Prospecting & Detecting
Secrets of Gold Research and Why You Need It
October 2021 by Chris Ralph
Prospecting may not be as much fun as it once was. If that sounds like you and you want to figure out what to do to get back on the gold and be successful, I’ve got the answer: Research.
Prospector Unearths Huge 'Duck’s Foot' Nugget
A retired gold prospector spent hours digging up his fortune in the northern goldfields near Kambalda, Western Australia, after finding the target with his metal detector.
The “Chuck It Out” Nugget
This was no ordinary nugget. It had not traveled very far from its nearby source, and that did mean a lot, as we were searching for the source of several such nuggets found during a gold rush that occurred in 1859.
Our 29-Troy-Ounce Golden Blessing

Gold Deposits of Montana
Historically, Montana has been an important gold producer, in terms of both lodes and placers, and it still produces gold for the prospector today.
Replacing Your 12-Volt Pump
In the “toolbox” of most every prospector there are certain tools that we tend to use consistently for a variety of reasons. Have you ever noticed that tools and equipment tend to wear out, rust and fall apart whether we use them or not?
Who Says You Have to Own a Claim to Find Gold?

Take it to Bedrock
Picking the right spot to placer has to do with years of experience, and a little luck. The textbooks can tell you where it should be, but sometimes the rules just don’t seem to apply.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Is the trumpet plant a good indicator of minerals?
• Ask The Experts - Why won’t my detector respond on wire gold?
• Ask The Experts - Should I be able to locate gold near old volcanoes?
• Detecting 'New Again' Spots
• The Miner’s Theme Park: MINExpo 2021
• Downieville: Another Gold Rush Favorite
• Placer Sampling for the Small-Scale Miner
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: The Disappearing Nuggets
• National Mining Hall of Fame Names 2021 Inductees
• Lithium Fuels Hopes Around Salton Sea
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices