How To
How to Interpret Assay Values
January 2018 by Don Robinson
This assay system of ounces per ton sounds simple enough, but the use of the metric system and the additional measuring terms of “grams per ton” and “parts per million” (ppm) has created some misunderstanding of ore value.
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Some claim they can smell gold. This may be, but when I take a whiff of gold, I smell dirt, rotten eggs, garlic or just nothing: my nose is everything but sensitive.
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Prospectors have many reasons why they might want to break rocks. These include dividing up a specimen too large to carry.
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This explains the large difference in particle sizes between placers and hydrothermal lode deposits, but also means that while the mining may be similar in some cases, the sampling and recovery techniques are usually quite different.
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• How small should I crush my hard rock ore?
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.
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Which comes first, claim filing or staking?
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