Mining in Manitoba
Methods of Prospecting
Panning
The traditional gold miner's pan is an efficient device for washing and separating placer minerals. However, the method is slow, and even in the hands of a skilled operator only small volumes of material can be processed. Most surface deposits rich enough to be mined and concentrated by panning were worked over long ago, in many cases by Chinese workers left idle after the construction of the transcontinental railroad. With today's high wages and employment opportunities, the deposits remaining are far too low grade to be worked on a sustained economic basis. The gold pan is now used mainly as a tool in prospecting and exploration of low-grade placer deposits being considered for bulk mining methods such as dredging.
In recent years, gold panning has become a popular outdoor recreation. There is excitement and appeal in panning an occasional nugget or a few small specks of gold. The remote chance of discovering a rich pocket somehow missed by the oldtimers provides a strong incentive. In general, far more money is made selling manuals, maps, equipment, and gas and oil to these hobbyists than is made from the gold itself.