The Birthday Nugget Patch

June 2017 by Fred Mason

Down around 10 or 12 inches I hit a large cobble that appeared to be one type of hot rock for this area. I thought bad things about the new technology until I checked the rock.

Successful Detecting Requires Attention to Detail—Part I

August 2016
So much of gold detecting depends on attention to detail. Every gold area offers its own distinct geological markers and as prospectors we must pick up on those markers.

Mud Men: Pocket Miners of Southwest Oregon Part III

April 2011
The amount of gold in the traces from the low-grade scattered veinlets may be much more than the traces from the small but rich pocket, at least until the pocket hunter closes in on the rich pocket. Further confusion arises if the prospector stumbles across a placer deposit on one of the higher peaks.

Metal Detector Testing Methods

February 2015

It will not be any easier than on your table at home, and so testing a very small test target like the ballpoint pen can tell you immediately if a detector is suitable for looking for tiny gold nuggets.

Gold Prospecting: For Better or Worse

September 2018

We all love to see that first glimmer of gold when it peeks out from under the black sand in our pan, or feel the weight of a nugget in our scoop when we dig a good target. But sometimes things don’t go quite so smoothly.

Prospecting for Gold in Baja California

April 2015
It was one of those awkward situations as we walked, fatigued and too thirsty to speak a word.

Hidden Value in Old Tailings

March 2014
The 15 rare earth elements were discovered long after the gold rush began to wane, but demand for them only took off over the past 10 years...

Detecting Clay Seams

November 2015
Because the old timers were so good at locating the better paying deposits—most of them along clay seams in this particular area—it makes good sense to try and locate these clay lines at old mining sites.

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