Prospecting & Detecting
A Successful Trip Through Gold Basin
January 2016 by Fred Mason
This time we took the detectors. Roger had worked that spot very well and wanted to see if my new detector would uncover any gold he might have missed.
Detecting Alluvial Bench Deposits
The same questions you ask yourself about gold trapping features in the present stream can be applied to the benches above the stream. Just imagine the stream at a much earlier time, before it cut its way down to the present level…
Excavator Testing Wet Placer Ground
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 Heavy Minerals in Your Concentrates
The fact that mineral deposits can contribute specific types of heavy minerals is why the analysis of the heavy mineral concentrates in the streams of an area can be an important prospecting technique for finding undiscovered mineral deposits.
Proper Spacing of Placer Sample Sites
The zone of influence of each sample must be carefully considered when deciding how far sample sites should be spaced from each other.
Ask The Experts
Problems finding gold with a detector
Proper Assaying of Placer Samples
The whole purpose of sampling mineralized ground is to measure the values in a small volume of material that would be representative of a much larger volume of similar material. The key word is representative. Chemical and fire assaying will not accurately represent placer deposits by themselves.
All About Quartz—Part II
In our May 2013 issue, we took a look at the mineral quartz, a mineral very commonly associated with gold. However, gold is not the only reason prospectors are interested in quartz. Quartz can also be very valuable as a gemstone
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Detector Prospecting Accessories
• Electrum: Gold and Silver Together
• Drywashing Arizona Gold
• Mineralized Faults and Contacts in the Search for Gold
• Sunshine and Gold
• Oregon Miners File for Summary Judgment
• The Significance of Nuggets in Placers
• The Strange History of the Utica Mine
• Forest Service Seeks to Lock Miners Out in South Dakota
• Maitland Bar Nugget to Go On Display
• Company Says Central Idaho Project Feasible
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
