How To
A Data Miner Builds A Power Sluice
October 2012 by Greg Mast
Data mining involves processing huge amounts of digital information to find hidden patterns and financial relationships. To executives, the findings are like gold, but on the weekends, I prefer seeing the real thing in the bottom of my pan.
Lode or Placer: What Difference Does It Make?
This explains the large difference in particle sizes between placers and hydrothermal lode deposits, but also means that while the mining may be similar in some cases, the sampling and recovery techniques are usually quite different.
Piggin' for Gold
Take a look at the picture—it’s pretty simple and you can build it yourself.
How to Recognize Hard Rock Gold Ores
I regularly get inquiries along the line of: “Hey, I found this rock, and I think it might be gold ore. How can I tell?” Prospectors are always on the lookout for gold-bearing rocks that may be the source of any nearby placer gold.
The ABCs of XRF
Fast forward to present day and the XRF has come of age. Pull the trigger on the hand-held device and you get a nearly instant assay of the surface of a rock.
Ask The Experts
• How small should I crush my hard rock ore?
Iron Minerals, Your Detector and Gold
It’s worthwhile for the prospector using a metal detector to know a little bit more about the association of iron and gold as well as how iron minerals affect your metal detector.
Ask The Experts: Is there a safe DIY alternative to cyanide or mercury for extraction?
Q: With safety as a given, what can the average miner, or Joe-blow greenhorn do to identify and extract some metals or minerals with off-the-shelf products or natural ingredients?
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Cold Alaskan Gold—Part II
• Dredging Backwards?
• Tips for Detecting Old Hydraulic Pits
• The Verde Copper-Gold-Silver-Zinc District, Jerome, Arizona
• Recluse Died with $7 Million in Gold
• California State and US National Panning Championships
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• DNI's Black Shale Metals Projects
