Beach Mining for Placer Gold

June 2019 by Rob Roy

What I saw was a beach area that was just completely covered in black sand. Rubbing my hands close together like a kid in a candy store, I could not wait to get set up.

Revisiting the Rocker Box

August 2016
The first location we worked was a small, dry ravine cutting through many mineralized zones in an area where some hard rock mining had taken place in the past.

Prospecting for Diamonds in Kimberlite

January 2014
Kimberlite is very difficult for geologists to find, let alone prospectors and rock hounds. This is because kimberlite is rarely exposed on the surface and few people know how to identify the rock.

Gemstones to Die For

November 2014
Some gems can potentially poison you, make you sterile and even make you forget who you are.

A Few Pointers About Cracks and Crevices

October 2013
Because these crevices catch and hold gold so well, it's worthwhile to learn how they form, which ones are good for catching gold and which ones are not.

Prospecting for Pegmatites

July 2015

…in some cases pegmatites have produced individual mineral crystals that are enormous, attaining lengths of over 40 feet long, and many of the world’s largest mineral crystals are examples that were found within pegmatite deposits.

Trash! A Hindrance Or Hot Spot For Hidden Gold?

March 2018

I love it when I am in the middle of a high trash area and all the ferrous bars go away, the screen number goes to a three or an eight, and the meter is forty to a hundred. I don’t know for sure that I have found gold, but it narrows the odds down.

Detectors: Past, Present and Future

June 2016
Detectors were invented long before I was born, but it was in the 1960s when they started to become an item popular enough to power a fledgling industry. The key development was miniature transistor technology replacing the old fashioned tube technology of the 1950s, making lightweight, affordable detectors possible.

Subscription Required:
June 2019 (Vol. 88, No. 10)   • The Bawl Mill   • Legislative and Regulatory Update   • Ask The Experts - Can you provide information on gold in Ghana?   • Ask The Experts - Geophysics and gold deposits   • Ask The Experts - Do these items qualify as mechanized equipment?   • Ask The Experts - EPA Method 6020 testing   • Ask The Experts - New detector or stick with the old?   • The Value of Old Patches   • A 'Rare' Opportunity for America   • Tips for Cleaning Gold Nuggets   • How Long Does It Take to Find and Recover An Ounce of Gold?   • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: In A Tight Spot   • Detecting Wet Ground Yields More Fun Than Gold   • Over The Divide: Jim Straight, 1930-2019   • Reno's 1872 Time Capsule Includes Gold Rush Lore   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices

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PLP Update   • Comments Needed On Pebble Project Draft EIS