Gold Detecting in History
Historically, gold prospecting has boomed in two types of situations: 1) times of economic hardship, such as the U.S. Great Depression of the 1930s; or 2) when large areas of land are opened up to settlement, such as in Australia during the mid-1800s.
For serious gold prospectors, the first situation doesn't mean much. Sure, as recent world events have shown, there will always be periods of economic hardship, and these periods come with an increased interest in gold prospecting. For people who love gold detecting, though, this increased interest only means there will be more competition for a little while, but things always level out eventually.
The second situation is the bigger concern. Where have all the frontiers and the unexplored territories gone? Do they exist anymore? Sure, there are probably large areas that have yet to be combed over by gold prospectors. But for many of us, these areas might be halfway across the world and totally inaccessible.
Which is why I like to think of it this way: In fact, when it comes to gold detecting, the unexplored territory is all around us. It's under our feet, it's in the rivers, it's in the mountains and hills, and it's even in the places where we think all the gold has been exhausted.
There are two reasons why I say this. First, modern gold detecting technology allows us to detect far more deeply and precisely than gold prospecting methods of the past. So, in some cases, we may be able to find gold where others gave up looking long ago.
Second, let's not forget that gold jewelry or coins are just as good as gold taken directly from the earth. The fact that there is less unexplored land in the world means there are more people, and more people means more misplaced gold items, which alone can keep gold detecting hobbyists busy for life.
Gold Detecting in the Modern World
In the end, anyone who thinks of gold prospecting as a thing of the past just doesn't know enough about the ever-expanding possibilities of modern gold detecting technology.
For one thing, geologists are always learning new things about the dynamics and processes of underground minerals. In the past, a few people would find gold somewhere completely by chance, and others would quickly swoop down on the area and exhaust all the surface gold in the area. Today, on the other hand, it's possible to look at geological patterns and predict where gold is likely to occur.
As a result, a lot of mini-gold rushes are happening even as we speak. It's just that now they are led by geological experts who are careful to keep their information private. However, the science is public, and anyone can read up on the latest geological findings and begin to make their own predictions about where gold should occur.
Meanwhile, metal detecting technology is always advancing, and companies who make these tools come out with new, more advanced models on a regular basis. It's now possible to detect gold as deep as three feet below the ground, and this is likely to increase as digital and computer technologies become greater factors.
This is why now is the greatest time in history for anyone with an interest in gold detecting. Naturally occurring gold has never been easier to find. And, wherever there are large groups of people--and, for better or worse, the modern world is more full of people than ever--there will be misplaced gold items for resourceful gold detecting hobbyists to find.
Historically, gold prospecting has boomed in two types of situations: 1) times of economic hardship, such as the U.S. Great Depression of the 1930s; or 2) when large areas of land are opened up to settlement, such as in Australia during the mid-1800s.
For serious gold prospectors, the first situation doesn't mean much. Sure, as recent world events have shown, there will always be periods of economic hardship, and these periods come with an increased interest in gold prospecting. For people who love gold detecting, though, this increased interest only means there will be more competition for a little while, but things always level out eventually.
The second situation is the bigger concern. Where have all the frontiers and the unexplored territories gone? Do they exist anymore? Sure, there are probably large areas that have yet to be combed over by gold prospectors. But for many of us, these areas might be halfway across the world and totally inaccessible.
Which is why I like to think of it this way: In fact, when it comes to gold detecting, the unexplored territory is all around us. It's under our feet, it's in the rivers, it's in the mountains and hills, and it's even in the places where we think all the gold has been exhausted.
There are two reasons why I say this. First, modern gold detecting technology allows us to detect far more deeply and precisely than gold prospecting methods of the past. So, in some cases, we may be able to find gold where others gave up looking long ago.
Second, let's not forget that gold jewelry or coins are just as good as gold taken directly from the earth. The fact that there is less unexplored land in the world means there are more people, and more people means more misplaced gold items, which alone can keep gold detecting hobbyists busy for life.
Gold Detecting in the Modern World
In the end, anyone who thinks of gold prospecting as a thing of the past just doesn't know enough about the ever-expanding possibilities of modern gold detecting technology.
For one thing, geologists are always learning new things about the dynamics and processes of underground minerals. In the past, a few people would find gold somewhere completely by chance, and others would quickly swoop down on the area and exhaust all the surface gold in the area. Today, on the other hand, it's possible to look at geological patterns and predict where gold is likely to occur.
As a result, a lot of mini-gold rushes are happening even as we speak. It's just that now they are led by geological experts who are careful to keep their information private. However, the science is public, and anyone can read up on the latest geological findings and begin to make their own predictions about where gold should occur.
Meanwhile, metal detecting technology is always advancing, and companies who make these tools come out with new, more advanced models on a regular basis. It's now possible to detect gold as deep as three feet below the ground, and this is likely to increase as digital and computer technologies become greater factors.
This is why now is the greatest time in history for anyone with an interest in gold detecting. Naturally occurring gold has never been easier to find. And, wherever there are large groups of people--and, for better or worse, the modern world is more full of people than ever--there will be misplaced gold items for resourceful gold detecting hobbyists to find.
