Prospecting & Detecting
Sunset Sunbaker
July 2017 by Rod Fitzhugh
He began hiking my way and was as astonished as I was when he saw it. Another high five moment! It makes you wonder how long this gold had just been sitting there on the ground.
Dredging Do's and Don'ts
I’d start the day by crawling out of my dome tent, cooking up some Spam and eggs, and heating water for instant coffee on the Coleman stove.
What's In A Name?
The names attached to these areas came about from many sources. Many are easy to see why the name was given while others had a more contrasting note to them.
A Good Start
We split up in order to cover a larger area and found good color almost everywhere. The bedrock was shallow on both sides of the river, but the inside bend was where we concentrated our prospecting.
All About Quartz—Part I
One of the first minerals most prospectors learn to recognize is quartz, because, in the right circumstances, it can be an excellent indicator mineral for prospectors. Quartz is common, easy to identify, and is often associated with gold and other valuable metal deposits.
How Far To The Gold?
…in spite of the fact that the well-pounded spots probably don’t have much gold left, I see all too many prospectors hike down to a creek or other spot at the first place the road comes near it just because it’s the easiest access point.
Summertime Gold Panning
I have smaller pans for cleaning black sand concentrates, big pans for taking large samples, pans with corners for pouring out materials, and pans with lots of special riffles. This variation is why I have so many pans—they each have their specialty.
The Hunch
The mysteries of this spot were only just starting to develop. There is nothing but very bland granite-type rocks here, meaning no bold, favorable indicators.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts: What is a Spanish needle?
• Ask The Experts: Sulfides and fluxes
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Simple Rules of Gold Geology: Comparing Epithermal and Mesothermal Deposits
• The "Madonna Nugget"—A Weekend Hunt to Remember
• The Goldfield Mining District, Nevada—Part II
• A Prospecting Adventure in Mexico
• Critical Minerals: Tungsten
• Police Urge Author to End Treasure Hunt
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
MMAC Update
