Prospecting & Detecting
Ask the Experts
September 2014 by Chris Ralph
• Using drywashers to work desert gravelsCommon Mistakes of the New Detectorist
Detecting is not very complicated and the rewards can be tremendous. The difference between success and fruitless toiling can be remedied by a few small adjustments and a whole lot of perseverance.
California to Allow Suction Dredging in 2019?
There are a few questions you will need to ask yourself before you apply for a suction dredge permit from the State Water Resources Control Board.
A Generous Lesson on Detecting Bedrock
The signal I was hearing was coming from a vertical bedrock crack on the bank of the creek. I removed my backpack, took out my crevicing tools and started to clean out the crack when I saw a glint of gold.
The PIGMI—a DIY Crevice Tool
I’ve had great success using it to gather gold from crevices. I’d like to share the design with all of you gold miners reading this article and hope that you get as much satisfaction building and using it as I did.
An Alaskan in the Lower 48
Our destination was some old hydraulic workings where the old miners had washed literally mountains of material away to expose gold in ancient river channels.
Advantages of Modern Prospectors
Modern-day placer miners have many advantages over the prospectors of the gold rush days. Our prospectors can reap many benefits from accumulated knowledge of the last 100 to 150 years, which is a long and impressive list.
Summertime Gold Panning
I have smaller pans for cleaning black sand concentrates, big pans for taking large samples, pans with corners for pouring out materials, and pans with lots of special riffles. This variation is why I have so many pans—they each have their specialty.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts
• Taking on the EPA, Sasquatch, Ratchilla and Gold Dredging
• Gully Prospecting and Mining
• Wilfley Tables—Repair, Rebuild & Set Up
• Designing and Evaluating Placer Gold Recovery Plants
• Finding Streams of Gold
• This is Why You Check Your Tailings
• Lode or Placer: What Difference Does It Make?
• New Rules to Impact the Lease/Buy Decision
• There's a First Time for Everyone
• Appeals Court OKs Permits for Upper Peninsula Mine
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Mining Journal Honored as Prospecting Magazine of the Year!
