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.

Placer Channel Sampling

July 2013
Sampling gold placers can be rewarding, but remember to treat the samples so you are not high grading or low grading your results. Learn the rules and apply them so your samples are accurate.

Tips for Detecting Nugget Patches

April 2015

Certainly many other successful nugget hunters have mentioned these methods; hopefully I can add to or clarify these methods.

From Curiosity to Mine Owner

August 2015
His brother’s friend showed him a vial of gold that originated from his family’s mine in Honduras. Within two weeks Ernie had flown to Honduras to get a first-hand tour of the historic mine and the primitive operation underway to recover the gold.

Volume is the Key to Success

June 2017

While recovery rates are important, they must necessarily be secondary to the volume of material processed. Running more material at lower recovery rates is generally preferable to increasing the efficiency of the system.

Mining Claims—What to Know Before You File

April 2011
During the initial assessment year (the year of location), the claim maintenance fee must be paid at the time the notice of location is filed with the Bureau of Land Management. Failure to pay the claim maintenance fee will void the claim.

Excavator Testing Wet Placer Ground

April 2013
The excavator or backhoe has become the tool of choice for testing placer ground. These machines are the best way to explore and sample a placer deposit if the ground is not too wet or frozen and bedrock is not beyond the reach of the machine.

The Basics of Froth Flotation

June 2015
I thought it might be worthwhile to take a look at the basics of this important mineral separation technique and how a miner can use it to recover the values out of an ore.

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