All Articles
Ask the Experts: Recommended Reading—Part II
March 2004 by Staff
We asked several writers and professionals to recommend their favorite books or publications that they thought would benefit prospectors and miners. Each recommendation is followed by a rating of beginner, intermediate, or advanced prospector or miner, or a rating of “general” (for all levels).Legislative and Regulatory Update
• DOI limits Wilderness
• Current California administration solidifies anti-mining stance
• Juneau welcomes miners
• Bill would restrict public land purchases
• Barrick wins suit against EPA reporting requirements
• Utah obtains rights-of-way on federal lands
Excavator Testing Wet Placer Ground
The excavator or backhoe has become the tool of choice for testing placer ground. These machines are the best way to explore and sample a placer deposit if the ground is not too wet or frozen and bedrock is not beyond the reach of the machine.
Throw-Away Gold: Back to Basics
Placer mining, whether for profit or recreational purposes, involves separation of free gold from the gold-bearing sands (gangue) of alluvial deposits by methods using specific gravity. The free gold can vary from 17 to 19.3 in specific gravity terms, depending on the alloy mix, which is usually silver, but can be copper, lead, sulfur, tellurium, antimony, or mercury.
Fall Drywashing—Just the Right Time of Year
I could see lots of quartz, both loose on the hillsides and in the numerous small prospect diggings. There was a small gold rush here more than a century ago.
Picks & Pans: How to Succeed in a Small Mine, A Case History: 1990-2000
The first requirement for a successful mine operation is a market for the product, metallic or nonmetallic. The second requirement is to deliver a quality salable product...
Selling Your Gold—Where To Start
I don’t know of any miner or prospector who really wants to sell their gold. But the income might be needed to keep the mine going, buy new equipment, take a vacation or put food on the table. Whatever the reason, where does a person start?
Gold Point, Nevada—A One-Man Mining Town Restoration
Almost 200 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, Gold Point was developed initially as a gold mining community in 1868. Like most mining camps, it experienced a typical boom-to-bust cycle, and by 1882, Gold Point was clearly on its way to becoming just another abandoned ghost town.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Fair and Balanced? If You Have the Cash
• Pocket Gold in Gneiss
• Australian Prospector Detects 150-Ounce Nugget
• The Tangential Impulse Water Wheel in California Gold Mining History—Part II
• Picks & Pans: Dredging After The Flood
• Mining Industry Enthusiastic About Prospects
• Looking For Gold in All The Right Places
• Fraser Institute Ranks Best Regions for Mining Investment
• Red Lake, Ontario
• Company Notes
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
