that some states will require comprehensive licensing procedures to operate the dredges.
Rocker box
The rocker-box is also known as a cradle. This machine also uses riffles to capture gold deposits, just like the sluice box. However, a rocker box will require less water than a sluice box. This small box is ideal for areas where the water levels are low. It incorporates a rocking motion that is crucial in the separation of gold from gravity.
Hard rock mining
Hard rock mining is quite different. This method of gold mining extracts gold from rocks and not fragments found in the loose sediment. It is how the majority of gold deposits are found worldwide. Some miners use open-pit mining like the Knox Mine in Alaska's Fort. Found in North America is one of the most massive open-pit gold mines run by Barrick Gold Corporation. Several gold mines apply underground mining in the gold extraction process, where shafts extract the ore.
By-product gold mining
Understand that gold occurs as a byproduct of mining. The massive copper mines like the Bingham Canyon in Utah often collect copper together with other materials such as gold at considerable amounts. Sand and gravel pits like those in Colorado and Denver may come across small gold deposits in their washing endeavors.

Understand that the Grasberg mine in Indonesia is the biggest gold mine worldwide, yet it is a copper mine.
Gold ore processing
Cyanide process
Cyanide gold extraction is perfect in areas where fine gold-bearing rocks are in abundance. Finely ground rock is mixed with a sodium cyanide solution. Experts must establish that this fine rock must contain gold or silver. A silver cyanide or gold cyanide solution is then separated from this ground rock. To have a gold, silver, and zinc metals residue, zinc is blended with the mixture. Sulfuric acid is used to extract zinc metal, which leaves behind a gold or silver sludge. This sludge is smelted into an ingot and shipped for final processing. The final processing at a metal refinery ensures the metals are 99.99% pure. The alkaline cyanide dissolution method has since been developed in recent years. It can now process low-grade silver and gold ore, but that does not mean it is only limited to these ores. However, you need to understand that the process has several environmental hazards because of the high acute toxicity.
Mercury Process
For a long time now, mercury has been used in placer gold mining. The metal is used to create mercury-gold amalgam in small gold particles. That increases the rate at which miners can recover gold. However, large-scale use of mercury in this process stopped in the 1960s. Mercury is still used in small-scale gold mining and artisanal, more so in gold prospecting.
Insights on Gold Detectors
Almost every metal detector manufacturer will try to convince you that they manufacture the best gold detectors in the market. It is quite unfortunate that many customers do not research as they look for quality metal detectors. They will purchase worthless detectors that do not detect even the most straightforward metals, such as keys and coins.

You need to do your homework perfectly to find the best metal detectors. These are the detectors that work effectively in helping you find more gold. Understand that there are typical metal detectors and gold detectors. Gold detectors are much more specific as they detect the properties of gold. Gold bears a different conductivity level from the other metals.

These gold detectors are discriminatory as they cannot detect other metals. However, you can get other metal detectors and work on the settings to make it a gold detector. However, a gold detector is better since it is already set and good to detect some gold.

Aim to purchase authentic and perfectly working gold detectors even though they may be expensive. There is no need to buy the cheaper options only to gamble with their functionality.
What makes a good gold metal detector?
Different factors affect the performance of a metal detector. Listed below are some of the issues that affect these machines performances:
Environment.

Very Low Frequency or Pulse Induction Operating frequency.

Waterproof Discrimination features.

Search coil choices.

Price.

Bottom Line:
Gold mining as a hobby is enjoyable and could be profitable if you have the right and valuable information. Use this guide to understand more about the gold metal detectors you should be looking for.