All Articles
The Joy of Prospecting
February 2004 by Chris Ralph
I have been prospecting and mining for gold, both as a hobby and as an occupation, for nearly 30 years. From the deep green forests to the rolling sagebrush hills, few people see as much of America’s wide-open spaces as I do.
A New Prospecting Spot
Once indicators start showing up along or below a contact I start to get excited. When I have shale, and outcroppings of diorite with iron-red, gritty soil and some clay thrown in, I really get lightheaded. I may be a mile away from the nearest diggings but that’s okay. I just found a spot that could provide some nice nugget hunting.
Melman on Gold & Silver
Another area of growing international concern for business and industry is the recent astonishing proliferation of new government regulations and laws. Despite the presumably good intentions behind these measures it is now becoming apparent that they are imposing true costs to our economic society. The sheer variety of these laws and regulations is mind-boggling.
Glacial Gold in Ohio
Ohio is an industrialized, midwestern state with a population of 11.5 million and an area of 40,953 square miles. Annual precipitation is about 40 inches, enough to give rise to hardwood forests...
Over the Divide
Virginia Elvira Russell
(Mining Grandma of Humbug)
March 4, 1999
The Wisdom of Mark Twain—And Tales of Cheating the Unwary Prospector
I (enjoy) Twain’s description of a gold mine, “A hole in the ground with a liar at the top.” Some humor here? You bet, but I’m sure he meant it to be a real eye opener as well.
Hecla Fights Bad Actor Label in Montana
Environmental groups last year urged Montana regulators to impose the bad actor designation, and now are seeking to intervene in the case.
The Jenkins Mine Project Pt III -- Site Selection
This sampling program was painfully tedious, and I’ve still got the calluses and embedded shovel splinters to prove it. But completing that testing program validated certain areas of the creek and eliminated others.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Buying or Investing in Mineral Properties
• Company Notes
• Picks & Pans: Rattlesnakes in a Gold Camp
• Old-Time Mining Geology Books
• Ask the Experts: Recommended Reading—Part I
• The Tangential Impulse Water Wheel in California Gold Mining History—Part I
• Consider Adding Gold to Your Portfolio
• US Files Charges Against Gold Refiner
• Gold in Australia
• Gold in Rotten Rock
• Restoring the Rule of Law to US Mining
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices







