Prospecting & Detecting
Imagining the Ultimate Prospecting Adventure
May 2019 by Chris Ralph
I recently found myself wondering what would be the ultimate prospecting adventure. What would be the most amazing thing if I had no restrictions or limitations?
Continuing Hard Rock Exploration
We had been picking away at it, but the going was mightly slow. Why not use some explosives to advance a little quicker?
Confluence Placers
Confluences of placer streams are well known as concentration sites for heavy minerals. The basic reason is that...
Selenium, Mercury and Suction Dredging—Studies Contradict CA State Water Resources Board
Federal and state regulatory agencies often cite mercury and methyl mercury in our waterways as a major factor for further restrictions on placer mining, and on suction gold dredge mining, in particular. However, these regulatory agencies are minimizing selenium and its neutralizing effects.
The Pothole Patch
"Suh-wheet!" I exclaimed as I sprang to my feet and quickly pumped my detector coil high overhead to alert Smokey that I had just found a nugget.
Dry Washer, Wet System or Metal Detector?
I love to dry wash old nugget patches found by detector operators, and I have found my fair share of gold dry washing those areas. I have also found a few nuggets using a detector on the bedrock exposed by dry washing the patches.
Ask the Experts
Breaking cemented gravels
Gold in Unlikely Places
Detectors have been around for decades now. And with thousands of them swinging, many of the best or at least most likely nugget places have seen a swinging coil. The part that amazes me is that so many nuggets still get pulled out of these seemingly pounded places.
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• Legislative and Regulatory Update
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• Ask The Experts - Sampling and assays
• The Geology of Diamond Deposits
• Keep Watch for The Unexpected
• Resurrecting An Old Hard Rock Mine—Gold At Last!
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Cold Gold
• Gary It's There
• Following the Clues
• A Generous Lesson on Detecting Bedrock
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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