Prospecting & Detecting
The Fine Art of Panning Heavy Sands
October 2011 by Jim Halloran
The fine art of panning heavy sands requires a measure of patience. If you enjoy panning gold, you ought to enjoy this too, once you get the hang of it.Proven Strategies for Detecting Gold
I’m sure we all have, at some point in time, gone out detecting and ended up not having the success we thought we would have. Here are some helpful game-changers that work for me and may work for you, as well.
Detecting Old Ground Sluice Locations
Ground sluicing, surfacing and scratching are a few names given to the recovery of gold in shallow areas. Where I live, the hills are dotted with small surface diggings.
Proper Placer Sample Processing
...your sampling procedures should not be designed to catch gold your mining technique will never recover.
Detecting Nuggets—Overcoming New Challenges
Depth is not an issue unless the site is thoroughly cleaned of shallow trash, and it is far easier to isolate and remove targets using a small coil in a target rich location.
Mother Lode Leaf Gold
After removing about six inches of dirt and cobbles, the sound was a bit more recognizable. I was now confident that there was a definite target and not just a ground noise.
Ask The Experts
• Can I get advice on a hard rock property in Calaveras County, California?
Take it to Bedrock
Picking the right spot to placer has to do with years of experience, and a little luck. The textbooks can tell you where it should be, but sometimes the rules just don’t seem to apply.
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The Bawl Mill
• Legislative And Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts—Separating platinum from sands using bubbles
• Ask The Experts—Extraction of micro gold from black sands
• Ask The Experts—Difference between a Geiger counter and scintillator
• Then and Now: Is Gold Really Money?
• Gold, Quartz & Chalcedony—Part I
• Prospecting Australia—Part I
• Oregon Dredge Permit Litigation Update
• Gold From Black Sand Tailings
• California State Gold Panning Championships
• The Golden Days of Julian, California
• An Expensive Lesson
• Judge Denies Request To Delay Michigan Mine
• Melman on Gold & Silver
