Small Mining Operations
Critical Minerals Update
March 2022 by Chris Ralph
The critical metals are essential to the modern lives we lead. The prices of critical metals are moving up even faster than government published rates of inflation, with little sign of slowing down.
Guinea Africa: Gold, Ebola, and a Monkey Barbecue
With great relief, the equipment I chose worked well, and after shoving into three days what should have been ten days of set-up and testing, we were up and running.
Papa's Got A Brand New Dredge!
It was time to prime the pump and start the engine! Dan’s priming method is to use a small, submersible, 12-volt pump. My priming method is to use a hand-operated diaphragm pump.
Dry Washer, Wet System or Metal Detector?
I love to dry wash old nugget patches found by detector operators, and I have found my fair share of gold dry washing those areas. I have also found a few nuggets using a detector on the bedrock exposed by dry washing the patches.
The Seven Troughs Mining District
The favorable geology of the northeastern and central parts of the Seven Troughs Range are the parts most interesting to prospectors. They are underlain by a thick sequence of Tertiary volcanic rocks, mostly rhyolites and andesites.
Memories of Shirttail Creek, Northern California
…for a few hours, we fervently dug for gold. After we did a cleanup, I couldn’t believe the amount we got.
The Bucking Room
Since this position was the least desirable due to the hard physical labor, the bucking room was used as punishment. Do you have a mediocre worker? Bad attitude? Off to the bucking room!
Gold in Guyana—Part I: Porknocking on the Puruni River Road
In part one of this two-part series on gold in Guyana, I describe artisanal mining efforts currently winning alluvial gold from small-scale placer operations located along the lower Puruni River and its tributaries.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - My detector only finds bullets
• Ask The Experts - Any tips on finding gold in Colorado?
• Ask The Experts - Should I be seeing black sands in the tailings of my sluice box?
• Ask The Experts - How do I sell my gold?
• Ask The Experts - Is Welsh gold more valuable?
• Finding Gold With A Simple Sluice Box
• Detecting A Trashy Area
• Winter Prospecting
• Are You Being Followed?
• Overcoming Repeated Skunks
• Butte County: Another Mother Lode Favorite
• Welcome to Nothing
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Golden Memories
• Crisson Gold Mine Robbed At Gunpoint
