Gold panning

The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts especially because of its low cost and relative simplicity.

The first recorded instances of placer mining are from ancient Rome, where gold and other precious metals were extracted from streams and mountainsides using sluices and panning[1] (ruina montium).

Materials with low specific gravity will rise upward, allowing these to be washed out of the pan, whereas materials with higher specific gravity, sinking to the bottom of the sediment during stratification, will remain in the pan allowing examination and collection by the prospector.

Gold pans of various designs have been developed over the years,[4] the common features being a means for trapping the heavy materials during agitation, or for easily removing them at the end of the process.

Some are intended for use with mercury, include screens, sharp corners for breaking ice, are non-round, or are even designed for use "with or without water".

Bateas are used in areas where there is less water available for use than with traditional gold pans, such as Mexico and South America, where it was introduced by the Spanish.

[6] The yuri-ita (揺り板), Japanese for "rocking plate" is a traditional wooden gold pan used in Japan.