Small Mining Operations
What Is Your Grade?
March 2021 by Thom Seal, PhD, PE
After paying for the mine fleet, mill capital, supplies, fuel, power and labor, at today’s metal prices, does this mine make a profit?
Refractory Gold Processing
After your excitement peaks when you first receive the high gold assay from the vein you just exposed, you ponder how you will extract and sell your gold. You will need to develop a flow sheet for your process to optimize your recovery and minimize your costs and permit requirements.
Tips for Cleaning Gold Nuggets
I pulled out the nuggets I had worked on previously and looked at the size of the wire basket that the items to be cleaned are placed into. It looks much like a miniature french fry deep fryer.
Mining for Gold and Sapphires in Montana
Fascinated by the sapphires—and the gold that occured with them—he was soon buying parcels of property and setting up his own commercial-scale gravel processing plants.
Memories of Shirttail Creek, Northern California
…for a few hours, we fervently dug for gold. After we did a cleanup, I couldn’t believe the amount we got.
Wealth Beyond Your Wildest Imagination
“Wealth beyond your wildest imagination.” Those were the words that were used to inform me of how much gold was in a paleo channel that exists beneath the present channel of the Similkameen River in the State of Washington; words that have echoed in my mind for the past sixteen years.
The Dredge Report
As a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits, I’m not allowed to talk about specifics in the court-ordered negotiations currently underway in San Bernardino. However, I do want to let you know we are making progress…
Fire Assay Finish by Silver Nitrate Fusion for PGMs
…my intent is to distribute this information in layman’s language so that even the “backyard/shade tree/mom & pop” fire assayers can benefit.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Info on Santa Cruz beach placers?
• Ask The Experts - Detectors and flour gold
• Ask The Experts - Why is the gold in these clays?
• Ask The Experts - Can you explain colloidal gold?
• Ask The Experts - Where did this kimberlite come from?
• Ask The Experts - Can gold particles combine to form a nugget?
• Placer Gold Deposits in the Western States
• Evaluating Gold Recovery with Mass Balance Calculations
• Clues for Detecting Ancient River Channels and Flats
• State of Idaho Looks to Invest in Gold and Silver
• Colorado Uranium Mining in the 1950s Boom
• Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part II
• Decoding Dredge Capacity
• I Just Tripped Over A Nugget
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices