Prospecting & Detecting
Clues for Detecting Ancient River Channels and Flats
March 2021 by Ray Mills
The gold in this area can get quite large. Most of the pieces are about half a pennyweight on average.
A Golden Vacation
Each day for the first part of the week my boys and I picked and chipped away at that wall, stockpiling dirt in 5-gallon buckets and cement mixing tubs.
Old Dog(Fighter), New Trick
Then it occurred to me that the drywasher was designed by an engineer. Gotta love engineers! Those slide-rule geeks always tinker with gravity, angles, curves and flow.
The Alaska Highway and Beyond
My first clean-up showed that my efforts were not in vain. There was considerable color with some good-sized nuggets in the riffle trap.
Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part II
…whichever layer I’m getting the best gold, I’ll work that stratum. Some of the best gold in the desert is not always on the bedrock.
The PIGMI—a DIY Crevice Tool

Talking Metal Detectors with Brent Weaver of Garrett
… I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Brent Weaver, Garrett’s chief design engineer to talk about gold-oriented detectors, how they work and how prospectors can get the most out of them.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Info on Santa Cruz beach placers?
• Ask The Experts - Detectors and flour gold
• Ask The Experts - Why is the gold in these clays?
• Ask The Experts - Can you explain colloidal gold?
• Ask The Experts - Where did this kimberlite come from?
• Ask The Experts - Can gold particles combine to form a nugget?
• Placer Gold Deposits in the Western States
• Evaluating Gold Recovery with Mass Balance Calculations
• What Is Your Grade?
• State of Idaho Looks to Invest in Gold and Silver
• Colorado Uranium Mining in the 1950s Boom
• Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part II
• Decoding Dredge Capacity
• I Just Tripped Over A Nugget
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices