Prospecting & Detecting
Putting Together A Small Free Gold Mill—Part II
June 2018 by Chris Ralph
There are many smaller old hard rock mines out there—more than you might think. There are some small hard rock properties that are even open to be claimed if one does the right amount of research to find them.
Uphill Battle Continues for California Dredgers
There are currently three controlling agencies or entities over suction dredging in California—and you can make that four if the state legislature decides to further muddy the waters with additional legislation to block suction gold dredging in the state.
Digging It Dry
I believe dry washing is an underappreciated prospecting method. There are plenty of places where there is some pretty decent gold to be had, but the spot is a long way from any water and dry processing may well be the best way to go.
Cold Water Gold
It was June 2011, and my wife Fran and I with Grandson Lucas and good friend Ernie Cruz were attempting to get to our gold mining claim on the Middle Fork of the Feather River about ten miles from Quincy, California. Rain had poured down in the previous few days and the road in a large number of low places was under water. Following two hours of slugging through the mud...
Detecting: Small Creek Yields Good Gold
Most of our gold recoveries have been in the cracks of the bedrock. Hot rocks in the form of dikes cross the creek at various locations, causing us to skip those areas.
The Heavy Minerals in Your Concentrates
The fact that mineral deposits can contribute specific types of heavy minerals is why the analysis of the heavy mineral concentrates in the streams of an area can be an important prospecting technique for finding undiscovered mineral deposits.
Secrets of Successful Prospecting
Winter is the time for research, and if you haven’t already done some research to find new places to prospect, now is the time to cram in some last minute research before the good weather arrives.
Iowa Hill District
For the last two years we’ve held a hands-on prospectors training session in the Iowa Hill district of California’s Mother Lode country as a part of our Gold Prospecting and Mining Summit event. Because of this, I thought it might be good to take a look at the history, geology and opportunities that the Iowa Hill district still offers to the individual prospector.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts - Are there different “ferro” products processed out of the ore?
• Ask The Experts - How hot does a furnace need to be to get rid of sulphides?
• Ask The Experts - Will this paystreak be downriver off the trailing edge of bedrock?
• Chasing Float Gold—The Starry Night Wash
• 2018 National Mining Hall of Fame Inductees
• A Test Grid Dredged for Gold Values
• Michigan House Votes to Give Mining Operations More Flexibility
• Mineral Exploration On The Rise
• 18 Acquitted in Massive Brussels Diamond Heist
• Captain Obvious Strikes Again
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
PLP Update
• California to Allow Suction Dredging in 2019?
