History & Geology
Ask The Experts
March 2015 by Chris Ralph
Q: Is this gold or some other metal?Benches and Fossil Placers
Unfortunately for us mortal humans, we have a poor perspective on geologic time. When we look at a landscape such as a stream valley, we see it only in two, or at the most, three dimensions. We have poor comprehension of the valley’s fourth and most important dimension—time.
The Paragenesis of Gold & Silver Deposits
…if you are game for digging in and learning more about the intricate details of how gold deposits form, then let’s jump right in.
Gold Deposition and Gradients of Placer Streams—Part I
When placer miners from the gold rush era began experimenting with the slope of their sluices, they must have pondered the ideal slope for trapping gold in a creek bed too. Logic suggests the same is true for streams...
Can You Recognize Valuable Ores?
The process of recognizing ores all starts with being able to recognize some basic minerals and knowing what hard rock ore looks like in the districts where you prospect.
Gold in Quartz
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.
The Tombstone Silver-Lead District, Arizona
In 1877, a prospector named Ed Schieffelin discovered silver in “the middle of nowhere” and staked two claims: “Tumbstone” and “Graveyard.” Soon a town and mining district were organized and acquired the name “Tombstone” after making a spelling correction.
Mass Wasting & Gold Deposits
Not all of these slides and debris flows will produce results, but if you search for these while prospecting in your gold producing areas, then you can increase your odds of finding new gold.
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The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Just Another Ordinary Weekend
• Small-Scale Hard Rock Mining With Water Recycling
• The Paragenesis of Gold & Silver Deposits
• Getting A Successful Start in Metal Detecting for Gold
• 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
