Placer gold mining involves extracting gold from alluvial deposits (riverbeds, streams, and sediments) rather than hard rock sources. Various machines and equipment are used to efficiently recover placer gold. Here are the most common types:
1. Gold Pan
– The simplest and most traditional tool for small-scale placer mining.
– Used to separate gold from sediment by washing material in a pan.
2. Sluice Box
– A long, narrow box with riffles (obstructions) that trap gold as water washes sediment through it.
– Can be used manually or fed by a high-banker or dredge.
3. Highbanker (Power Sluice)
– A motorized sluice box with a water pump to process more material quickly.
– Ideal for areas where water flow is insufficient for a traditional sluice.
4. Gold Trommel
– A rotating cylindrical screen that separates larger rocks from finer material before feeding it into a sluice.
– Often used in larger operations due to higher processing capacity.
5. Drywasher
– Used in arid regions where water is scarce.
– Uses air and vibration to separate gold from dry sediment.
6. Gold Cube
– A compact, stackable sluice system designed for fine gold recovery with high efficiency.
7. Rocker Box (Cradle)
– A manual device that uses rocking motion and water to separate gold from gravel (less common today).
8. Suction Dredge
– Uses an underwater vacuum to suck up sediment from riverbeds and process it through a sluice box.
– Banned or restricted in some areas due to environmental concerns.
9. Mini Excavators & Backhoes
– Used in larger placer operations to move.jpg)
erburden or feed material into processing machines.
10. Metal Detectors
– Help locate nuggets in shallow deposits before digging.
11. Spiral Wheel Concentrators
– Uses centrifugal force to separate fine gold from black sand concentrates.
Choosing the Right Machine:
– Small-scale prospecting? → Gold pan, sluice box, or metal detector.
– Medium-scale operation? → Highbanker, trommel, or drywasher.
– Large commercial operation?