Where can gold be found in South Carolina?
Gold can be found in most of the Piedmont, which is the area northwest of the Fall Line. The Fall Line is the division between the younger sedimentary rocks of the Coastal Plain and the older crystalline metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Piedmont. Major gold mining operations have been located in Lancaster, Fairfield, McCormick, Chesterfield and Cherokee Counties. Briefly, gold deposits were formed within volcanic rocks during the early history of the Piedmont. Deposits are now found by core drilling or visual and chemical observations of rock outcrops at the surface. Gold and other minerals accumulate in stream sediments because of the actions of erosion on the crystalline rock. Panning and sluicing for gold in streams, creeks, and shallow rivers has yielded minor finds.
