The "Madonna Nugget"—A Weekend Hunt to Remember

July 2017 by Tom Reyes

I worked my way to a flat area along a ridge where I could see a quartz blowout. As I got within 100 feet of it, I started seeing rock that I knew to be associated with gold.

Sulfides and Intergrain Gold Wire Nuggets

March 2018

...these nuggets have not traveled far from the lode because the golden wire lattices would have been torn apart or flattened during weathering of rock and deposition by violent stream action.

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.

Using Sucker Guns to Find Gold

November 2013
...if you have a good, rich spot, hand-operated systems can produce some decent gold.

Sunshine and Gold

January 2016

His eyes were gleaming and he was smiling as he dropped his first piece of gold into my hand. It was a small, earring-size nugget, and he had found it almost immediately.

Gold Placers in Italy

August 2018

Gold is a fairly widespread mineral in the Italian Alps and in the Northern Apennines. It is found both in primary mineralization and in past and recent floods.

Q&A With Detector Designer Dave Johnson

September 2011
...it’s been a little known secret that one man was involved in designing many of the most respected very low frequency (VLF) nugget detectors on the market. Dave Johnson has designed gold-oriented detectors for Tesoro, Whites, Fisher and others for more than 25 years.

Picking Our Way Through Bedrock

December 2015
Once again the coil was put over the spot but the target was in the pile now. I pinpointed, grabbed a handful of dirt and began sprinkling it over the coil until I heard that mild thud.

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