History & Geology
Can You Recognize Valuable Ores?
August 2016 by Chris Ralph
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.
Diary of a Diamond Prospector
I couldn’t wait to get started. With no field budget, an assay budget of $100/year, a 1975-Ford Bronco that was a road hazard, a gas card, a topo map and full support of the director, I headed to the State Line district near Tie Siding along US Highway 287 to begin mapping kimberlite.
Gold, Quartz & Chalcedony—Part I
Gold has always been noted to have an affinity for quartz to such a degree prospectors almost always dig on quartz veins in a search for the precious metal.
The Goldfield Mining District -- Then and Now
In 1983, some of the ore yielded more than 2,500 ounces of gold within 30 feet of the surface. The shoot pinched to a narrow vein.
Prospecting for Copper Ores—Part II
Copper is a critically important metal that we need to run our modern electronic society, and the long term outlook for this metal is for a steady increase in price.
Critical Minerals: Tungsten
Because tungsten minerals are heavy, exploration can be done using stream sediment samples. Prospectors looking for gold have found scheelite or wolframite in their placer concentrates, and in some cases this has led them to make important tungsten finds.
The Silver Islet Mountains of Utah
I set up my dry washer on the north side of the cut and sampled the bed rock and dumps around me. As I was only sampling, I ran for 20-30 minutes, shoveling from a variety of areas.
Gold in The Silver Crown District, Wyoming
When my field assistant Jay Roberts and I entered the mine, it appeared as if someone just walked out of the mine, turned off the lights and never returned.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Revisiting the Rocker Box
• Follow Up to "Just One More Time"
• The Highs and Lows of Drywashing
• Successful Detecting Requires Attention to Detail—Part I
• Panning for Gold on Canyon Creek
• China Closing More Than 1,000 Mines
• Habits, Procedure, and Where Is The Gold?
• Exploring A Historic Lode Mine
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Melman on Gold & Silver
Free:
MMAC & PLP Update
