All Articles
Over the Divide
September 2000 by Staff
Merle W. Swanson1913-2000
Gold From Black Sand Tailings
The pile up on the small hill had to be a couple yards of black sand. I’m not one to ignore a little gold even if it is small in size—I have always believed that gold fever comes in all sizes.
Niobium and Tantalum
Niobium (columbium) and tantalum are related metals that usually occur together and are associated with vanadium on the periodic chart of the elements. Both metals have seen increased usage in high-tech applications in recent years because of increased availability.
Mining Pegmatite Deposits
With successively lower temperatures as the water mixture cools, new sets of minerals are formed and many of those stable at a higher degree of heat became subject to alteration as the temperature progressively moved lower.
Yukon Placer Miners Fighting Extreme Discharge Limits
Hold up a glass of tap water and take a look at it. It’s about as clear as the new Yukon water regulations require the water returning to rivers to be after being used by placer miners. The new limit of 25 parts per million (ppm) sediment does not leave a lot of maneuvering room in terms of discharge.
Forest Service Chief Calls for Mining Moratorium in Montana
The Forest Service wants a two-year ban on new hard-rock mining claims on 429,000 acres of national forest land on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in Montana.
Market Spotlight: Platinum in Demand
Platinum has run to record highs this year, but it’s not a rush of demand for wedding bands that has boosted prices. It’s diesel.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Comment period extended for frog habitat
• Tennessee permits for gold prospecting
• California dredging injunction and restraining order hearing
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• A Word from the Editor
• Guest Editorial—Globalizing Mining in America, Part II
• Gold Point, Nevada—A One-Man Mining Town Restoration
• Rare Coin Makes a Mint at Auction
• Letter to the Editor
• Jackson Hole Gold, Wyoming
• Picks & Pans: Big River Dredging in Northern California
• Fake Assays & Assayers
• Turning Acid Mine Drainage Into Drinking Water?—Grass Valley Company May Have the Answer
• Everything You Need to Know About Gold Wheels
• Exceptional Gold Dredging in New Zealand
• Lightning Creek, British Columbia
• Mine Reopening Could Revive Region
• Willow Creek Dredging Trip
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• More Treasure From Sunken Ship







