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A Unique Prospecting Method
April 2003 by Dr. Ralph E. Pray

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.
Gold in the First Pan
Leon has a reputation of seeing more snakes than most other gold miners. The fire red and yellow concentric rings of the mountain king snake looked especially bright in the morning sun as it lay motionless on black rock. Leon touched it with a stick, but the cold snake moved only a little.
Finding Gold in Tailing Piles

Wall-Rock Alteration
Wall-rock (country rock) alteration is found in all hard-rock mining districts and has been caused by hydrothermal solutions in the past history of the region. The zones of alteration have a bearing on where one might drill for ore bodies. The weekend prospector does not have the tools nor knowledge to block out ore deposits, but he can narrow down his search dramatically by understanding the zones of wall-rock alteration that he sees.
European Gold Miners Seek Clarification Letter
Three European gold mining companies want the Bank of England to publicly state its activities in the gold and gold derivitatives markets. In a letter to the Financial Times, three small mining companies representing the majority of European gold production said since the start of the year, scores of reports about manipulation of the gold price had surfaced.
Evolution Of A Gold Prospect
The adage of, “The harder I work, the luckier I get,” has profound meaning, but it doesn’t always apply to prospecting.
The Bawl Mill
• EPA backs down in Wyoming
• UN Chairman took on more than a mission
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The Bawl Mill
• Impact of Habitat Designations Grossly Underestimated
• Manslaughter Charges Dropped Against Sixteen to One Mine
• Over the Divide
• Cripple Creek, Colorado
• Picks & Pans: Virginia Prospecting
• PLP Gets the Key!
• Mariposa, California
• The Ocampo District, Chihuahua
• The Collaboration
• Mud Creek Placer Mine
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Looking Back
• Melman on Gold & Silver