Prospecting & Detecting
Arizona's Youngest...and Oldest Prospector
June 2014 by Ron Kliewer
I started with, "Hey, Rusty, tell me about the time..." and that was all it took.
A New Prospecting Spot
Once indicators start showing up along or below a contact I start to get excited. When I have shale, and outcroppings of diorite with iron-red, gritty soil and some clay thrown in, I really get lightheaded. I may be a mile away from the nearest diggings but that’s okay. I just found a spot that could provide some nice nugget hunting.
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.
Prospecting Tales: Forest Service, Fires and Bears—Oh My!
I woke up on Sunday morning, August 10, to heavy smoke. I saw where it was coming from, but it seemed like it was a long way off so I thought I was okay for the time being.
The Hunch
The mysteries of this spot were only just starting to develop. There is nothing but very bland granite-type rocks here, meaning no bold, favorable indicators.
Take it to Bedrock
Picking the right spot to placer has to do with years of experience, and a little luck. The textbooks can tell you where it should be, but sometimes the rules just don’t seem to apply.
Out of the Ashes—New Access to Gold
As I arrived at my detecting location, I got all my gear and headed up the trail. I had to stop and take in the devastation all around me.
Determining the Amount of Gold in Rich Ores
This is just the type of specimen that could have been easily ignored by the old-time miners. It felt a little heavier in my hand than a chunk of quartz of that size ought to have been.
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• Finding Gold with a VLF Detector—Part III
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• California Dredgers: A Step Closer to Getting Back in the Water
• Exploring Placers with Auger Drills
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Correction
• Crushing Quartz in Calaveras County: A Placer Miner Learns New Tricks
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Legislative and Regulatory Update
• A Few Methods for Sampling Hardrock Deposits
• Protecting Our Access to Public Lands
