History & Geology
The Golden Streams of Butte County, California
May 2011 by Frank Lorey III
Even though these were some of the earliest placer deposits to be worked, there is still plenty of gold left today—it just takes more work to recover. Knowing about the old locations where gold has been found is the first step to success.Critical Metals: Copper
From time to time I’ve been doing a series on critical metals and how important they are to our complex and technological society. This month we are going to take a look at copper, and how important that metal is to our modern lives.
Ask The Experts
Q: Is this gold or some other metal?
A Journey Into the Silver Peak Range
The Gold Rush in California called hundreds of thousands of souls to leave their homes to journey to the the far reaches of the West. At first the rich goldfields of the Sierra Nevada beckoned to these adventurous pioneers.
The Wild Rush To Find More Cobalt—Part II
In this second part on cobalt, I will take a look at the various types of cobalt deposits and how you can prospect for them. Who knows—perhaps the next big cobalt strike will be yours.
Simple Rules of Gold Geology: Comparing Epithermal and Mesothermal Deposits
Geology is a science of general tendencies with frequent exceptions, not one of hard and fast rules that are always true and never vary. For almost every well-accepted rule of gold deposits, I can point you to a number of important exceptions.
All About Minerals
There are several common ways that new mineral crystals form and grow. Perhaps the simplest is when minerals form through the cooling of molten rock and the atoms bond together into mineral crystals.
Prospecting for Diamonds
Let’s take a look at diamonds and diamond mining and see how they form, how they are used beyond just jewelry, and what leads geologists to find diamond deposits.
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The Bawl Mill
• Why Haven't They Mined This Claim?
• Ask The Experts—Where can I find information on the Abby mine?
• Ask The Experts—Is it possible for a mountain range to have good lode gold deposits and yet the area streams not carrying like deposits of gold?
• Ask The Experts—How do you amend a placer claim?
• Ask The Experts—What happened to the BLM web site geocommunicator.gov?
• The Ups and Downs of Geologic Faults
• Fountain of Youth Gold
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Suction Dredging Update for California & Idaho
• The Disappearance of State Mining Departments
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes & Mineral and Metal Prices
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One Question, Forever Unanswered—Did He Really Find the Gold?







