Prospecting & Detecting
Pickers and Nuggets
September 2016 by Jack Geck
Mike and I each selected a side of the creek and started to work our way upstream. We both worked the water and sides of the creek, and better than half the gold found in this area is in the water.
Determining the Amount of Gold in Rich Ores
This is just the type of specimen that could have been easily ignored by the old-time miners. It felt a little heavier in my hand than a chunk of quartz of that size ought to have been.
Piles of Gold
These gritty clay lines were only a quarter of an inch up to three inches wide. Once the line had been laid out, they would look at the wall of gritty clay material and seek more indicators.
Gold Prospecting: For Better or Worse
We all love to see that first glimmer of gold when it peeks out from under the black sand in our pan, or feel the weight of a nugget in our scoop when we dig a good target. But sometimes things don’t go quite so smoothly.
Prospecting for Gold at Green Valley
In October, five of us decided to take an exploration trip into an area called Green Valley. This was perhaps ten miles upstream from where we had gone in September and the difficulty was access. One would think that based on the name it was an easily accessible area not far from a nearby town. This couldn’t be more wrong.
Detecting Nuggets—Overcoming New Challenges
Depth is not an issue unless the site is thoroughly cleaned of shallow trash, and it is far easier to isolate and remove targets using a small coil in a target rich location.
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.
Detecting Strategies for Heavily Forested Areas
Looking for nugget laden bedrock in forested mountain regions, you first need to explore the banks of the gold-bearing streams and look for the bedrock that is exposed as this is your starting point.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Ask The Experts: Is there a safe DIY alternative to cyanide or mercury for extraction?
• Ask The Experts: Should I take my claim access problems to the Desert Advisory Council?
• Ask The Experts: How do I identify gold in hard rock that may be mixed with other metals?
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Modern-Day Claim Jumping
• Oregon's Waldo and Galice Mining Districts Unite
• Attention to Detail - Part II
• The Seven Troughs Mining District
• CA Supreme Court Rules Against Rinehart - But There Is A Solution
• Summertime Gold Panning
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
MMAC & PLP Update
