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Mariposa, California
April 2003 by Frank Lorey III
The sleepy town of Mariposa, known more today as one of the gateways to Yosemite National Park, was once considered the southern end of the famed “Mother Lode” gold deposits that stretched hundreds of miles throughout California’s Sierra...
Old-Time Mining Geology Books
Geology books are best used by geologists, but many of the old-time books can be understood by most anyone who has an interest in rocks and minerals. Certain words or phrases may stump the layman, but just skip those parts and go on to the portions of the books that are easily understood. Some of the old-time mining geology books should be in every small miner’s collection.
Buyer Beware! Counterfeit Metal Detectors
When I was recently in West Africa, I got to see and play with my first, phony, Chinese knock-off metal detector.
Ask The Experts—What's the cheapest way to mine quartz for gold?
Q: I have a gold mine in Colorado. There was an assay done which stated [there is] a lot of quartz within the mine. What is the cheapest way to mine it for gold? I don’t have the money for mills, etc. Can I do it by hand (during summer holidays), and how would I get started?
Gold Placers of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
The biggest obstacle is that like many streams on the Kenai Peninsula, high water during the summer months from snow melt and rain can make dredging nearly impossible. The best dredging is in the colder months of the year.
Mystery of Olmec Jade Solved
Since the 18th century, collectors, geologists and archaeologists have sought the answer to a frustrating mystery: The ancient Olmecs fashioned statues out of striking blue-green jade, but the stone itself was nowhere to be found in the Americas.
Critical Minerals: Tungsten
Because tungsten minerals are heavy, exploration can be done using stream sediment samples. Prospectors looking for gold have found scheelite or wolframite in their placer concentrates, and in some cases this has led them to make important tungsten finds.
Platinum Firm, Palladium to Remain Weak
Platinum and palladium demand and prices continued to move in opposite directions in 2002, according to Johnson Matthey (JM) in Platinum 2003.
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The Bawl Mill
• Impact of Habitat Designations Grossly Underestimated
• Manslaughter Charges Dropped Against Sixteen to One Mine
• A Unique Prospecting Method
• Over the Divide
• Cripple Creek, Colorado
• Picks & Pans: Virginia Prospecting
• PLP Gets the Key!
• The Ocampo District, Chihuahua
• The Collaboration
• Mud Creek Placer Mine
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Looking Back
• Melman on Gold & Silver
