How Topography Affects Prospecting for Gold

April 2022 by Chris Ralph

Keeping in mind how the local topography affects where gold has been deposited can help you find more gold, and is certainly something the prospector needs to keep in mind.

Revisiting the Rocker Box

August 2016
The first location we worked was a small, dry ravine cutting through many mineralized zones in an area where some hard rock mining had taken place in the past.

All About Quartz—Part II

July 2013
In our May 2013 issue, we took a look at the mineral quartz, a mineral very commonly associated with gold. However, gold is not the only reason prospectors are interested in quartz. Quartz can also be very valuable as a gemstone

A Few Methods for Sampling Hardrock Deposits

June 2014
With a little homework and a methodical approach to sampling, a prospector can determine if a deposit is worthy of more of an investment...

Detecting Strategies for Heavily Forested Areas—Part II

January 2017
Patience and persistence is the name of the game when you are detecting this way for gold, as you will have to do a lot of work preparing the ground to detect with any degree of success.

Auburn, California

May 2022

Many of the gold camps were violent places, but in this regard, the town of Auburn exhibited a different behavior. There were few of the duels or lynchings that characterized many of the other early settlements.

Feather River Gold

February 2017
I didn’t think too much of our dredge hole and we were both considering a move when we hit bedrock. There was a good quantity of flakes and fines, but no nuggets.

Hunting for Hardrock: The Basics

December 2013
Exposed veins and outcroppings can be a great source for gathering good gold ore for processing. Veins and outcroppings do require a lot of work to free the ore from its earthen grip, but this labor can be very rewarding.

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