Many of the Sixteen to One’s challenges arise from its unusual geology and the pocket characteristics of the ore deposits.

You can learn a lot from a small mining operation because you have to become proficient in every job. Soon I was preparing fuses, placing powder (dynamite) and learning the ins and outs of drilling and blasting.

…we focused on various layers of hard-packed flood material out of the creek, and we also obtained some material up quite a ways from the creek itself on bedrock.

The other opportunity that I see is in seeking unusual types of deposits. Specifically, the prospector would be searching for the stuff no one (or almost no one) is searching for. These deposits are effectively hiding in plain view.

While a large number of locations have yielded some placer gold, most of the state’s placer production has come from a few productive districts.

Polymetallic skarn deposits are an interesting class of deposits that can contain a number of different types of metals.