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...The Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

The Bawl Mill
• Drug smuggling tunnels filled with environmental delays and red tape
• Did we make the list?
• A whopper of an error
Mohave Mountain Placers, Arizona

Gold Dredgers Rescue Threatened Fish
Gold dredgers were enlisted in an effort to salvage a rare stretch of chum salmon spawning grounds along the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
Our Readers Say
• "...her demise has hurt this industry beyond comprehension"
• "...the mining community suffered the loss of a good friend."
• "...they would like to host the international gold prospectors community"
Mineralization, Ground Balance and Metal Detecting
The right ground balance setting for the conditions you are working is critical. If your detector isn’t set properly, you will lose depth of detection, sometimes to an extreme degree.
Melman on Gold & Silver
Putting this information together, we conclude that the coming year of 2007 could hold explosive growth for the precious metals as the probability of an international “accident” rises, as the dollar comes under increasing pressure and as the fundamental demand for resources of all types from India and China plus other developing nations grows relentlessly.
Subscription Required:
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