Gold is exceptional. No other element is so beautiful and
useful. What distinguishes gold from other elements is that it evokes
power and affluence like no other substance. A silver ingot may look
handsome, but a gold bar causes an involuntary intake of breath.
The origin of gold ore deposits is still up for debate.
Depending on the age of the surrounding rock, popular theories include
the possibilities that gold washes in from rivers and streams from
volcanic mountains and that hot spring fluids deposit gold inside the
rocks.
A team of geochemists, led by Jason Kirk from the
University of Arizona, used radiochemistry to determine the age of the
gold. Rhenium and osmium are both naturally found in gold. Rhenium
naturally decays into osmium with a half-life of 42.3 billion years! By
dissolving gold grains and measuring the ratio of rhenium to osmium, the
gold was aged at a quarter of a billion years older than the rock. The
geochemists also concluded that the rhenium-to-osmium ratio means that
the gold came from the Earth's mantle and not its crust. They proposed
that the gold originated from volcanic rocks and not from granite in the
Earth's crust. Gold-panning enthusiasts take this finding as a golden
opportunity for uncovering other gold deposits. 
Gold weighs in at 19.3 grams per cubic centimetre. It is
19 times heavier than water, making gold one of the heaviest metals. As a
result, gold deposits are found settled at the bottom of river beds or
concentrated in soil. The host rocks are subject to weathering and
chemical erosion. Eventually, they are broken down to expose the quartz
and gold. Weathering also fragments the quartz, releasing any gold
contained in it. Since gold is so heavy, it sinks. This specific
attribute has led to the success of gold panning in both modern and
ancient times. Gold can be panned in water or the surrounding debris and
sifted and sorted easily.
Gold's density and stability lend to its accessibility.
Its softness and conductive properties lead to its wide utility. Its
colour adds beauty. All of its inherent chemistry designates gold as the
world's most treasured metal.
Gold has been used by a number of diverse civilizations
throughout history. It continues to be internationally recognized as a
symbol of wealth and artistic merit. Egyptian Pharaoh King Tutankhamun
of the 14th century BC was encased in a coffin of pure gold surrounded
by priceless golden objects. Gold is still the metal of choice in the
21st century for declaring one's undying love and commitment.
It has been said that a young boy's fishing expedition
started America's first gold rush. It began in 1799 in Cabarrus County
in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, when 12-year-old Conrad Reed
looked into Little Meadow Creek on his family's property and saw an odd,
shiny yellow rock. When he carried home the 17-pound chunk, his father,
a Hessian veteran of the American Revolution named John Reed, thought
it fit for nothing better than a doorstop. A few years later, though,
the farmer took his son's catch to a jeweler in Fayetteville, who
shrewdly asked Reed how much he wanted for it. Reed naively proposed
$3.50, and the bargain was made. The hunk of gold was actually worth
nearly a thousand times more.Reed soon learned he'd been hoodwinked, and he was determined to find more gold on his property. He set up a mining operation on Little Meadow Creek that frequently turned up additional specimens of gold. The unearthing of a 28-pound nugget attracted gold hunters and the curious from far and wide. The Reed mine is now a North Carolina historic site where visitors can pan for gold, walk the abandoned mine tunnels, and explore Little Meadow Creek, whose ripples show little of the gold-seeking tumult that once roiled its waters.
The exceptional yellow metal has driven America mad
during its history. It has launched exploration, sparked creativity,
churned passion, and inspired much foolishness and cruelty. Gold fever
periodically convulses us in nearly every sphere of activity--a malady
that brings both pleasure and angst.
NB: For more Gold Panning Tips visit http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gold-panning-tips.html or http://www.oberonaustralia.com.au/visitor-information/things-to-see-do/fossicking/
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