Small Mining Operations
Designing A Testing Program
December 2023 by Michael Howard
Exploring Placers with Auger Drills
Augers can be used effectively for placer exploration with certain limitations.
Principles of Designing Your Mill Production System, Part II: Mill Design
Starting small with quick profitability gives you a lot of financial elbow room plus real-world experience that can be used for final mill design.
A Test Grid Dredged for Gold Values
The evaluation must also consider the gold fineness or purity. The purity of the Sugardaddy nuggets is estimated at 850 fineness, meaning 85% is gold (Au), 12% is silver (Ag) with 3% being other gangue alloyed metal.
Extracting & Smelting Your Gold
Unfortunately, not all the gold that we prospectors find is pretty, or appealing to the eyes. They are not all nice, bright, shiny nuggets with lots of character that carry high collector value.
The Basics of Exploration Leases and Contracts—Part II
This is the point where you might ask, “What do these types of contracts typically look like and how are they negotiated?” Well, that is the topic of this month’s article.
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.
PLP Update
All 28 groups listed agree that Section 402 of the Clean Water Act does not apply and no dredge miner should be asking a state or federal agency for such a permit.
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The Origins Of Gold
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