Prospecting & Detecting
Placer Sampling for the Small-Scale Miner
October 2021 by Chris Ralph
I have seen many samples taken originally with an eye toward getting the highest grades possible, but later someone claims that those results represent an average grade of the whole gravel deposit.
Out of the Ashes—New Access to Gold
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.
Prospecting Australia—Part I
The call of gold is a strong one and it has pulled men from every corner of the planet. That said, I guess it’s now my turn to chase far away gold.
Pocket Gold
Once a seam is found it can be traced for miles in either direction. While you are tracing a clay line, you are looking for indicators. The indicators that I look for are ironstone, hematite, different color clays intermingled with the clay line, and a very iron-rich, brown gritty soil.
Another Prospecting Adventure: Coulterville
What also helped keep Coulterville alive was the fact that the town itself happened to be sitting on top of one of the richest veins in the Mother Lode. The ledge itself was three hundred feet wide.
Selectable Frequency vs Multi Frequency Detectors
I like to think in terms of “conductive mass” because it is a combination of both the conductivity of the metal and the size of the target that determine how a detector sees conductivity.
Just One More Time
We chose this particular area because an old channel had run here at one point and had been heavily worked on top of a mountain hilltop. Erosion patterns cut deeply on each side, leaving the channel exposed. The erosion cut sharply, dropping into ravines far below.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Is the trumpet plant a good indicator of minerals?
• Ask The Experts - Why won’t my detector respond on wire gold?
• Ask The Experts - Should I be able to locate gold near old volcanoes?
• Secrets of Gold Research and Why You Need It
• Detecting 'New Again' Spots
• The Miner’s Theme Park: MINExpo 2021
• Downieville: Another Gold Rush Favorite
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: The Disappearing Nuggets
• National Mining Hall of Fame Names 2021 Inductees
• Lithium Fuels Hopes Around Salton Sea
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
