Small Mining Operations
Sampling for Success—Part I
March 2020 by Chris Ralph
All these decisions and more depend on the richness of a claim—something that is determined by sampling. But sampling isn’t cheap, and even collecting the samples can be more difficult than it appears on the surface.
Tips for Cleaning Gold Nuggets
I pulled out the nuggets I had worked on previously and looked at the size of the wire basket that the items to be cleaned are placed into. It looks much like a miniature french fry deep fryer.
Ophir—Possibly the Best Kept Secret in Alaska—Part II
I knew the nuggets got into the nugget patch somehow, I just had to figure out how and from what direction they came.
Prospecting for Copper—What to Look for on the Outcrop
For the prospector, knowing what oxidized hydrothermal alteration looks like in the field is an important exploration tool.
The Significance of Nuggets in Placers
Chances are better that both types of gold did not come from the same source. Let's look at the probable conditions to cause two types of gold in a placer.
PLP and MMAC Update
Gold Recovery with Centrifugal Bowls
Centrifugal bowls are very efficient, and with proper operation they can consistently achieve gold recoveries above 95% with gold of about 50 mesh size.
A Test Grid Dredged for Gold Values
The evaluation must also consider the gold fineness or purity. The purity of the Sugardaddy nuggets is estimated at 850 fineness, meaning 85% is gold (Au), 12% is silver (Ag) with 3% being other gangue alloyed metal.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts -- How do I find the owners of patented property?
• Ask The Experts -- Is it worth going after these rare earth minerals?
• Ask The Experts -- Will a land mine detector work for gold?
• How to Turn Your Gold Finds Into Cash
• My First Gold Patch
• Caught Between A Hard Rock and A Rare Earth Place
• The Potholes—California’s Oldest Known Mining District
• Over The Divide: Annie Carol Robinson
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: If the RV’s a Rockin’, Please Come a Knockin’
• The Mid-Winter Nugget
• Gold In The Midwest—Part III: Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas
• Trump Proposes $1.5 Billion to Fund US Uranium Production
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Melman on Gold & Silver
