Prospecting & Detecting
A Golden Past
July 2021 by Ralph Wetterhahn
My mining partner Keith McBride and I spent a week in May working on a twenty-nine man crew split up into six teams at a couple of “pay to mine” mining camps.
Prospecting on the North Yuba
The research I did for “Gold in the Slate Creek Basin” (September 2011 issue) found me chasing a channel out of the LaPorte territory headed towards the old mining town of Brandy City, California.
Mineralization, Ground Balance and Metal Detecting
The right ground balance setting for the conditions you are working is critical. If your detector isn’t set properly, you will lose depth of detection, sometimes to an extreme degree.
Comments on Gold Rush and Bering Sea Gold Series
The 316 Mining Company has not been all that successful, but does not ever seem to learn from their past mistakes.
Using Vegetation and Soil Conditions as Prospecting Aids
Wouldn’t it be great if you could know if there is gold in the ground without setting foot on the ground? Well you can, to a certain extent, if you can recognize mined ground from unmined.
Prospecting for Gold at Green Valley
In October, five of us decided to take an exploration trip into an area called Green Valley. This was perhaps ten miles upstream from where we had gone in September and the difficulty was access. One would think that based on the name it was an easily accessible area not far from a nearby town. This couldn’t be more wrong.
The Pothole Patch
"Suh-wheet!" I exclaimed as I sprang to my feet and quickly pumped my detector coil high overhead to alert Smokey that I had just found a nugget.
A Short History of Hydraulic Mining in California
To add to the confusion, the dam wasn’t holding back a large amount of water. It was full of gravels and had a small creek running through it. I had to know more.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts - What percentage of the gold price can I get from a buyer?
• Ask The Experts - Is a hookah battery setup legal in California?
• Ask The Experts - Are friends and relatives regulated like employees?
• Ask The Experts - What do you use for flux for melting gold?
• Ask The Experts - Why Isn't There A Dual Coil Detector?
• Ask The Experts - Who has the rights to a vein that goes under a neighboring claim?
• Ask The Experts - Is platinum usually magnetic?
• Ten Detecting Tips for the Savvy Desert Prospector
• All About Hard Rock Drills
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: When a Gold Prospector Goes to a Diamond Mine
• Why So Much Gold in Nevada?
• Fire Assay Finish by Silver Nitrate Fusion for PGMs
• Do Gold Nuggets Come Out At Night?
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
Judge Rules Against Dredger in Idaho Civil Case
• PLP Update
