My New Passion--Crystal Hunting

December 2019 by Ray Mills

I decided to dig near it to see if there were any more and immediately uncovered others. In total I found a pocket with over 100 crystals in it. I was hooked.

All About Quartz—Part II

July 2013
In our May 2013 issue, we took a look at the mineral quartz, a mineral very commonly associated with gold. However, gold is not the only reason prospectors are interested in quartz. Quartz can also be very valuable as a gemstone

Give That Club Claim A Chance

August 2015

My first trip to the claim was the tip-off that there might be larger gold to be found. I brought my puffer drywasher and my dad to a local prospecting club outing that was held at the claim.

Romancing the Lens

July 2014
...a large number of these aspiring miners developing their operations seemed to have missed "Placer Mining 101" somewhere along the way.

Reminder: Annual Claim Filings Due

August 2019

Please note that new mining claims filed on or after September 1, 2019, will be subject to the new fee schedule.

Endurance Is Golden

September 2011
Feeling through the mud, I felt the weight and shape of what could only be gold. Throwing my hand in the water revealed a sixteen-gram nugget oozing with character.

Dry Washer, Wet System or Metal Detector?

April 2016
I love to dry wash old nugget patches found by detector operators, and I have found my fair share of gold dry washing those areas. I have also found a few nuggets using a detector on the bedrock exposed by dry washing the patches.

A Few Pointers About Cracks and Crevices

October 2013
Because these crevices catch and hold gold so well, it's worthwhile to learn how they form, which ones are good for catching gold and which ones are not.

Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill   • Ask The Experts - How do I obtain a map of Montana gold & sapphire gravel bars?   • Ask The Experts - How do I process this white quartz with black striations?   • Ask The Experts - Does gravel + bedrock = gold?   • Back to Green Valley--With A Sluice   • A Lesson In Underwater Sniping   • More Fiddling While Forests Burn   • Achieving Accurate Metal Detector Discrimination   • The Half-Mile Claim   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices   • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: White Knuckle Mining

Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update   • Unique Rare Earth Mine in Texas   • Gold in The Midwest--Part I   • PLP Update: Another Suction Dredge Case Heading to the US Supreme Court