Prospecting & Detecting
My Lucky Thirteen Nuggets
May 2017 by Fred Mason
Even with my favorite top-of-the-line gold detector there were several false digs. Many of the hot rocks gave a solid signal that was too much like a nugget to ignore. After trying several tests I just dug everything because it is better to be safe than leave a big, deep nugget for a more diligent gold hunter.
Placer Gold Deposits in the Western States
…to see the huge differences between the gold production amounts of the Western States, let’s look at the gold production—both hard rock and placer—of these 13 states up to the present.
Using Structural Clues to Locate Buried Placer Channels
They must have assumed the paystreak was spotty and had been mined out, so they never mined as close to the side of the valley as they should have.
Prospecting the Easy Way
And what do I think is the easy way? It’s what you can learn from the old timers that walked that ground many years ago.
Picking Our Way Through Bedrock
Once again the coil was put over the spot but the target was in the pile now. I pinpointed, grabbed a handful of dirt and began sprinkling it over the coil until I heard that mild thud.
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.
Eolian Placer Gold
I would first like to mention that I am not a geologist. I have, however, spent the last 8 years intently searching for gold nuggets with a metal detector. I have found gold in numerous locations, and in several different types of gold deposits.
Small-Scale Processing of Hard Rock Ores
Depending on the ore and if significant sulfides are present, a hard rock miner may be able to get away with simply using a flux to digest the other minerals that may be present.
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The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts: How many claims can I file in Arizona?
• Ask The Experts: What should I do with a large amount of old placer concentrates?
• Shaker Tables for Processing Hard Rock Ores
• Becoming a Successful Detectorist
• Hand Panning Micro-Fine Gold
• Sampling, Hydro-Shocking & Cleaning Quartz-Gold Specimens
• Crushing, Grinding and Pulverizing
• A Break in the Weather
• From the Editor
• Prospecting Knowledge -- Pass It On!
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Over The Divide: Miles John Mitchell
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