History & Geology
Critical Metals: Copper
May 2012 by Chris Ralph
From time to time I’ve been doing a series on critical metals and how important they are to our complex and technological society. This month we are going to take a look at copper, and how important that metal is to our modern lives.
Understanding and Prospecting Benches
The most obvious benches are usually near the valley floor, but they can be thousands of feet above the valley floor. Since benches were made by streams, they can contain placer deposits.
Prospector's Guide to Rock Breaking and Blasting
The holes were overloaded with explosives, but I didn’t know it. I was just a green mining engineer fresh out of school and told to watch as the experienced miners set the charge.
The Amazing Mineral Tourmaline
It is a gemstone, and yet it is also closely associated with many types of metal ores. It's valuable itself but often points toward other valuable minerals—that is certainly something prospectors want to know more about!
WSGS Releases New Geologic Maps
The Wyoming State Geological Survey announced ten new geologic maps have been completed and are now available.
Sixteen to One Gold Mine: Unique Challenges and Potential Rewards - Pt I
Many of the Sixteen to One’s challenges arise from its unusual geology and the pocket characteristics of the ore deposits.
Sierra County Gold—Part I
...this county contained some of the richest placer ground found in all of California and still produces some pretty impressive finds to this day.
The Giant King Mine
Most gold-bearing veins in this region are controlled by fractures associated with the Melones Fault, a late Cretaceous structure that is 108 to 127 million years old.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts: gold per ton; improving assay method
• Bering Sea Gold—Part II
• Tucson Show Marketing
• Ganes Creek Hits 10 Years—Part I
• Fabulous Florence—The Golden Town of Idaho
• Arizona's Vulture Gold Mine and Lost Dutchman
• Replacing Your 12-Volt Pump
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask the Experts: Ionizing mercury
• El Tigre—Unlocking Values in Tailings to Jumpstart a Mine
