Prospecting & Detecting
Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part II
March 2021 by Dan Stanton
…whichever layer I’m getting the best gold, I’ll work that stratum. Some of the best gold in the desert is not always on the bedrock.
Romancing the Rock
With the exception of well-established operators with proven reserves and years of field experience, the high price of gold brought a flood of speculators, con men, and real estate brokers into the mix who were not previously engaged in the gold mining market.
The Story Behind the Story

Understanding Rock Formations: Petrology for Prospectors
There are times when being able to recognize a type of rock can make you a much more successful prospector.
Mining for Gemstones and Mineral Specimens

Old Water Channels Provide Important Clues
After washing the top sixty to ninety feet of gravel, the old- timers hit the bedrock. The bedrock paid one-eighth to one-half of an ounce to the square foot…
Take it to Bedrock
Picking the right spot to placer has to do with years of experience, and a little luck. The textbooks can tell you where it should be, but sometimes the rules just don’t seem to apply.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Info on Santa Cruz beach placers?
• Ask The Experts - Detectors and flour gold
• Ask The Experts - Why is the gold in these clays?
• Ask The Experts - Can you explain colloidal gold?
• Ask The Experts - Where did this kimberlite come from?
• Ask The Experts - Can gold particles combine to form a nugget?
• Placer Gold Deposits in the Western States
• Evaluating Gold Recovery with Mass Balance Calculations
• Clues for Detecting Ancient River Channels and Flats
• What Is Your Grade?
• State of Idaho Looks to Invest in Gold and Silver
• Colorado Uranium Mining in the 1950s Boom
• Decoding Dredge Capacity
• I Just Tripped Over A Nugget
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices