Metal Detectors & Gold Prospecting

Locating a gold nugget, jewelry, coins, or any other metal things can become a reality with the right equipment. Using a metal detector is something that’s relatively new but already very popular with thousands of hopeful prospectors. Today, there are many types and models of gold prospecting metal detectors on the market, although most of them work in the same manner. They have a coil which is built into the base. When that coil is powered on, it turns into an electromagnet that scans the ground searching for metals, which interact with it. Modern metal detectors are designed to detect gold pieces as small as half a grain. Such pieces can be found at approx. 12 inches of soil.

As the size of the nugget increases, so does the target search depth. If you are going to search for large gold nuggets and veins buried deep inside the ground, a PI (Pulse Induction) metal detector will better suit your needs. That detector is constructed to function at a lower frequency, which allows for ignoring the toughest ground minerals. VLF (Induction Balance) metal detectors are more sensitive and can locate smaller gold nuggets as they function at a higher frequency. Although, they are also sensitive to ground minerals. Metal detectors are also divided into concentric and widescan models. While the former ones locate metals deep under the surface, the latter ones don’t go quite as deep but are more effective for detecting mineralization.