How To
Ask the Experts
November 2012 by Chris Ralph
How do I set up a small placer operation?Exploring Placers with Auger Drills
Augers can be used effectively for placer exploration with certain limitations.
High Sulfidation Epithermal Deposits
They tend to be big, coming in large to extremely large sizes. They can also be amazingly rich and produce huge amounts of very high-grade ore.
Using Geologic Publications to Discover Collecting Sites
I understand that a person without geological knowledge could be daunted reading a geological publication. You can pick out the good stuff from a geological publication without a lot of geological knowledge.
Small-Scale Hard Rock Mining With Water Recycling
Once I have established the presence of gold in the sample, I collect five-gallon bucket quantities of the rock material for processing back at my shop.
Hard Rock 101: Advanced Micro Blasting
They… create negligible fumes and much less fly rock than blasting. Below are some tips on maximizing your effectiveness with these tools.
Breaking Boulders With Explosives
The process we will be using is called “blockholing,” and it is commonly used at mines and in construction projects to break up oversize material into sizes that can be easily handled.
Proper Placer Sample Processing
...your sampling procedures should not be designed to catch gold your mining technique will never recover.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• The Portable XRF Gun
• Gold Dredging on Oregon's South Umpqua
• The Struggle to Reopen Alaska's Largest Gold Mine
• Prospecting With a Detector: Lessons Learned
• The Rush to Treasure Hill
• Tips on Crevicing for Gold
• Using Google Earth and Other Maps
• Proper Assaying of Placer Samples
• Mining, Health Care & Taxes
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
