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...Gold at Ragged Top, Arizona
Ragged Top is a jagged mountain which rises to an elevation of 3,907 feet near the Silver Bell open-pit copper mine, some 34 airline miles northwest of downtown Tucson. It is an outlier of the Silver Bell Mountains...
The World of the Simple Gold Pan
There are so many, many different types of gold pans on the market that I thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at the world of the simple gold pan.
Critical Minerals: Gold
A few quick calculations show that approximately 11 tons of gold are lost each year just in the manufacture of new cell phones.
Major Miners Go on Buying Spree
A little more than two years ago, the co-founders of a small Canadian mining company unearthed a gold and silver deposit in southeastern Ecuador that industry experts believe is the most significant discovery in at least a decade.
Niobium and Tantalum
Niobium (columbium) and tantalum are related metals that usually occur together and are associated with vanadium on the periodic chart of the elements. Both metals have seen increased usage in high-tech applications in recent years because of increased availability.
Breaking Boulders With Explosives
The process we will be using is called “blockholing,” and it is commonly used at mines and in construction projects to break up oversize material into sizes that can be easily handled.
Gold of Plumas County
Plumas County has a rich heritage of gold mining, much of it from placer deposits that can still be searched and panned today. Being at the far northern end of California’s famed Mother Lode, it is quite often overlooked by those searching for gold today—really a well-kept secret after all of these years!
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The Bawl Mill
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• 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
