History & Geology
Mineral Deposit Trends: Real and Imaginary
December 2012 by Chris Ralph
One of the most important things prospectors do is work to figure out where to go prospecting. Along with understanding the basic geology and putting yourself in a favorable area, one of the things a prospector might consider in finding a location to search is the existence of mining belts also known as mineral deposit trends.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.
Enrichment of Mineral Deposits by Weathering—Part I
The exact minerals formed in the concentrated supergene deposits depends much on the type of country rock around the deposit and the chemistry of the deposit itself, but if conditions are right, this process will form some rich patches of bonanza ore, in some places valued at thousands of dollars to the ton.Silver and Base Metal Deposits of the Pioche District
The areas that were mineralized with the bedded ore were huge and vast tonnages were indicated, although they had no idea at the time.
Prospecting for Surface Flood Gold Placers on Low and Intermediate Gradient Streams
Sample panning is a very important method used to find the richest parts of a flood gold deposit before setting up equipment and running material.Perception of Mining vs. Reality
Many modern mining companies have taken to making a special effort to ensure the goods and services they need are supplied as much as possible out of the local economy.The Mineral Range Districts of Utah
Most of the commercial mineral deposits are on the south and southwest part of the range between Minersville and Milford, though small amounts of gold and silver have also been found in iron-rich outcrops in the basalt to the south of Milford.
All About Garnets
I get a lot of questions from prospectors about garnets, their value and what they tell us about the geology of some types of mineral deposits. So I thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at the lowly garnet and learn a bit more about it.
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