Prospecting & Detecting
Looking for that Hidden Placer
March 2013 by Ray Mills
I detect in a wide array of situations. I like to search for places that no one has been to. I really like to find areas that have never been worked at all.Twenty Minutes on a Five-inch Dredge
The first thing I realized was this was not a toy—this thing had power and I needed to really pay attention. I got into position, took a deep breath, and pushed that monster into the hard pack.
My Great Nevada Adventure
…with renewed determination and a belief in success, I did finally find a nugget. It was there waiting under a bush not 50 feet from my truck.Where Should I Start?
Digging in the right spots will produce excellent results, like this group of nuggets taken by the author while metal detecting during the last few months. The biggest nugget is over an ounce.
Ask The Experts
Can a metal detector be used to find limonitic gossan material?
Swing and a Miss
A very good baseball hitter might get a hit roughly one time out of every three at-bats, but for prospectors often the results are much sparser and it may take many trips before the prospector hits a home run.
Procuring Mine Owner Permission at a Mine Site
The first experience involved an overgrown gold mine operated during the 1880s. A razed mill adjoined the mine and could be glimpsed from the isolated public dirt road I was traveling.
Beach Mining for Placer Gold
What I saw was a beach area that was just completely covered in black sand. Rubbing my hands close together like a kid in a candy store, I could not wait to get set up.
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• Gold Deposits of Montana
• Benches and Fossil Placers
• Turning Hobby Mining into Business Mining
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• And the Survey Says...
• $50 Million Swiped in Diamond Heist
• Melman on Gold & Silver
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