Hit the Slopes to Find More Gold

January 2020 by Ray Mills

Watching for these areas is one of my primary targets during the winter. It doesn’t take but a few inches of the surface moving away to give a fantastic target response that you didn’t hear prior to the washing of the surface.

The Madonna Nugget

October 2013
It was down deeper than I expected for surface trash. It wasn't until I was down six inches that the target screamed from my scoop.

Tyrie's Roadway Nugget

November 2011
I will have to admit, I actually was brought to tears just thinking about what I had just done. I knew the gold was there, but I never thought I would be so fortunate to find such a prize nugget.

Modesto, California Man Finds 18-Ounce Nugget

October 2016
Oscar Espinoza considers himself an amateur gold prospector, but the gold nugget he recently found puts many seasoned prospectors to shame.

Potholes and Other Bedrock Traps

September 2012
Potholes in bedrock can trap placer minerals and even be glory holes. They are, at least, interesting geologic phenomena, and at best, a treasure trove of gold nuggets.

Gold Prospecting: For Better or Worse--It Was A Dark and Overcast Night

October 2018

With one outstretched hand grasping the bottle and the other waving at air, I moved forward feeling for the tent. No tent. No tree.

Putting Together A Small Free Gold Mill—Part II

June 2018

There are many smaller old hard rock mines out there—more than you might think. There are some small hard rock properties that are even open to be claimed if one does the right amount of research to find them.

Detectors: Past, Present and Future

June 2016
Detectors were invented long before I was born, but it was in the 1960s when they started to become an item popular enough to power a fledgling industry. The key development was miniature transistor technology replacing the old fashioned tube technology of the 1950s, making lightweight, affordable detectors possible.

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