Gold Panning Help Needed.

[parbynat]

Hi
I live near Manchester, England and was hoping for a bit of advice.
2 weeks ago I bought some basic equipment to get me started, today was the first time I give it a go.
Due to the weather not being that great I decided to visit my local river with just a trowel and a bucket.
When I returned home I found no gold and no black sand, just light brown sand.
I think I must have dug down to around 10 inches, thinking about it now I probably should have gone as far as I could before I hit bedrock.
My question is- Could there have been black sand deeper down or is likely to stay light brown all the way to the bedrock?
Thanks

 

[parbynat]

Ha maybe I should try somewhere else.

 

[togg77]

Deeper is usually better--look behind objects that could trap gold,rocks,logs etc. If you can find bedrock start there. First question: is there any history of gold in the area? Good luck.

 

[BillNEWAST]

parbynat, the brown sand could be all that is there. Most Black Sand is from a Volcanic region. If you are in a region that has only Lime Stone as the bedrock then you probably won't get black sand. Look up the Geology of your area and that will tell you alot about your chances of getting any gold. I wold get a hold of a Geology teacher in your area and ask them. You should have the equivalent to our USGS in England, I think it is called the BGS / British Geologic Society.
Hope this helps.
PS they also have a small hand operated wilfy table to separate Fine gold from the concentrates you save from your panning and sluicing.