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.
Contrary to Rumors, Couple Will Keep the Saddle Ridge Hoard
Some media outlets have speculated the hoard of coins came from a theft at the old US Mint in San Francisco that was reported in 1901.
California State Panning Championships—Foresthill, CA Heritage Celebration
Here's the kicker—for every lost flake there was a five minute penalty added to the time. Lost gold generally meant you didn't make it past the preliminaries.
Route Planning Using GPS
My intention was to end this discussion with waypoints and routes, then I found USGS maps of the Plainfield Quadrangle.
Hard Rock Prospecting With Rusty
May 2016As we talked, Rusty stopped, backed up, bent down and began chipping at some rock in the road. He said he suspected there was a stringer right here that crossed the road.
Selenium, Mercury and Suction Dredging—Studies Contradict CA State Water Resources Board
Federal and state regulatory agencies often cite mercury and methyl mercury in our waterways as a major factor for further restrictions on placer mining, and on suction gold dredge mining, in particular. However, these regulatory agencies are minimizing selenium and its neutralizing effects.
What's Left Behind
I love to see old-timer workings while I am out detecting for gold. For one thing, it assures me that gold came from there. Second, it tells me gold should almost certainly still be there.
Prospecting Knowledge -- Pass It On!
I had two of the guys go down into the creek and each one picked out a small island of bedrock. I had them detect their piece of bedrock and then gave a critique to all on how they did.
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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
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Judge Rules Against Dredger in Idaho Civil Case
• PLP Update
