History & Geology
Ask The Experts
March 2015 by Chris Ralph
Q: Is this gold or some other metal?Another Prospecting Adventure: Coulterville
What also helped keep Coulterville alive was the fact that the town itself happened to be sitting on top of one of the richest veins in the Mother Lode. The ledge itself was three hundred feet wide.
Prospecting for Diamonds
Let’s take a look at diamonds and diamond mining and see how they form, how they are used beyond just jewelry, and what leads geologists to find diamond deposits.
How Far Has That Gold Traveled?
Let’s examine why your placer gold looks the way it does and what you can tell about its journey based upon its appearance.
Gold Placers of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Alaska's Cripple Creek Mining District
If developed with metal detecting in mind, this virgin ground could be a bonanza for nugget hunting.
Ask the Experts: VMS ore
Q: Are there any mills that handle VMS ore?
A Journey Into the Silver Peak Range
The Gold Rush in California called hundreds of thousands of souls to leave their homes to journey to the the far reaches of the West. At first the rich goldfields of the Sierra Nevada beckoned to these adventurous pioneers.
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The Bawl Mill
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• Placer Mining At Chititu Creek, Alaska
• Gold Rush Continues in Africa
• Gold Refining In The Ancient World
• Tasers and Mining Don't Mix
• Thinking Outside The Creek
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices