History & Geology
Gold, Quartz & Chalcedony—Part II
November 2011 by W. Dan Hausel
The specific gravity of chalcedony is 2.58 to 2.64. This is slightly lower than coarsely crystalline quartz because of slight porosity in chalcedony. Being so light, it will easily wash out of a gold pan.
Exploration Rush at Tonopah, Nevada
A few months later, a young, greenhorn lawyer agreed to pay to have it assayed, and the quartz turned out to be rich in both gold and silver.
Alaska: Kodiak Islands Mineral Resources
The fresh material is worked and concentrated by the waves on the flat, wide beach platform. The waves wash away the lighter minerals, leaving the heavies near the bluffs and in depressions on the beach.The Potholes—California’s Oldest Known Mining District
Every time we prospected here we found gold, sometimes some really coarse flakes, but no large nuggets (yet).
The Strange History of the Utica Mine
In the summer of 1854, John Selkirk, a discouraged placer miner who was down on his luck and ready to go back to Massachusetts, tied his mule up in a gulch north of what is now downtown Angel's Camp.
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.
The Beatty Mining District of Nevada
The Beatty Mining District in south-central Nevada has been one of the most productive Mining Districts in the state, producing millions of ounces of gold together with silver, fluorite, mercury and other valuable minerals.
Prospecting for Copper—What to Look for on the Outcrop
For the prospector, knowing what oxidized hydrothermal alteration looks like in the field is an important exploration tool.
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The Bawl Mill
• Legislative And Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts—Compensation for closed mining claim?
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• Gold From Cemented Gravels
• Evolution Of A Gold Prospect
• Alaska to Target Rare-Earths
• Minnesota Delays Decision on Mineral Leases
• Alaska's Cripple Creek Mining District
• The Gold Of Horseshoe Bend
• Tyrie's Roadway Nugget
• Melman on Gold & Silver
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• Prospecting Australia—Part II: There and Back Again
