Pan Durability, Pan Tiers, & More
Panning durability
Like tongs, pans should have durability
Pan tiers
Wooden pan (100 durability)
Copper pan (300 durability)
Bronze pan (800 durability)
Iron pan (1000 durability)
Steel pan (1200 durability)
Black sand
Has a higher chance (2x or 3x) of dropping nuggets (maybe especially gold) and other heavy materials (like quartz)
Spawns commonly near rivers or in caves
Regional panning drops
Different ore nuggets have higher chances to drop based on the local ore density, for realism and for extra prospecting methods
Sluicing
Craft a sluice, fill it with sand or gravel, and put it in front of a water stream and after some time you can collect the material and pan it for heavily increased drop chances
Putting a sluice in rapid water makes it take less time, putting a sluice in front of regular flowing water makes it take more time