GMS Field Trip July 2021

GMS Field Trip
Gold in Georgia
Saturday, July 31, 2021

The morning started with a greeting from Charles Carter who was waiting for us in the parking lot in the shade with a smile, snacks, and plenty of cold water. The weather was perfect for a morning of gold panning on the river - hot and clear. This made the cold water very enjoyable. Cristina and Cameron Clines shared their panning knowledge with anyone that desired assistance, and everyone was off and searching for riches.

Now the thing to remember about placer mining* is that you are searching for gold, a rare mineral to start with, in sand and gravel in a great big river. If you think back to any picture that you have ever seen of a miner from the gold rush era, they were thin, their clothes were worn and dirty, and most looked old beyond their years. These young men worked from dawn to dusk for a few meager pieces of gold which, if they were lucky, would buy them some food and supplies so they could make until tomorrow. Why continue this day after day? It’s called Gold Fever. The hope, the dream of striking it rich. While some of these men did just that, most left empty-handed.

Why tell you this? Well, it’s to lift the spirts of everyone who tried and did not find gold on this trip. There was some gold found, it was very small flour gold, but it was gold (picture included, see if you can spot it). I promise there is a little rush every time you find a small speck of gold in your pan.

Everyone seemed to have a great time on Saturday, gold or no gold. Many of us stayed well past noon and continued to hunt for that elusive nugget. I know we are in the middle of a pandemic, but know that if you caught Gold Fever, there may be no cure.

Cameron Clines
On behalf of Charles Carter, Field Trip Chair
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* A placer deposit (pronounced "plasser") is sediment that contains heavy minerals, for example gold, that has accumulated from weathering, erosion, and sedimentation processes [webmaster]