Gold Pan

What Is a Gold Pan?

The Gold Pan is a simple gravity-separation tool used to concentrate gold and other heavy minerals from sand, gravel and alluvial samples. The operator places the sample inside the pan, adds water and moves the material in a controlled circular motion.

Because gold has a higher density than many common sand and rock-forming minerals, the heavier particles tend to remain near the bottom of the pan. Lighter material can gradually be washed away.

The LT-M0616 Gold Pan provides a practical solution for geological exploration, field sampling and preliminary mineral examination. Liya Test lists the product in its mineral-processing range under the LT-M0616 product code.

Approx. Ø35 cm Working Diameter

The Gold Pan has a nominal size of 14 inches, corresponding to approximately 35 cm in diameter.

This working area gives the operator enough space to move sand, gravel and water without making the pan unnecessarily difficult to carry. The compact format is therefore suitable for both field work and laboratory sample preparation.

Gravity Separation of Heavy Minerals

Gold panning relies on differences in particle density rather than mechanical or electrical separation.

The operator first wets the entire sample. Circular and shaking movements then allow denser particles to move downward while lighter material remains closer to the surface.

By gradually tilting the pan and washing away the lighter fraction, the operator reduces the original sample to a much smaller heavy-mineral concentrate.

The final concentrate may contain gold together with magnetite, other dark heavy minerals and remaining dense particles.

Green Surface for Easier Observation

The pan uses a green working surface that provides visual contrast against both yellow metallic particles and dark heavy-mineral concentrates.

This helps the operator examine the material remaining near the bottom of the pan. Visual contrast is particularly useful when checking small particles during preliminary prospecting work.

Field and Laboratory Applications

The LT-M0616 Gold Pan can be used during mineral exploration, stream-sediment surveys and preliminary gold prospecting.

Laboratories can also use it for simple gravity pre-concentration of prepared mineral samples before further examination. However, gold panning is primarily a manual separation technique and does not replace quantitative chemical or mineralogical analysis.

Fine gold recovery may also depend strongly on particle size, mineral liberation and operator technique.

Overall, the Gold Pan combines a compact 14-inch format, manual gravity separation and easy field handling for basic gold and heavy-mineral concentration work.