Prospecting & Detecting
Detecting Wet Ground Yields More Fun Than Gold
June 2019 by Ray Mills
We all continued over to another location at the top of a massive placer operation. Arriving at the draw, I showed everyone where gold had been found before and we all began detecting.
Still Gold in Humbug, Arizona
Has anyone made it through childhood, or even adulthood, without at least one dream of finding gold or buried treasure? It is the stuff of daydreams—the kindling for the flame of hope. We so long for it that we eagerly accept stories and maps from friends and strangers alike that promise us fame and fortune.
Our Readers Say
• Prospecting for Diamonds in Kimberlite by W. Dan Hausel
• Miners referring to their activity as “recreational”
Falcon Fanatic: Journey of a Novice Detectorist
My first day using my pinpointer I detected an area where the fellas’ big guns had swooped in and cleaned up all the “big gold” and I got over sixty tiny pieces of gold.
One Potato, Two Potato...
Normally the detector he was using would sound off with a definitive high-to-low tone when passed over a piece of gold, which distinguished the gold from the many high iron content "hot rocks," but this one was different...
Trail to Treasure
We are both very experienced working this type of ground, and we quickly found the pay layer where we would focus our efforts. The bedrock has good gold, but so does the red hard pan.
Detecting Old Ground Sluice Locations
Ground sluicing, surfacing and scratching are a few names given to the recovery of gold in shallow areas. Where I live, the hills are dotted with small surface diggings.
Using Geologic Publications to Discover Collecting Sites
I understand that a person without geological knowledge could be daunted reading a geological publication. You can pick out the good stuff from a geological publication without a lot of geological knowledge.
Subscription Required:
June 2019 (Vol. 88, No. 10)
• The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts - Can you provide information on gold in Ghana?
• Ask The Experts - Geophysics and gold deposits
• Ask The Experts - Do these items qualify as mechanized equipment?
• Ask The Experts - EPA Method 6020 testing
• Ask The Experts - New detector or stick with the old?
• The Value of Old Patches
• A 'Rare' Opportunity for America
• Tips for Cleaning Gold Nuggets
• How Long Does It Take to Find and Recover An Ounce of Gold?
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: In A Tight Spot
• Over The Divide: Jim Straight, 1930-2019
• Beach Mining for Placer Gold
• Reno's 1872 Time Capsule Includes Gold Rush Lore
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
PLP Update
• Comments Needed On Pebble Project Draft EIS
