Prospecting & Detecting
Modern-Day Claim Jumping
September 2016 by R. V. Larson
We soon found that our discovery post and other claim markers were gone and replaced with new posts and a notice of location with an earlier date than had been on our notice of location.
What Equipment Do I Need?
Getting started in prospecting often requires the purchase of some equipment, but one can spend as little as $10 and be finding gold or spend thousands and also be finding gold—yet you will probably have many more opportunities and possibilities with more and better equipment.
Gold From Black Sand Tailings
The pile up on the small hill had to be a couple yards of black sand. I’m not one to ignore a little gold even if it is small in size—I have always believed that gold fever comes in all sizes.
California State and US National Gold Panning Championships
This was two days of gold panning, with just over 250 gold panners trying to win a medal to show they were one of the best of the best.
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.
Successful Detecting Requires Attention to Detail—Part I
So much of gold detecting depends on attention to detail. Every gold area offers its own distinct geological markers and as prospectors we must pick up on those markers.
Residual Placers: An Often Overlooked Gold Source
Because the forces of erosion and gravity tend to carry lighter materials like quartz away more easily, the heavy minerals like gold or silver will tend to be concentrated in the general area around the vein outcrop. These concentrations are what make residual placers so attractive.
Mutiny on The Mason
We decided to check some spots that were pretty good to us on previous trips. The detector was deceptively simple with few buttons and auto-ground balance.
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• Our Readers Say
• Ask The Experts: Is there a safe DIY alternative to cyanide or mercury for extraction?
• Ask The Experts: Should I take my claim access problems to the Desert Advisory Council?
• Ask The Experts: How do I identify gold in hard rock that may be mixed with other metals?
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Pickers and Nuggets
• Oregon's Waldo and Galice Mining Districts Unite
• Attention to Detail - Part II
• The Seven Troughs Mining District
• CA Supreme Court Rules Against Rinehart - But There Is A Solution
• Summertime Gold Panning
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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