Prospecting & Detecting
Take a Kid Detecting
January 2014 by Jonathan Porter
I thought things started off okay until I realized I had forgotten some of my gear and had to return to the house. My troubled start was not helped when my boy came up to me a few minutes after my return to show me his first nugget of the day.
What Equipment Do I Need?
Getting started in prospecting often requires the purchase of some equipment, but one can spend as little as $10 and be finding gold or spend thousands and also be finding gold—yet you will probably have many more opportunities and possibilities with more and better equipment.
A Model Mining Operation
After he excavates the ore down to bedrock, he goes over the bedrock with a metal detector to ensure he didn't leave any gold behind before he backfills the area.
PLP Update: Back to The 'Swamp' on Behalf of Small Miners
We spent the morning in a meeting with one of the higher-ups at the US Forest Service. I presented him with 412 complaints received from our readers, along with a summary of the complaints to make his job easier.
Sold: 87-Ounce Nugget
A gold prospector in central Victoria, Australia stumbled across an 87-ounce gold nugget in early February 2015, after his wife told him to head outside to get some air. He had given up smoking a few weeks prior and was getting a bit “grumpy,” she told him.
Rattler's Gold
Rick donned a pair of fiberglass shin guards that he normally wore dredging, just in case he uncovered the rattlesnake during his digging and rock moving. I wasn’t convinced they were going to provide enough protection.
Ask The Experts
• Making a noisy dredge more quiet
California Gold Adventure
All locations gave up some gold, but one particular section of exposed bedrock with steep, packed crevices kept giving us good, consistent results. We had found our spot.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts: Big rocks or small cobbles?
• Ask the Experts: Quartz rock and the chance of gold in my area of New Hampshire?
• Ask the Experts: Equipment and gold locations in Colorado
• Ask the Experts: Silent partners and mining—is it worth the risk?
• Sierra County Gold—Part II
• The Silver Islet Mountains of Utah
• Gold Placers of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
• Alternative Gold Leaching Methods
• Over the Divide
• Prospecting for Diamonds in Kimberlite
• Additional Note Regarding "Strategic Metals—Part II"
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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