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.
Using Vegetation and Soil Conditions as Prospecting Aids
Wouldn’t it be great if you could know if there is gold in the ground without setting foot on the ground? Well you can, to a certain extent, if you can recognize mined ground from unmined.
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.
Researching Mineralized Areas
There are a load of ways to do research, and I’m going to talk about how I do it—maybe you’ll get some ideas that will work for you, too.
What Are Those Rocks In My Pan?
The placer mineral identification key is designed to answer this question. It attempts to recognize all the minerals in your gold pan concentrates.
Ask The Experts
Sulfides and oxides—what's the difference between the two?
Glaciers and Placer Gold Deposits
It also happens sometimes that glaciers will bury valuable placer deposits. This occurs when the glacier goes over the top of an existing placer deposit.
The Silver, Gold and Gemstones of Candelaria, Nevada
The Candelaria area is of interest to prospectors not just for silver, gold and other metals, but also for the beautiful gemstones found there.
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
