Treasure Hunting in South Carolina - Read or Post a Message / Question South Carolina Metal Detecting Clubs - On Lost Treasure Online©!
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Palmetto State
GOLD Gold was first discovered in the Greenville district around 1802. The state's first recorded shipment of gold to the US mint was from a Lancaster Placer Mine in 1829. Lode Gold While many counties have gold occurrences, lode gold is usually found in two major belts of metamorphic rock containing sericite, schist, and phyllite.
Placer Deposits A placer deposit is a concentration of a natural material that has accumulated in unconsolidated sediments of a stream bed, beach, or residual deposit. Gold derived by weathering or other process from lode deposits is likely to accumulate in placer deposits because of its weight and resistance to corrosion. In addition, its characteristically sun-yellow color makes it easily and quickly recognizable even in very small quantities. The gold pan or miner's pan is a shallow sheet-iron vessel with sloping sides and flat bottom used to wash gold-bearing gravel or other material containing heavy minerals. The process of washing material in a pan, referred to as "panning," is the simplest, most commonly used, and least expensive method for a prospector to separate gold from the silt, sand, and gravel of the stream deposits. It is a tedious, back-breaking job and only with practice does one become proficient in the operation. Thankfully, technology finally caught up with our gold fever and brought us metal detectors! Most of South Carolina's early production was from placer deposits, with the most productive being the Tanyard Pit and Brewer Mine (1.5 miles west of Jefferson). The Martin Mine (1 mile west of Smyrna) has also produced a considerable amount of placer gold. In fact, a gold nugget weighing 27 pounds was recovered in a field just north of this mine in the 1890s. You can always ask for permission to hunt on any private property, but there may also be several places you can pan and metal detect in public access areas. Lands offering some great potential may be controlled by the National Forest Service. Contact the local Local Forest Ranger for more information including maps, regulations, and mineral rights. Permission and permits may be required for related activities. South Carolina's largest gold producing counties are: Cherokee, Chesterfield, Greenville, Lancaster, Oconee, Pickins, Spartanville, Union, and York. RELICS, COINS, & JEWELRY South Carolina has a rich history of early settlements and Civil War battlefields - the perfect combination for an energetic relic hunter! Here's a few more ideas to get you started:
LOST TREASURE As in other areas of the US, there are
several tales of lost treasure in South Carolina concerning caches buried for safety. In many of these
stories, people either died or forgot where they buried the stash.
Contributing factors include: 2. Distrust of banks during the Great Depression.
These excerpts are a sampling from American Coin Treasures and Hoards |
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References to Find More Treasure in South Carolina
South Carolina Metal Detecting Leads
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Back to How & Where to Find Treasure Treasurefish HOME
Information posted is from various United States Geologic Service (USGS)
material and the Gold Prospectors Association of America ( GPAA) Mining
Guide. The GPAA is a professional, family oriented organization
that's been around for awhile and they'll treat you right. There's
many more areas to find gold than what's listed above. If you are
serious about finding gold, we recommend that you check out your local
club to learn the proper techniques and some good spots to hunt from the
pros. The only alternative is to spend a whole lot of money on gas
and wasting valuable time doing your own thing. For more
information, Click Here |
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