History & Geology
Researching Mineralized Areas
December 2015 by Chris Ralph
There are a load of ways to do research, and I’m going to talk about how I do it—maybe you’ll get some ideas that will work for you, too.How Rich Must My Ore Be?
How rich does a hard rock ore have to be for it to be worthwhile to process and extract the gold?
The Golden Days of Julian, California
Some scattered reports say that gold may have been washed from streams here as early as the 1840s, but the undisputed major discovery came in 1870.
The Silver, Gold and Gemstones of Candelaria, Nevada

What About Palladium?
Palladium may well be an underexplored element and therefore an opportunity for prospectors and geologists. This is because they are often less than obvious and other than the native metals, a chemical analysis of samples is required to identify PGM-enriched rocks.
Exploring A Historic Lode Mine
Climbing up the debris, I pointed my flashlight up a shaft ascending straight up as far as my light would shine. It was the stope of the pay shoot leading to the old tunnel above!
Ask The Experts
Q: Is this gold or some other metal?
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Ask The Experts
• SB 838 and the Salem Witch Hunt
• Small-Scale Hard Rock Production
• MMAC & PLP Update
• VLF Detector Operating Modes
• Using Geologic Maps
• Canadian Company Recovers 1,111-Carat Diamond
• Lost Sally's Gold
• Time to File Claims in Southern California
• Colorado Disputes Key Part of EPA Mine Report
• Picking Our Way Through Bedrock
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Melman on Gold & Silver
Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• What Is Incidental Fallback?