Prospecting & Detecting
Prospecting With a Detector: Lessons Learned
November 2012 by Fred Mason

All About Quartz—Part I
One of the first minerals most prospectors learn to recognize is quartz, because, in the right circumstances, it can be an excellent indicator mineral for prospectors. Quartz is common, easy to identify, and is often associated with gold and other valuable metal deposits.
Hard Rock 101: Micro Blasting
Micro blasting can be used to take down hanging rock, separate minerals from overburden, and collect gemstones and other high-value product with minimal damage.
Metal Detecting Old Hard Rock Mine Dumps
The type of mine dump that is best for metal detecting are the ones that consist of mixed sizes of rock and are located near some sort of excavation, commonly a shaft or adit. Sometimes the piles located along a trench dug by the miners can be productive as well.
How to Stake Your Own Mining Claims—Part I

Gold: Is It Everywhere?
Gold, on the other hand, is super rare, and is one of the rarest elements in the earth’s crust. It averages only 0.000004 percent of the earth’s surface. That is four parts in a billion.
A Trip to Morgan-Monroe State Forest of Indiana

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The Bawl Mill
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• The Struggle to Reopen Alaska's Largest Gold Mine
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• Proper Assaying of Placer Samples
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• Melman on Gold & Silver
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