All Articles
Sam, the Tenderfoot Prospector
November 2005 by Chris Ralph
There were many thousands of tenderfoot, greenhorn prospectors that came out west in the 1860s and 70s. Some came to make their fortunes; some came to flee other problems back east; and some just came for the adventure. Probably every one had a tale to tell, but one of these adventurous individuals was a young man named Sam, and this is his true story.Platinum in Laccoliths
Laccoliths are unusual igneous features that seem to occur in the stable interior parts of continents. They are concordant igneous intrusions that have domed the overlying rocks and are circular in plan, and less than 10 miles in diameter. This article deals with some of the laccoliths found in the scenic Colorado Plateau province of Utah, Colorado, and Arizona...
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...
Mongolia Tax May Chase Off Investment
The gold and copper deposits at Oyu Tolgoi, or “Turquoise Hill,” are among the largest ever found and could give impoverished Mongolia its biggest boost since it abandoned communism 15 years ago—if the Mongolians can figure out how to profit from it.
Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: White Knuckle Mining
…I was looking down on what was a frightening 500-foot sheer drop-off. We were precariously close to the edge as the shoulder was practically non-existent.
Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Those Blasted Boulders!
The sound got quiet when the fuse burned down into the clay. I waited, and waited…
China Closing More Than 1,000 Mines
It was only a few years ago that China was taxing and limiting quantities of exports for rare earths in an effort squeeze the market, drive up prices and extract the most in the way of income.
The Bawl Mill
• Snake fence upsets environmentalists...
• Job appointments based on credentials, not connections, says the governor...
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• The Price of Gold—Where It’s Headed and Why
• Mining Companies Competing for Labor
• Placer Gold in Russia
• The Rampart Goldfields, Alaska
• Tales of California Gold Discoveries 3rd in a Series—Bloody Nick The Miner
• Company Notes
• Miners Rally Successful
• Venezuela’s Chavez Halts Mining Projects
• Metal-Mineral Identification Utilizing a Detector
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Looking Back
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Montana Lawmakers Want Economic Review of New Mining Rule
