History & Geology
Natural Gold Alloys
March 2014 by Chris Ralph
Natural gold is never 100% pure; all natural nuggets contain at least some impurities. We're going to take a look at just what some of those impurities might be.
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.
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.
Gold Ores of the Delamar District, Nevada
Even as late as 1906, Delamar was second only to Tonopah and Goldfield in production outshining many better known areas. Since the first discoveries, more than 700,000 ounces of gold have been produced from the mines here.
The Preacher of Sheeps**t Flats
It seemed that the preacher always gave the same answer to anyone who asked where his gold had come from. His answer was, “If you know your gold, you can find it. However, you will have to find it the hard way, the way I found it.”
PGMs in the United States
Until just recently, platinum-group metals (PGMs), especially palladium, had been holding their own on the market. But, Russia has now resumed shipments and it has brought prices down.
Detector Brings New Life to An Old Lode Mine
…it was immediately evident the previous owner had not been using a detector. During just a few months of working the dumps part-time, he recovered gold in quartz specimens valued in excess of $40,000.
Benches and Fossil Placers
Unfortunately for us mortal humans, we have a poor perspective on geologic time. When we look at a landscape such as a stream valley, we see it only in two, or at the most, three dimensions. We have poor comprehension of the valley’s fourth and most important dimension—time.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Prospecting Hard Rock
• Reese River Silver Mining District, Nevada
• Twenty-Five Gold Indicators You Should Know
• Alaska: Large-Scale Mining Can Be Done Right
• Gold of the Iditarod Mining District, Alaska
• Bedrock
• Government Takes Land for Open Space
• Comments on Gold Rush and Bering Sea Gold Series
• Hidden Value in Old Tailings
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
