All Articles
How PGMs Affect Assay Beads
September 2001 by Charles L. Butler
Most fire assayers are trained to observe the cupelled beads very carefully, noting any discoloring or surface roughness that might indicate that one or more of the platinum group metals (PGMs) are present. The “clues and tests” I have included in this article stem from several sources, including my 35 years of experience performing torch assays...Platinum Alley—The South American Zone of Wealth and Adventure
California and Alaska have their reputation for gold mining wealth but they just don’t begin to compare with the huge wealth of gold and platinum found in the past and today in Colombia, Panama and Ecuador in western South America.
Critical Minerals: Titanium—Part II
There are both hard rock and beach sand types of titanium deposits, but the hard rock deposits need to be at least 10 percent titanium while the beach sands often are economic with only two or three percent titanium.
Mystery of Olmec Jade Solved
Since the 18th century, collectors, geologists and archaeologists have sought the answer to a frustrating mystery: The ancient Olmecs fashioned statues out of striking blue-green jade, but the stone itself was nowhere to be found in the Americas.
Ask The Experts: Equipment to break up heavy clay
Q: I am looking for a “trommel machine” that doesn’t separate anything but clay slurry from rock hard clay.
Over The Divide—Merwin (Merv) H. Hemp
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of one of our long time members and tireless workers, Merwin H. Hemp.
Prospecting My Way Across Australia Pt I
After contributing to the total, I am proud to claim my share of Ray’s patch. In total, we got almost an ounce of gold from the schist where it seems to have been formed.
Placer Gold in Arizona
Arizona is better-known for copper than for gold, but there are a number of dry placers in the western and southern parts of the state. A prolonged drought at the time of this writing has made the placers the driest they have been in recorded history. A good gold panner can find colors in many gulches and benches, far more than those that have been described in reports.
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The Bawl Mill
• A True Endangered Species
• Guest Editorial—Vertical Disintegration
• USGS Reports Increase of Imported Minerals
• The San Juan Mountains, Colorado
• A Silver Opportunity
• Gold in Virginia
• Picks & Pans: DEF Prospectors Rally Was a Huge Success
• News From GATA
• Our Nugget Shooting Adventure
• Fly Fishing the Mine Tailings/Headwaters of the Clark Fork, Montana
• Company Notes
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
