Reading A River: Understanding Erosion and Gold

December 2020 by Chris Ralph

Rivers are not just random and accidental; streams and other drainages are what they are because of the forces of erosion acting on the bedrock.

Drywashing Arizona Gold

January 2016
His findings were not exaggerated—after running 82 buckets of gravels in two days we had a remarkable 27.8 grams of gold!

The Heavy Minerals in Your Concentrates

June 2016
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.

Back to Basics--Finding Gold With a Pan and a Sluice

April 2019

Don’t hunker down and just keep digging in one spot where there is very little or no gold—if you don’t find it, you’ve got to get up and move on!

Critical Minerals: Titanium

July 2018

The metal is expensive, not because it is rare but because of the expense to produce and work it. The minerals mined for titanium are all oxides, unlike many base metals that are mostly mined as sulfide minerals.

Diary of a Diamond Prospector

April 2017
I couldn’t wait to get started. With no field budget, an assay budget of $100/year, a 1975-Ford Bronco that was a road hazard, a gas card, a topo map and full support of the director, I headed to the State Line district near Tie Siding along US Highway 287 to begin mapping kimberlite.

Green Valley Reconnaissance

January 2013
During this trip we found enough gold to make us want to come back, even with the punishment of a very long, tough hike.

The Winning Hand

January 2017
The operation and techniques employed are highly successful in producing free gold with minimal work involved while maintaining an environment protection process through the use of recycled water and a settling pond.

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