Take a "reading", think about it.

[Steel Pan]

Take a good look at this pic.
What do you see, geologicly speaking?

First, note the large boulder behind the sluice box.
Lots of gravel under it. Not much surface smoothing erosion, although it is fairly round from travel down the stream.

Second, notice the smaller rocks in the stream.
Lots of wear, they have been doin' some traveling.

Third, and most revealing to me, is the large rock above and next to the sluice box. This baby has been there a long, long time. Specificly notice the smoothing from years of the stream and material having washed over it. Ya think that digging around and under it would be a good place to look for Gold?

Fourthly, notice the coloration of the rocks. The lighter colored rocks have been water washed more recently than the darker rocks.

Not shown in the pic, you can look around the edges of the stream and note the tree growth. You can get a pretty good idea of how long a stream has been or not been confined to it's current channel.

Ya just might want to take a really good look around the next time ya go out to your favorite spot.

[Steel Pan]

An example of the varied growth.
At the center of the pic, note the small Poplar tree. That tree is only around 20 years old.
Now, to the left side, notice the brush growth and the gravels of the old stream bed.
Did you notice the exposed tree roots to the right? That tree is not that old, maybe sixty to eighty years. The old stream bed was quite a bit wider in the past.

Ya got to focus and not get rapped up in the whole picture, as beautiful as it may be. Not to say you shouldn't enjoy the whole area, but look at the individual features.

Happy Prospecting in 2010!

[Smithsgold]

[glow=red,2,300]Good Post !!!!! [/glow]