Included in the collection is the famous Armstrong nugget, weighing 80.4 ounces. All the shiny gold-colored material in you gold pan may not be gold. On close examination, however, pyrite does not really look like gold. Pyrite has a brassy color, is sometimes tarnished, and, because it occurs as crystals, changes shades as you rotate it in the sun. Gold is always gold colored, soft, and malleable or bendable.
Mica has a tendency to break apart into flat sheets.
It comes in several colors, and the the gold-colored variety is sometimes mistaken for gold by inexperiences gold panners. However, gold panners are optimistic, and you never know what the next pan will produce. If you are unsure about land status, check with the nearest appropriate State, BLM, or USFS authorities. If you open a gate, close it. If you must cross private land, get permission first.