Small Mining Operations
Hard Rock University: Expensive Hobby or Real Business?
July 2015 by Keith Bowen
Improper sampling techniques lead to more avoidable heartache than almost anything else in micro mining.
Dry Washer, Wet System or Metal Detector?
I love to dry wash old nugget patches found by detector operators, and I have found my fair share of gold dry washing those areas. I have also found a few nuggets using a detector on the bedrock exposed by dry washing the patches.
Who is a Qualified Person?
So you think you have an ore deposit? The work has been long and hard, but there are a few drill holes, lots of samples and assays. The data is in a reliable computer and there may be a mine at the end of the tunnel. What is the likelihood of a profitable operation? Can you raise capital for development or exploration?
Underground Mining: Getting the Ore Out
Choosing the right method to move your ore and waste is all about making the right choices. Sometimes more than one method may be used during the life of a mine as an operation expands and grows.
The Basics of Exploration Leases and Contracts—Part I
Let’s take a look at these important property aspects individually, because they all affect the value of a property and how much mining companies might or might not be interested acquiring it.
Preserving the True History of the Ivanhoe
My partner had the contacts and it wasn’t long before we had an agreement in place and the company had a geologist on site. I recall a time when he was getting the lay of the land, so to speak, and he broke off a rock sample and inspected it with his magnifier.
How to Field Evaluate A Placer Property
If there is misleading wording anywhere, it will be in the sample data and in reserve/resource estimates.
Proper Assaying of Placer Samples
The whole purpose of sampling mineralized ground is to measure the values in a small volume of material that would be representative of a much larger volume of similar material. The key word is representative. Chemical and fire assaying will not accurately represent placer deposits by themselves.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Trail to Treasure
• The Smell of Gold -- Part II
• The Reason We Fight
• My Great Nevada Adventure
• Prospecting for Pegmatites
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
