Prospecting & Detecting
Indicators and Hillsides
September 2021 by Ray Mills
The placer gold shows up in ground sluice areas, hydraulic pits, secondary channels and hillside diggings. It is coming down the hillsides from an ancient channel left high and dry millions of years ago.
California: The Land of Big Nuggets—Part I
The nugget sat there in plain sight, though it was covered in dirt, while hundreds of people had passed that way every day.
Gold 1822 Half Eagle Fetches Record at Auction
The coin trading world has a new gold standard, after the only known 1822 half eagle $5 piece in private hands sold at auction in Las Vegas…
Making the Jump to Electronic Prospecting
After pinpointing and recovery, he had his first nugget of channel gold in his hand. This was also his first nugget with the new detector.
Watch Out for Split Estates When Filing Your Claim
The only thing that saved me was talking to a local miner who gave me a “heads up” that private individuals owned all the mineral rights in that section.
Heavy Glacial Rocks and Gold in the Midwest

Who Says You Have to Own a Claim to Find Gold?

How Should I Work This Prospect?
How big is the deposit? Are there boulders you will need to move? Do you just want to recover the nuggets or do you think there is good fine gold that you will also want to capture?
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Would a platinum nugget contain all the PGMs?
• Ask The Experts - Can you clarify how many minerals I need to identify to be successful?
• Ask The Experts - Were there any productive mines where there were no contacts?
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• Surviving the Unexpected
• Gold Placers of Southern California
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Throwing Away Thousand-Dollar Hot Rocks
• 3D-Printed Tools for Prospecting
• Libby, Montana Prospectors Keep Tradition Alive
• Colorado Miner Sues EPA Over 2015 Spill
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices