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The First Mine in America
August 2005 by Dr. Ralph E. Pray
Many people, mostly New Mexico Native Americans, but including this miner, wear turquoise from the first mine in America. I took my blue stones from the old mine by hand labor, underground, a half century ago.Ask The Experts
• Is there a standard contract for placer mining to use with a private property owner?
Over the Divide
Elaine Schrader
1935 - 2003
Going Over Old Ground With Newer Technology
When we got set up and I started to swing the coil over a small mound, I got a good signal, faint but repeatable.
Synclinal Oil
Most oilfields are found in anticlinal faults, or stratigraphic traps. Oil floats on water, so that it will rise to the highest point possible, above the water. If the porous or fractured sandstone or limestone that contains the oil is overlain by impervious shale, the oil can no longer rise. If the porous bed is arched upward...
Route Planning Using GPS
My intention was to end this discussion with waypoints and routes, then I found USGS maps of the Plainfield Quadrangle.
Some Tips and Tricks for Dredgers: Determining Pulley Size and Belt Length
If Epd is larger, then the compressor will be spinning faster than the manufacturer’s maximum specified RPM and might destroy itself. If this happens, then the compressor again might not produce enough air to support a diver. Neither is a desired outcome.
Key to Successful Prospecting: Confidence

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The Bawl Mill
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• Looking Back
• Gold in Vermont
• Picks & Pans: Prospecting on Perry Creek
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