Prospecting & Detecting
Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Tangling With A Desert Monster
November 2021 by Bob Schall
It all occurred when Gus and I returned to a remote placer gold area where we had previously found really good gold. The problem was that it would take about an hour to walk through the desert to get to it.
Cold Water Gold
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...
Time For Some Desert Gold!
February 2023A Serious Discussion on Prospecting in Arid Environments. Part 1
The Bucking Room
Since this position was the least desirable due to the hard physical labor, the bucking room was used as punishment. Do you have a mediocre worker? Bad attitude? Off to the bucking room!
Panning on North Fork American Yields Good Gold
This second trip down was a challenge. It started in Colfax on the Stevens Trail, where the distance to the river is four miles with an elevation drop of about 1,000 feet.
Gold Placers of Southern California
I grew up in Southern California, and found my first nugget there, so I know my way around. Because there is good gold there, I thought it might be helpful to take a look at the many placer gold opportunities found in the southern part of the state.
All About Quartz—Part I
One of the first minerals most prospectors learn to recognize is quartz, because, in the right circumstances, it can be an excellent indicator mineral for prospectors. Quartz is common, easy to identify, and is often associated with gold and other valuable metal deposits.
Chasing Float Gold—The Starry Night Wash
The sun was beginning to set, which put the light at just the right angle against the hillsides to where I believed that I spotted a very small dig and tailings pile up the hill near the top of the second wash.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - What is “flotation” and what type of assay do I need?
• Ask The Experts - Easier way to break down compacted clays?
• Ask The Experts - Where can I get geological maps?
• Ask The Experts - Is there gold under the old cobble piles?
• Ask The Experts - Can you help me understand the gold deposition in this area of Wyoming?
• Building A Portable Gold Mill
• Cherry-Picking for Gold Nuggets
• Using A Blasting Machine in Rock Breaking
• Another Prospecting Adventure: Coulterville
• Seven Important Attitudes for the Successful Prospector
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
