Gold Prospector App

Now with historic USGS topo maps from 1879 to 1949. See the mills, cabins, and roads that are gone. Plus AI coin and relic ID for metal detecting.

Read the land. Strike gold.

Gold Prospector is the all-in-one app for recreational gold prospectors and metal detectorists. Built by a lifelong prospector, it brings together AI, GIS mapping, 1-meter LiDAR, and historic topo maps.

Free to use, with 7 days of every feature when you sign up.

— FEATURES —

1-METER LIDAR HILLSHADE USGS 3DEP elevation shading that reveals what the ground remembers. Placer cuts, hydraulic pits, tailings piles, benches, and old water races show up in the terrain itself, even where brush has grown over them for a century. Nationwide coverage.

HISTORIC TOPO MAPS Scanned USGS topographic maps going back to 1879, overlaid on the modern world with an opacity slider so you can fade between then and now. Find the mill, the cabin, the schoolhouse, the wagon road, and the townsite that are not there anymore. Three era layers: Oldest (1880s-1930s), Classic (1900s-1940s), and Detailed (1930s-1940s). Currently in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. More states coming soon.

COIN & RELIC ID Photograph a coin, button, buckle, nail, or any other find and get an instant identification. Coin identification includes the type, the years it was minted, what it is made of, and the history behind it. Works on relics too, using the details that actually date an object: nail type, button construction, glass seams, and cartridge headstamps.

AI TERRAIN ANALYSIS Snap a photo of any creek, hillside, or stretch of ground and let the AI score its gold potential. Get back geology cues, indicator minerals, and where to focus your effort.

GOLDBOT, YOUR AI PROSPECTING GUIDE Ask anything. From "what does a black sand line tell me?" to "how do I read a contact zone?" Built for prospectors, by a prospector.

MAPS & LAYERS Pick your basemap, then stack the layers that matter. Every layer has its own opacity control, so you can blend LiDAR relief under a historic topo sheet and see both at once. Offline support for backcountry trips.

Basemaps: Satellite, Outdoors, Topo, and Dark.

DATA LAYERS Hillshade / LiDAR, 1-meter USGS 3DEP terrain Historic Topo, USGS maps from 1879 to 1949 Gold Probability, AI heatmap of high-potential ground Water Flow Zones, natural gold trap predictions Pay Streak Zones, predicted deposition patterns Historic Mines, USGS MRDS mine sites Mining Claims, BLM active claim boundaries Geochemistry, USGS soil and stream samples Rock Types, USGS bedrock geology Mineral Deposits, USGS USMIN database Detailed Streams, USGS stream network Magnetic Anomaly, aerial magnetic survey Public Lands, BLM, USFS, and state boundaries PAD-US, federal, state, tribal, and easement status Modern USGS Topo, current contour lines Roads & Trails, including BLM and forest roads My Pins and Find Log Pins

The right stack of layers reveals ground most prospectors walk right past.

TRACK EVERY TRIP & FIND GPS trail tracking and a detailed find log. Record finds with photos, weight, location, and notes. Drop pins sorted by type: find, point of interest, relic, coin, camp, or waypoint.

TIPS & GUIDES Guides covering geology, equipment, technique, and history.

A COMMUNITY THAT GETS IT Share finds, follow other prospectors, ask questions. Built for our hobby, without the noise of social media.

— FREE & PRO —

Free forever: the map and all basemaps, 3D terrain, GPS, your pins and find log, trail tracking, tips and guides, and the community feed.

Pro unlocks: every data layer above, plus AI terrain analysis, Coin & Relic ID, GoldBot, and offline map downloads.

Pro is $8.99/month or $89.99/year. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase and renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings.

Made by a prospector and metal detectorist who got tired of cobbling together five different apps for one hobby.

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