Ask the Experts

December 2012 by Chris Ralph

Determining the Amount of Gold in Rich Ores

February 2016
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.

Designing and Evaluating Placer Gold Recovery Plants

September 2014
For this article, I am focusing on industrial production plants that can handle 10 cubic yards per hour or more and would be fed by a loader or other heavy equipment...

Gold in Quartz

February 2016
Because quartz and gold may be deposited together across a considerable range of temperatures, not all quartz veins are the same, and there are several different types of gold-quartz deposits.

Ask The Experts: Is there a safe DIY alternative to cyanide or mercury for extraction?

September 2016

Q: With safety as a given, what can the average miner, or Joe-blow greenhorn do to identify and extract some metals or minerals with off-the-shelf products or natural ingredients?

Operation And Application Of Magnetometers

October 2014
The technology used in these devices has advanced greatly in the last century. Many different types of physical effects are used to measure these magnetic fields and we will briefly look at some of these.

What is a Valid Mineral Discovery?

February 2013
One of the greatest opportunities afforded to the citizens of our country is the right to stake and hold mining claims on federal lands. One doesn’t need to be a lawyer to stake mining claims, but a little bit of knowledge about mining claim laws can be helpful.

Detecting Basics: Lose the Bad Habits Not the Gold

February 2017
I will make the assumption that when any of you take a detector in your hand and head out prospecting for gold you are probably anticipating finding some gold. That’s the general idea, right?

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