In the years since then, the richest deposits have probably been located and mined. This means that amateur prospectors today are unlikely to strike it rich. But searching for gold and reliving a little of Alberta's history can still be fun. In Alberta, gold is almost always found as tiny particles mixed with streambed deposits of sand and gravel.
Placer gold can range from light yellow to a dull, coppery yellow.
It may also be covered with a film of iron oxide, giving it a rusty colour. However, the Alberta Government does not produce a map showing the gold-bearing areas. Amateur prospectors should check the insides of watercourse bends, pool bottoms and the upstream end of sand or gravel bars for black sand. As stream currents slow down, the black sand will settle out in these spots. Flour gold is normally found near the surface of placer deposits and may even be trapped in the roots of grasses or other vegetation.