Prospecting & Detecting
Cold Alaskan Gold—Part I
September 2012 by Chris Ralph
Crowds may be great for football games or the Fourth of July, but not for prospecting. So, this summer, while thousands of gold seekers were heading to the coast of Alaska, I headed to a remote part of the Interior.
Prospecting Underground: Use Caution
In underground placer work, the contact point of the bedrock tunnel and the gravel is a very weak point and always has to be timbered. The bedrock here is thin, fractured, and the gravels loose from many years of oxidizing.
Piggin' for Gold
Take a look at the picture—it’s pretty simple and you can build it yourself.
Using Google Earth and Other Maps
Last month, one of our readers requested an article regarding the possible use of Google Earth for prospecting research. It was a good idea, so here it is.
Gold Hunting on Libby Creek
The biggest nugget I have found detecting here was three grams and the following weekend someone found a 9-gram nugget while detecting. Some have even found quarter-ounce nuggets, with one being a chevron nugget.
Where to Find Gold in Indiana—Part II
Part I of the article addressed modern placer gold deposits. This second installment will address “ancient” flood deposits.
Pot Hole Gold
It was early in the 2008 season on the Mokelumne River near Pine Grove, California. Considering the potential for high water through the month of June, my wife Fran and I set our sights on investigating some of the pot holes in...
What's Left Behind
I love to see old-timer workings while I am out detecting for gold. For one thing, it assures me that gold came from there. Second, it tells me gold should almost certainly still be there.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Wild and Scenic River Prospecting—North Fork of the American River
• Detecting for Gold—Finding Nuggets Where You Least Expect Them
• Potholes and Other Bedrock Traps
• Financing by the Crowd
• Wealth Beyond Your Wildest Imagination
• Gold Too Big to Carry
• The World of the Simple Gold Pan
• New Silver and Zinc Mine Slated for Montana
• Eastern Oregon Mine Seeks Permits
• Mining Returns to Historic Comstock
• BLM Issues Environmental Review of Wyoming Uranium Mine
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Freegold Mountain Project
