Prospecting & Detecting
California State and US National Panning Championships
November 2014 by Don Robinson
Over 200 panners competed in this two-day event to decide who was the best of the best.Potholes and Other Bedrock Traps
Potholes in bedrock can trap placer minerals and even be glory holes. They are, at least, interesting geologic phenomena, and at best, a treasure trove of gold nuggets.
Man's Best Friend
Adam’s condition had been deteriorating every step of the way. At times, I could only coax him ten or twenty feet before he laid down again. He refused to eat or drink. At this point, I realized we might not get out of the canyon by dark and might need help getting Adam out at all.
Attention to Detail - Part II
Ditches almost always started in the high country and contoured the mountainsides, making a long drop, usually many miles away, to the goldfields. There are ditches in Trinity County that originate at seven and eight thousand feet in the Trinity Alps that carried water almost thirty miles.
Ganes Creek Hits 10 Years—Part I
Find huge gold nuggets with your metal detector! That has been the promise, and for a lucky group of detectorists in the Ganes Creek “Pound Club” the reality of finding gold at Ganes Creek, Alaska.
River Dredging vs. Creek Dredging—Part I
As I started walking down to the river one chilly morning, the mist was hanging over the calm portions of the water like a white cotton blanket. This scene got me to thinking about why the river was like that—the deep pools, boulder fields, gravel bars, the effects of how much water was moving at any given time along the watercourse—and most of all the relationship all these things have on where I will be able to find gold.
Ask the Experts
• Drones for the independent prospector
Proper Assaying of Placer Samples
The whole purpose of sampling mineralized ground is to measure the values in a small volume of material that would be representative of a much larger volume of similar material. The key word is representative. Chemical and fire assaying will not accurately represent placer deposits by themselves.
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The Bawl Mill
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• Guinea Africa: Gold, Ebola, and A Monkey Barbecue
• Geobotany: Plants Associated With Mineral Deposits
• The Hunt for Remote Canyon Gold
• Why Did This Silver Mine Close? Pt II
• A Golden Summer
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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