Hand Panning Micro-Fine Gold

May 2017 by Keith Bowen

Once you get down to the black sands or a few tablespoons of material, the technique changes dramatically.

Extracting & Smelting Your Gold

February 2013
Unfortunately, not all the gold that we prospectors find is pretty, or appealing to the eyes. They are not all nice, bright, shiny nuggets with lots of character that carry high collector value.

Prospecting for Diamonds in Kimberlite

January 2014
Kimberlite is very difficult for geologists to find, let alone prospectors and rock hounds. This is because kimberlite is rarely exposed on the surface and few people know how to identify the rock.

Gold in Quartz

February 2016
Because quartz and gold may be deposited together across a considerable range of temperatures, not all quartz veins are the same, and there are several different types of gold-quartz deposits.

Successful Gold Prospecting

January 2011
There are loads of new gold prospectors attracted by the current high prices, and so I thought it might be a great time to take a look at what makes some prospectors so much more successful than others.

Lode or Placer: What Difference Does It Make?

September 2014
This explains the large difference in particle sizes between placers and hydrothermal lode deposits, but also means that while the mining may be similar in some cases, the sampling and recovery techniques are usually quite different.

How Long Does It Take to Find and Recover An Ounce of Gold?

June 2019

Some ask if a prospector can collect an entire ounce in a day. It is possible; I’ve done it before.

Pumping Water With Solar Power

March 2019

Solar energy can be used for any size placer or hard rock mining operation. It is most practical for small and longer-term operations provided your mine is not located in a dense forest.

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