Where is gold most likely to be found?

Gold is heavy, about 19 times the weight of water, so once it weathers out of rock it sinks and stays put wherever the current drops. That is why inside bends, the downstream side of large boulders, the heads of gravel bars and cracks in exposed bedrock are the classic places to pan or detect.

The best predictor of gold is a record of past production. Historic mining districts, old mine locations from geological surveys and old newspaper reports of strikes show where gold actually came out of the ground, anywhere in the world. Old river gravels left high above today's streams (benches and terraces) often hold gold too.

Sources: USGS Mineral Resources Data System; USGS National Geochemical Survey (stream sediment gold analyses); National and state geological surveys (e.g. Arizona Geological Survey, Geological Survey of Victoria).

Do all creeks have gold? No. Only creeks that drain gold-bearing rock carry gold. Creeks downstream of known gold districts, or whose sediment samples tested positive for gold, are the ones worth panning.

What rock is most likely to have gold in it? Quartz is the rock most often associated with gold: most lode gold occurs in quartz veins, especially rusty, iron-stained quartz near faults. Gold is also found in the contact zones between granite-type intrusions and older metamorphic rocks such as schist and greenstone.

What is the difference between placer gold and lode gold? Lode gold is still in the rock, usually in quartz veins. Placer gold has weathered out of that rock and been moved by water or gravity into gravels, where it can be panned, sluiced or detected.

What is the easiest state to find gold in? California and Alaska are usually the easiest US states for beginners: both have many gold-bearing streams on public land, including free recreational panning areas. Nevada and Arizona have abundant gold too, but it is mostly found by metal detecting and dry-washing because water is scarce.