Prospecting & Detecting
Out of the Ashes—New Access to Gold
November 2018 by Ray Mills
As I arrived at my detecting location, I got all my gear and headed up the trail. I had to stop and take in the devastation all around me.
Exploring Snakehead
On our fourth trip, we finally reached the top edge of the old hydraulic pit, and it was monstrous.
Revisiting The Old Mini Patch
Today, the greatest gold rushes occur due to technological advances capable of discovering gold where it once was extremely unlikely or difficult.
So, Where's The Gold?—Finding Gold Detectors Miss
We decided to run a detector over each piece. If we got a decent signal we placed the piece into a high-grade pile and the rest went into another pile to be worked on later. This high-grade pile wasn’t that large—maybe 25 pounds...
Sierra County Gold—Part I
...this county contained some of the richest placer ground found in all of California and still produces some pretty impressive finds to this day.
Pros and Cons of Big Detector Coils
Years later I returned with a new detector with a smaller coil and detector technology more sensitive to smaller nuggets. I found my first nugget within five minutes. I had a second five minutes after that.
Prospecting Underground: Use Caution
In underground placer work, the contact point of the bedrock tunnel and the gravel is a very weak point and always has to be timbered. The bedrock here is thin, fractured, and the gravels loose from many years of oxidizing.
How to Evaluate Mineral Claims—What to Know Before You Buy
Even though they have put down thousands of dollars, the buyers often stop paying on their claims part way through the process after they realize they’ve been duped, but the company just sells it again to another buyer.
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• Fall Drywashing—Just the Right Time of Year
• Humble Beginnings
• Understanding Large Gold Deposit Types: Discovering New Mines
• Roads to Nowhere
• Treasure Hunters Challenge FBI Over Dig for Civil War Gold
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• Arizona Prospector Rescued from Mine Shaft
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