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.
Fortymile, Alaska Prospecting Adventure
Some creeks have nuggets, while others, particulary the rivers, nothing but fine gold.
Hundreds Rally in Support of PLP Octoberfest Fundraiser
...more folks rolled in on Saturday morning and many were eager to venture out onto the Sleepy Bear property—all 415 acres—and try their luck at finding some gold.
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.
Getting A Successful Start in Metal Detecting for Gold
Once you have a detector, learn how to use it and get out in the field—you can’t find anything with it in your garage.
Butte County: Another Mother Lode Favorite
There are so many places in this region to discuss that one article won’t be enough to cover it all, so I’ll focus on a couple of places that we found interesting while searching for gold.
Dredging Safety: Don't Ignore The Warning Signs
At first, I tried to shift things around, but then a hand with a rock would appear, so I would stop trying to adjust my gear and grab the rock to keep things moving.
Achieving Accurate Metal Detector Discrimination
Your odds of going home with gold will be higher using the discrimination mode, even if you might have misread one of the targets you rejected.
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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?
• Commercial Placer Mining: Alaska Style
• 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
