History & Geology
Gold of Plumas County
November 2010 by Frank Lorey III
Plumas County has a rich heritage of gold mining, much of it from placer deposits that can still be searched and panned today. Being at the far northern end of California’s famed Mother Lode, it is quite often overlooked by those searching for gold today—really a well-kept secret after all of these years!Understanding Large Gold Deposit Types: Discovering New Mines
The other opportunity that I see is in seeking unusual types of deposits. Specifically, the prospector would be searching for the stuff no one (or almost no one) is searching for. These deposits are effectively hiding in plain view.
The Birimian Greenstone Belts of West Africa
A few years ago I had a tremendous opportunity to visit Australia and hunt for gold there. The geology of the gold deposits there was somewhat different from what I was used to here in the US. I learned a lot about greenstone belt gold deposits while prospecting them in person, and it was an amazing trip.
The Wild Rush to Find More Cobalt—Part I
While some future cobalt will come from recycling lithium batteries and other products, the coming huge need for cobalt is virtually a perfect storm of heavy demand and insufficient supply.
Understanding and Prospecting Benches
The most obvious benches are usually near the valley floor, but they can be thousands of feet above the valley floor. Since benches were made by streams, they can contain placer deposits.
Enrichment of Mineral Deposits by Weathering—Part I
The exact minerals formed in the concentrated supergene deposits depends much on the type of country rock around the deposit and the chemistry of the deposit itself, but if conditions are right, this process will form some rich patches of bonanza ore, in some places valued at thousands of dollars to the ton.The Historic Gold Rush Town of Quincy
…we focused on various layers of hard-packed flood material out of the creek, and we also obtained some material up quite a ways from the creek itself on bedrock.
Bedrock Gold: When It’s There and When It Isn’t
Has your experience ever led you to wonder why some gold is deposited on bedrock and in crevices, while other gold is not? We’re going take a deeper look at this and see what we can figure it out.
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The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• The Jenkins Mine Project, Conclusion—Recovery Operations & Summary
• Recent Prospecting in Plumas County
• Prospecting for Nickel Deposits
• Detecting My Way Across Australia—Pt II
• Detectors Versus Pans
• Check The Box For Tax Savings
• Mining Stock Quotes & Mineral and Metal Prices
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Undiscovered Placer Deposits in Alaska
• Melman on Gold & Silver
