Klamath River Gold
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:07 pm
Klamath River Gold
I know there are examples of gold nuggets from the Klamath River that weigh ounces and perhaps a few that weigh more, but most (perhaps 80-90% by weight) of the gold I have personally seen is small enough to fall through a #8 mesh screen. It isn't rare to find nuggets larger than that, but it is rare to find anything much larger than that. I have never seen any gold that wouldn't easily fall through a #4 screen.
I know from speaking to other miners that there is some clay to be found in some places, but so far I have never encountered any. In all the digging I have done on the claims has been in sand and gravels that have been a pleasure to run through a sluice. I have never had a problem with mud or material that clumps badly, though it is a real bitch to classify when it is wet.
So, with those facts in mind I chose to run my sluice "smooth and mostly flat". A long section of fine rib v-mat and one section of Gold Hog UR mat are at the top of my sluice. The only riffles in my sluice are three sections of Gold Hog scrubber mat located about half-way down the sluice. Following that I have four more sections of the Gold Hog UR mats. I may experiment with expanded metal on top of the UR mats and maybe a set of riffles too, but I don't think they will be needed or even helpful in my sluice. Time will tell.
I know there are examples of gold nuggets from the Klamath River that weigh ounces and perhaps a few that weigh more, but most (perhaps 80-90% by weight) of the gold I have personally seen is small enough to fall through a #8 mesh screen. It isn't rare to find nuggets larger than that, but it is rare to find anything much larger than that. I have never seen any gold that wouldn't easily fall through a #4 screen.
I know from speaking to other miners that there is some clay to be found in some places, but so far I have never encountered any. In all the digging I have done on the claims has been in sand and gravels that have been a pleasure to run through a sluice. I have never had a problem with mud or material that clumps badly, though it is a real bitch to classify when it is wet.
So, with those facts in mind I chose to run my sluice "smooth and mostly flat". A long section of fine rib v-mat and one section of Gold Hog UR mat are at the top of my sluice. The only riffles in my sluice are three sections of Gold Hog scrubber mat located about half-way down the sluice. Following that I have four more sections of the Gold Hog UR mats. I may experiment with expanded metal on top of the UR mats and maybe a set of riffles too, but I don't think they will be needed or even helpful in my sluice. Time will tell.