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.
Potholes and Other Bedrock Traps
Potholes in bedrock can trap placer minerals and even be glory holes. They are, at least, interesting geologic phenomena, and at best, a treasure trove of gold nuggets.
Dry Washer, Wet System or Metal Detector?
I love to dry wash old nugget patches found by detector operators, and I have found my fair share of gold dry washing those areas. I have also found a few nuggets using a detector on the bedrock exposed by dry washing the patches.
Prospecting Hard Rock
We panned out maybe three gold pans of the material and we were shocked at the gold that was there. This rock appeared to be rich.
Shallow Water Crevicing Can Bring Big Rewards
Shallow water crevicing or sniping can produce gold if you’re persistent, a hard worker and lucky. It’s nice to have a snorkel, wet suit and goggles. The best practice for success, in my humble opinion, has always been to determine the best gold location and then figure out how to capture it.
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.
Detecting Wet Ground Yields More Fun Than Gold
We all continued over to another location at the top of a massive placer operation. Arriving at the draw, I showed everyone where gold had been found before and we all began detecting.
The Reason We Fight
Joy was written on his face, holding up the nugget—his first ever nugget—that he and his grandpa dug up together.
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• 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
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