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Identifying Gold Ores
February 2001 by Charles L. Butler
The following “clues” describing “hard rock gold ores,” while not 100% dependable, certainly will give gold prospectors an advantage:Wyoming's Billion Dollar Nugget—The Trilogy Ends
The next hurdle to jump was whether the trommel motor would start again after sitting on the desert for six years without being started. The last time it had taken a three foot pipe wrench to bust it loose.
Gold in Virginia
The Piedmont region of Virginia contains many old gold mines and prospects, many of which are caved, overgrown, and difficult to find. Some mines have remained sporadically active up to the present time.
The Eagle and High Peak Mines of Julian, California
At an altitude of over 4,000 feet, in the mountainous terrain of eastern San Diego County, lies the once productive Julian Mining District. Beginning with placer prospecting in 1869, this area moved rapidly into underground quartz or vein mining for gold.
Placer Testing with Large Samples
Of all the difficult gold placer sites to evaluate, none can compare with trying to dig to bedrock through twenty or thirty feet of soaked overburden through which water is slowly seeping downgrade.
The Bawl Mill
• Man offers $300, four cows for hired killing
• Tax Assessor suspended for "sexual favors"
• Divine Intervention
• Big is beautiful
Serpentine in California
Serpentine, as used in this article, is both a rock and a mineral. The rock should be termed "serpentinite," but the word "serpentine" is in common usage for both the rock and mineral.
Underground in the Original 16-1 Mine
These days they employ the use of metal detectors and carefully scan the shattered rocks, hoping to hear that sound we detectorists love to hear.
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The Bawl Mill
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