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.

Prospector's Guide to Rock Breaking and Blasting

December 2016
The holes were overloaded with explosives, but I didn’t know it. I was just a green mining engineer fresh out of school and told to watch as the experienced miners set the charge.

Hidden Value in Old Tailings

March 2014
The 15 rare earth elements were discovered long after the gold rush began to wane, but demand for them only took off over the past 10 years...

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.

Gold Deposits of Montana

March 2013

Historically, Montana has been an important gold producer, in terms of both lodes and placers, and it still produces gold for the prospector today.

Modern Mining Reclamation

September 2015
A study showed that between 1930 and 1980, only a quarter of one percent of the land in the United States was used in all mining applications combined, including surface mining, tailings disposal, underground mines, and all mineral processing facilities.

Underground in the Original 16-1 Mine

August 2013
These days they employ the use of metal detectors and carefully scan the shattered rocks, hoping to hear that sound we detectorists love to hear.

The Challenge of Winter Dredging

November 2016
Dredges actually do pretty well in freezing conditions. There are a few tips you should know, however.

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