Prospecting & Detecting
Sierra County Gold—Part I
December 2013 by Chris Ralph
...this county contained some of the richest placer ground found in all of California and still produces some pretty impressive finds to this day.
What is a Valid Mineral Discovery?
One of the greatest opportunities afforded to the citizens of our country is the right to stake and hold mining claims on federal lands. One doesn’t need to be a lawyer to stake mining claims, but a little bit of knowledge about mining claim laws can be helpful.
It's Hard to Find Gold!
...even the best prospectors have times when they do not find gold. It is all about taking chances against tough odds and succeeding.
Tyrie's Roadway Nugget
I will have to admit, I actually was brought to tears just thinking about what I had just done. I knew the gold was there, but I never thought I would be so fortunate to find such a prize nugget.
Volume is the Key to Success
While recovery rates are important, they must necessarily be secondary to the volume of material processed. Running more material at lower recovery rates is generally preferable to increasing the efficiency of the system.
Southern Oregon's Illinois River—A Lesson in Sharing
Our theory was that a dredge would collect far more material in a shorter period of time, leaving us with ounces of gold every day.
Follow Up to "Just One More Time"
…the “One More Time” has turned into three more trips and each of the three has yielded more gold each time down.
Early Winter Detecting in the Sierras
The mine site consists of river gravels from an ancient channel covering over 20 acres, and the place is covered with very large river rock and small tree overgrowth.
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