Following the Clues

May 2019 by Ray Mills

It took me awhile before I finally got a nice mellow signal. My nugget turned out to weigh in about two dwt (pennyweight). Over the next few hours, we all picked up a few more nuggets apiece.

Benefits of a Detecting Partner

April 2013
“Metal detecting is not a social function.” So said a good friend of mine. And it’s true. But that’s not to say the benefits of having a prospecting partner don’t outweigh those of being alone.

Paperwork Guy—A Cautionary Tale

April 2013
I recently grew complacent, and it caused me to make a mistake that resulted in the loss of a mining claim. It brought my mining plans for the summer to a complete halt.

Flood Plain Gold Deposits—What Are They Really?

November 2017

We just completed a trip to another river, and yes, there was definite movement and redistribution of gravels, and other prospectors have seen this as well.

Romancing the Lens

July 2014
...a large number of these aspiring miners developing their operations seemed to have missed "Placer Mining 101" somewhere along the way.

Cold Water Gold

December 2011
It was June 2011, and my wife Fran and I with Grandson Lucas and good friend Ernie Cruz were attempting to get to our gold mining claim on the Middle Fork of the Feather River about ten miles from Quincy, California. Rain had poured down in the previous few days and the road in a large number of low places was under water. Following two hours of slugging through the mud...

Nevada's Lithium Boom

March 2017
When prospecting for lithium, after confirming for macro attributes through research and field work, including examination of surface geology, the main tool is an accurate lithium assay.

Feather River Gold

February 2017
I didn’t think too much of our dredge hole and we were both considering a move when we hit bedrock. There was a good quantity of flakes and fines, but no nuggets.

Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill   • Legislative and Regulatory Update   • Ask The Experts - Who owns this historic mill and how do I handle possible mercury contamination?   • Ask The Experts - Sampling and assays   • The Geology of Diamond Deposits   • Keep Watch for The Unexpected   • Resurrecting An Old Hard Rock Mine—Gold At Last!   • Imagining the Ultimate Prospecting Adventure   • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Cold Gold   • Gary It's There   • A Generous Lesson on Detecting Bedrock   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices

Free:
PLP Update